Sunday 12 January 2014

Durian Row...and the time I tried to write a poem about my love for the king of fruits.


Oh durian, how I have missed you! 
Your glorious aroma, 
so pungent you are banned from most hotels in the civilised world,
That punctured the hot metal exterior of my boyfriend's car even though his air con vents weren't set to take air from the outside,
Perfumes the memories of my childhood!

Oh durian, how I have missed you!
Your sweet sweet flesh,
That has been compared to a combination of fetid sweaty socks and the oldest of old blue cheeses,
That caused my brother's lips to disappear from sight in a disgusted grimace when he stole a taste,
A single taste is enough to remind me of the comforts of home
(Though let's get real, durian isn't a 'single taste' type food. GO HARD OR GO HOME)
I LOVE THEE DURIAN. 
EVENTHOUGH I CAN ONLY PARTAKE IN YOUR BEAUTY BUT ONCE A YEAR. 


OK, that last bit isn't really true. It used to be. But now you don't really have to wait for durian season to enjoy this thorny fruit. 

If you haven't already guessed, I love durian. Can't get enough of it. Just my luck it's one of those fruits that aren't fantastic for you (high high HIGH levels of cholesterol). It's also what the Chinese would call a 'heaty' fruit. As in eating it warms you up, which would be all well and good in Scotland but not so much here.
All the same, I love love love my durian. A trip home isn't complete without a stop at Durian Row. 








Durian Row in Section 2 PJ is the site of a giant night market that sells almost exclusively, durians. Regulars have their favourite stalls and some even have regular 'durian kakis' (fellow durian loving friends) that they have regular 'durian sessions' with. Everywhere you go, tables will be surrounded by discarded durian shells, chilled coconuts and either laughter or lip-smacking sounds. Some of these places even have all-you-can-eat durian deals. For a flat rate, they keep  bringing fruit to your table till you hold your hands up in surrender (but they don't give you the good stuff, so don't bother). 




The family went for durian a couple of nights ago and we had a feast. Mum picked out some nice D24 durians, and as a special treat we had a 'Musa King' (fox king) durian as well. There're many many many other types of durian, each varying in taste and texture. These 2 are the only ones we've ever tried, but I definitely want to get around to trying the other ones sometime soon! Have you got a favourite durian? Or a favourite place to get them from? Let me know in the comments below!

For now, here is my smushed durian face for your enjoyment: 



Rockin' my plastic glove LIKE A BOSS.

Till next time guys!