THE ALMIGHTY DURIAN
I don't remember why, but my friends and I got into the topic of durian over the weekend, and since I was the only one in our group who grew up in the Philippines (Arnel came here when he was a wee li'l young'un of 3 years), of course I was the only who said I loved it. It didn't help that our friends in question aren't even Filipino, or Asians for that matter. One of my friends mentioned seeing a travel show where even the gutsy host couldn't stomach the smell, let alone the taste.
I'm not sure how many Filipinos actually like durian, but the polarity couldn't be more apparent than in my home. My dad used to bring a box of those yummy fruits from the south, to my mom's disgust. She tried to ban it in our home, but strangely enough, all her 4 offspring (me, especially) loved loved LOVED it! I remember teasing her by bringing seeds to her bedroom and eating them in front of her, hahaha.
So anyway, over the weekend, Travel Channel aired Bizarra Foods of Asia, where of course durian was the highlight. Predictably, Chef Andrew couldn't cut it. He bit into a durian seed (yes, he literally bit into the pit, the idiot) and spat it out right in front of his highly offended Malaysian guide. It's just fruit, the guide said. Oh, but I ate a lot of weird food before this, said Chef Andrew in a failed attempt to redeem himself in the disgusted Asian man's eyes.
Tonight, we watched Tony Bourdain's No Reservations (do you sense a pattern here? We love food AND travel!), the episode about Indonesia. I've always loved and respected the man (I only tolerate other food & travel shows because none of the other guides are half as witty and entertaining as Bourdain), and after tonight's episode, he's just been promoted to the status of demi-god in my eyes! Not only did he like the fruit, he brought it back to his hotel, and ate the whole thing!
Sign forbidding durians on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit via Wikipedia
Anyway, all this talk about durian is making me crave the damn thing. I wonder if I can find durian in Chinatown these days? Is it in season? I want to cut one up, dig my fingers beneath one (or ten) of its meaty seeds, and gross Arnel out by eating in front of him.
I'm not sure how many Filipinos actually like durian, but the polarity couldn't be more apparent than in my home. My dad used to bring a box of those yummy fruits from the south, to my mom's disgust. She tried to ban it in our home, but strangely enough, all her 4 offspring (me, especially) loved loved LOVED it! I remember teasing her by bringing seeds to her bedroom and eating them in front of her, hahaha.
So anyway, over the weekend, Travel Channel aired Bizarra Foods of Asia, where of course durian was the highlight. Predictably, Chef Andrew couldn't cut it. He bit into a durian seed (yes, he literally bit into the pit, the idiot) and spat it out right in front of his highly offended Malaysian guide. It's just fruit, the guide said. Oh, but I ate a lot of weird food before this, said Chef Andrew in a failed attempt to redeem himself in the disgusted Asian man's eyes.
Tonight, we watched Tony Bourdain's No Reservations (do you sense a pattern here? We love food AND travel!), the episode about Indonesia. I've always loved and respected the man (I only tolerate other food & travel shows because none of the other guides are half as witty and entertaining as Bourdain), and after tonight's episode, he's just been promoted to the status of demi-god in my eyes! Not only did he like the fruit, he brought it back to his hotel, and ate the whole thing!
Sign forbidding durians on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit via Wikipedia
Anyway, all this talk about durian is making me crave the damn thing. I wonder if I can find durian in Chinatown these days? Is it in season? I want to cut one up, dig my fingers beneath one (or ten) of its meaty seeds, and gross Arnel out by eating in front of him.