This morning's breakfast, A bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, a cup of coffee, and a glorious durian containing one of the tastiest single pods of this fruit I've ever had the privilege of enjoying.
The teachers at my school treat me very well, and know my passions towards fruits, specifically this one in general, and so… actually this is my 4th entire durian in 5 days. I have had to pace myself accordingly, a few pods at breakfast, one or two throughout the day, and then whatever remains will put me off to bed.
The durian I had this morning was definitely the best of the 4. I was literally having to catch my breath coming to the end of this short taste of paradise, these bites were so creamy that time really did seem to stand still. I removed only two pods this morning, putting the rest safely out of my own reach, because I had a feeling that the temptation would be too strong. The smell that greeted me this morning could only mean an amazing breakfast was close at hand.
At a younger, stronger age (digestively speaking), I would have thought nothing of devouring every single pod, one after the other. It has happened to me several times before where my fellow durian addict, Migration Mark, and I have found ourselves deep into the double digits of durian pod consumption in a single sitting. Today however, at the much older age of 26, I find that I really need to start exercising at least some degree of self control over this specific craving. Not to mention maybe even all food in general… but when living in Thailand that last part might even be physically paining to consider! I will work on that another day.
Durian is known, bite for bite anyways, to be one of the absolute healthiest fruits around. In my case, I usually overdo it by eating several times the recommended amount (it would be ideal to just eat one pod every other day or so…). I never researched very much factual info on durians before, and to be honest I never found many articles that could be taken as believable. Durian is so famous in Southeast Asia that it seems everyone has their own ideas on its amazing powers! Recently however, a Thai scientist has put out a research paper outlining his findings. Very fascinating :)
When ripe, Durian has a very high sugar content, but it is simply chock full of vitamins and minerals as well. Durian would definitely make the list of single-food meals!
The famously dangerous part about Durian though is also true! This fruit contains an enzyme inhibitor (aldehyde dehydrogenase in case you were curious) - an alcohol-digestion blocker! Personally I don't need to worry much about this, but Durian is famous for sending a great many drinkers to the hospital…even (it is said) to the grave! Consuming more than a drink or two of alcohol before partaking of durian will leave one with a scary-low blood pressure, and therefore a lack of oxygen to the body's major organs. After noticing one's core temperature to be a bit high (another result of durian consumption), panicky breathing will only make things that much worse. A young person might not have cause for concern (unless they are drinking a 6-pack of beer while eating as many durian pods as possible), but for a middle-aged heart, even more so that of an elderly person, this combination can be fatal!
Besides this, there are so many other ways in which the Durian simply commands respect - the nearly impenetrable shell, a distinct and potent aroma that can overpower an entire marketplace, its beautiful varieties of colorful species - it well deserves its place as the King of Fruits (its Asian nickname). I am sure that these details will all find their way into my posts in due time, but for now I have some chores to do. Have a great day! Take care, God bless.
-Joel
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