King of Fruits
Durian Season is in full swing right now. Walk down almost any street market area of Bangkok and you are likely to be stopped in your tracks by the powerful aroma of durian being sold from the back of pick-up trucks.
There's no sitting on the fence with this fruit - you'll either love it or hate it. Although banned from buses, trains and public buildings because of its smell, the durian is adored by most Asian and despised by many Westerners. The ‘king of fruits' is celebrated at the annual durian festival, held each May in the largest growing district of Chantaburi, Rayong.
Buying a durian is a delightful, almost ritualistic process. First you have to decide which variety is your favourite. Mon thong (golden pillow) is the most commonly available these days but there are dozens of others, some increasingly hard to find. Next tell the vendor how you like to eat your durian - hard, soft or somewhere in between - and stand by and watch as he goes through the process of selecting your durian. Reaching out for this most unlikely of fruits, his fingertips defy the armoured exterior as he lifts up the fruit, taps it with the blade of a machete and listens for the hollow sound that tells him it is ripe. A small section of the shell is then cut and pulled back, just enough so you can insert a finger and test the softness of the fruit. Some vendors will pull the spiky fruit dangerously close to their face. With eyes closed and inhaling deeply they respond to its pungency with a knowing smile before finding a weak spot, and carefully inserting a slender blade to break the seal. With its defenses breached the durian yields to further pressure eventually cracking to reveal its treasure - two golden pillows of succulent flesh.