Durians for sale along Colombo – Negambo road – Photo – Nandasiri Wanninayaka
This is the durian season. I tasted my first fruit yesterday after seeing a friend of mine’s photo of an opened durian in Facebook.
I bought a fruit for 330 LKR. In fact I had to haggle it down to that amount from an original 350 LKR. I took it home and first showed it to my son who had not seen one before. Then I opened it and showed him again and he didn’t want to join me to taste it. Maybe due to its odor. For me, though, it is a fragrance.
Nobody at home wanted to share the fruit and I had to eat it up alone! The delicious it was, but it was too much for me. The durian was full of flesh. I ate it all and it was so strong in nutrition that I fell asleep immediately after eating it for full two hours. I shouldn’t eat a full fruit hereafter.
Durians are hated by many due to its peculiar odor. But a few like the smell. This is full of nutrition and is considered the “king of fruits” by Southeast Asians.
I first ate durians a long time ago when my eldest brother who worked in Kothmale brought home some fruits. Nobody except my eldest brother and I ate the fruits. When offered to some of the village youth, one guy told, “You should have the experience of eating shit before eating durians.”
Muslims in Sri Lanka buy this a lot according to the sellers. This is said to be an aphrodisiac as well. Durian lovers don’t mind the high prices as they know its effect. Unfortunately, durians, mangosteen and rambutans come in more or less the same season and your eyes go only to rambutan due to its attractive color. I don’t know much about mangosteen, but you should try a durian once in a while.
Nanda Wanninayaka 