Foodie Friday: Durians

When I was young, my parents would sometimes buy durians at the market when they were in season. We would then sit at a bench nearby, and feast upon the creamy fruit, licking up the littlest remains on our fingers. My mum would usually bring part of the shell back, fill it with salt water, and make us drink from the shell, in the hope that the water would "balance" the "heatiness" from the durian. I loved those times, sitting down, eagerly waiting while my mum would split apart the shell to reveal the golden yellow flesh within, while sniffing the strange smell which some loathe, while some love.

It was durian season when we visited Penang last week. The boys caught many glimpses of the king of fruits, being sold on the windy roads coming back from Batu Ferringhi, and spotted the thorny fruits hanging up in the trees. And they got to taste it when my in-laws bought some. 

Junior J drew this after he ate some of the durian. This is his diagram of the digestive system,
complete with a stomach, small intestine and large intestine, with some durian in it. 

I was really hoping that the boys would like it. Durian gives me a sense of family, from all those times our family feasted on the fruit together. One fruit usually yields way too much for one person to eat, so it is a fruit that fosters companionship. Ironically, the hubby ate way too much durian in his childhood, and now dislikes the taste and smell of it.

And the kids? Lil J, being the little foodie that he is, loved it, and kept coming back for more:

Junior J ate some, and this was his initial reaction:

He took some more after that, but I think he isn't too enthusiastic about it, and prefers mangosteens. Whatever the case, I do dream of times in the future when we can sit together and feast on these fruit, just like how we did years ago!  

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