Butterfly on my Periwinkle Plant

Wordless Wednesday

A Love Affair With Durian

Durian, durian we love you. The Durian is native to Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Durian is a malay word meaning lots of thorns. We call it the King of Fruits. They say 'its either you love the durian or you hate it', but for me, I do eat it but I can also live without it.

The most notable characteristic about the durian is its pungent smell and distinctive taste. Some of my foreign friends say it smells and tastes like cat vomit. That's revolting, isn't it? They get a slimy feeling with goose pimples and rapid heart beat when holding the flesh. Some feel instant disgust and cannot stand the smell. Durians are banned from hotels and resorts. I guess the smell can create havoc once it gets into the air-conditioning system. The smell is a nice aroma to us and we regard the taste as heavenly. It is creamy, tastes like sweet butter scotch with almonds and better still should be a little bit bitter, like wine. It is 'finger-licking' good!

Everywhere I go, I see durians, durians and more durians! This stall in Petaling Jaya is having a durian promotion. The banner says "Eat Until You Get Full" at RM 9.00 for lower grade and RM 15.00 onwards for premium grade durians. The varieties available are Kampong Durian (Village Durian), D24, Tacka, Juiji, D96, Raja Kunyit (Tumeric King), Udang Merah (Red Shrimp) and XO.

In this stall under the shady trees, there are comfortable tables and chairs to sit on and helpers to select and open the durians for the diners. We took only durians for lunch. The owner even provided salt water for detox. If we don't want the salt water, we can order coconut water. Other fruits like rambutans and mangosteens are also sold here. Some people believe that eating durians is very 'heaty' to our body, therefore it is good to eat mangosteens or drink coconut water to 'cool' it down. These stalls enjoy very good business because many Malaysians love durians.

When I was little, eating durian was a family affair. You need some skills to choose good quality durians. When selecting durians, for example, you need to pick up the durian, observe closely, smell it, shake it and listen carefully. Strength is needed to open the fruit and you need some cloth to protect your hands from the sharp thorns. Usually, the head of the family or the guys will prised open the durian using a parang knife or chopper. But then, some mothers can do that easily too! After the durian is succesfully opened, everybody would have fun eating and sharing the durian.

Caution:

1. Do not overeat. It is a very uncomfortable feeling.

2. Do not drink alcohol immediately after eating durian. Your body may not be able to take it.

3. Not recommended for people suffering from diabetes or high cholesterol levels.

Other ways of eating durian

1. Durian ice-cream

2. Durian confectionery like cakes, dodol, biscuits, candy

3. Fermented durian called 'tempoyak' is eaten uncooked, cooked or used to make curry

4. McDonald's came up with 'durian shake' some time ago but it has been discontinued now.

5. Some people eat durian flesh with rice for lunch/dinner

6. Chilled durian is very tasty but there will be a lingering odor in the fridge

7. Durian seeds can be boiled and eaten

Something to ponder

If a durian fell from the tree onto your head, there will be serious head injuries caused by the spikes. However, we also have a malay saying, "durian runtuh" which means that getting a fallen durian brings forth unexpected fortune.

The Century Old Casuarina Trees of Ipoh Field

Casuarina trees are native to Australasia and South East Asia. They are also known as she-oak, beefwood or Australian pine and come from the family of casuarinaceae. The casuarina tree is a tall and graceful evergreen tree with slender, drooping branches and pine shaped leaves. Some say it looks like a pine tree while others have mistaken it for a coniferous tree.

These are casuarina trees in front of Ipoh Padang. Can you imagine a tree that has already been around since before your grandparents were born? Standing here on a windy day, I can almost hear a whistling sound as the trees sway gracefully against the breeze. My grandparents had walked along this road. Mum and dad came here during their courting days. I have also brought my family here to enjoy the panoramic view and to tell them about our history. There are quite a number of colonial heritage buildings around this area such as the HSBC Bank building (1920), Standard Chartered Bank (1908), High Court (1928) and the FMS (1906) building that once housed a famous bar and restaurant. Through the decades, our nation has changed from the British colonial time, to Japanese occupation to a brand new independent Malaysia. Through the years, the casuarinas had stood tall, as beautiful as ever.

This is the Ipoh Padang meaning Ipoh Field. Next to the field is the Royal Ipoh Club, a white tudor styled clubhouse established by the British in 1895. The Ipoh Padang was built in 1898 and casuarina trees were planted around this field. Those were the days when the state of Perak, Malaya was a British protectorate state. The British who lived here liked greenery. These trees acted as a wind breaker and provided the shade from the hot tropical sun. Rich tin miners and rubber barrons would patronise the clubhouse while the more adventurous and athletic ones will play cricket in the field. Nowadays, this field is also used for soccer games, morning and evening exercises, entertainment concerts and other state events. Do you see blue mountains behind the buildings ?

This is another view of the beautiful casuarina trees. In front is a building with green outlines and designs. It is the Indian Moslem Mosque, built in 1908. Further behind this mosque is the St. Michael's Institution.

St. Michael's Institution was a Christian (Catholic) missionary school establised in 1912 by a group of La Salle brothers. Now it is a government aided school providing education for primary and secondary school children.

I believe that the area surrounding the Ipoh Field is the most beautiful and symbolic representation of Ipoh. What will Ipoh be without the evergreen casuarinas? Certainly it will lose a big part of its charm. I want my future generations to be able to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the casuarinas just as I had the privilege to do during my time.