Grovin' (not Groovin') on a Sunday Afternoon

Durian Tree


Ripe Jackfruit on the Vine


Dragon Fruit


Grovin' Through the Lemons

Unfortunately, grovin' (as opposed to groovin') did not warrant the music stylings of Rascals. We made do with the local Khmer tunes instead.

Maybe a handful of times I have been invited by Thai friends to visit different regions of my province, Sisaket. Where I live, the land is very flat and pretty bare, rice fields stretch on and on and on with trees and small waterways scattered about. Sometimes when I'm here for a long time, I forget that the rest of the province (and the rest of Thailand) has different terrain and landscapes. Just like where I grew up in Iowa, it was hard to image the existence of a sea hundreds of miles away.

Last Sunday, I had an opportunity to get out and explore a completely different area of the province at a fruit orchard about 1 hours drive from my site. My counterpart has in-laws who run a decent sized fruit growing operation and they invited us to hang out and pick fruit for the day. I piled into a pick-up truck with 7 other people and we jetted off East towards the rolling hills and sprawling valleys of the fruit groves. The respite came at good timing and helped everybody relax a little in light of all the drama going on in Bangkok. Though, it was cramped, the ride was worth it.

The King and Queen of Fruits

As far as fruit goes, we hit the jackpot at the orchard. Their main crop is durian and probably the big profit-maker (good, ripe durian can run up to 400 Baht a kilo!). In addition they also have orchards of mangosteen, jackfruit, longans, lomyies (sorry don't know the name in English), pomellos, dragonfruit, and rambutan. Not to mention an impressive vegetable garden. We were given all the durian we could eat to our heart's content. Plus, the liberty to pick and take home other fruit for free. Durian was for sale at a discounted rate of 25Baht/kilo (about 75 cents) of which we all took advantage of, after having eaten way to much because it was so darn good. I would even venture to say, I ate my weight in fruit this day. No shame whatsoever!

In Thailand and indeed, throughout the world, durian (see wikipedia: Durian) is recognized as the king of fruits and mangosteen as the queen of fruits. Now, many people will chide away when they see durian or get near it. It has an infamous aroma... kind of like rotten eggs. But, I will say that when it is super fresh, it hardly smells. The taste is also acquired. If you can get past the smell, you're golden. I once heard someone describe eating durian like eating a really delicious custard off a toilet seat. And, in truth, it does have a custard consistency with and accompanying toilet-like scent.
Durian is by far the most fattening fruit. It is loaded with saturated fat and I'm not sure of it's nutritional value. After experimenting with eating a grotesque amount of it, I observed it has the languid effect of eating turkey. And, like turkey, I learned you can eat too much of it. The insides are protected by a hard shell with sharp thornes. It's almost like the smell and the hard outer shell are supposed to be a deterrent away from it's sinful richness and lethargic effects. You can probably tell I'm a fan of durian. I was a quick convert after my first taste. It's just so rich and delicious! Many of my contemporaries will disagree and coil in disgust.

To this I say, first, don't knock it till you try it. Second, try it when it's really fresh. And as a last attempt, maybe try it with mangosteen. Mangosteen is supposed to be durian's significant other, the queen of fruits. When eaten together, they are like a complete balance of ying and yang. The tastes compliment each other. Mangosteen in much less controversial because it's just sweet and juicy, it smells fragrant, and there are no sharp spikes to work through in order to get to the fruit. Thus, the strickingly sweet and innocent mangosteen combined with the controversially rich durian are a perfect match.

Aside from durian and mangosteen, I relished in rambutan, jackfruit, and lomyie (sorry don't know the English equivalent) which are also some of my all time favorites and because they're not as rich, I find myself eating more of them.

In the midst of crisis and turmoil, I have to say...thank goodness for the little things like the abundance of fruit in the Godforsaken-ly hot country.


Freshly Split-Open Durian


Durian, At It's Prime


My First Durian Experience Last October. Look at How Happy it Makes Me!


With My Two Closest Co-Workers, Making 'Som Thom' (Papaya Salad)


The Inside of a Succulent Jackfruit


Mouth-Watering Mangosteen


Mangosteen & Durian, A Match Made in Heaven