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| Penang Durian Festival |
It’s June, and all over Southeast Asia the odor of durian is wafting down streets, through apartment buildings, and creeping into lunch boxes and fancty restaurants. Durians are falling all over Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, with some heft added by a later than usual season in Thailand. It’s the season for festivals, parties, and general durian shenanigans. While I was busy touring Thailand’s durian festivals, lots of other stuff happened.
The biggest news hitting world media is that McDonald’s has released a Durian McFlurry in Singapore. This isn’t rocket science- durian is like nature’s ice cream. Yet for durian’s public image this is huge. McDonald’s is the first international corporation to market a durian product. And I’m sure that Singapore is just the first step. Durian is already hugely popular in China, as evidenced by the creation of durian pizza in Shanghai. Could it be that even Americans might soon be licking durian flavored crunchies swirled into a durian vanilla soft serve?
Read more at the LA Times
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In Thailand, where I was hanging out, durian prices were exorbitantly high thanks to some underhanded dealings. Last month authorities busted a ring of durian farmers and traders who were picking their fruit too early. Authorities raided warehouses and farms, discarding fruits that were judged to be of poor quality. For those of you abroad frustrated with buying tasteless frozen fruits, these guys may be to blame.
The raids reduced the amount of durian available to the market, in some areas bumping prices up to 150 baht/kilo for Monthong, which normally sells around 30-40 baht/kilo. As someone eating durian in Thailand, this was a bummer. I wag my finger at those scurrilous durian farmers.
Read more at the Pattaya Mail.
These durian shenanigans didn’t stop me from having fun at the Laplae Durian Festival, the Chanthaburi Durian Festival, or the Sisaket Durian Festival.
Thankfully, the boutique durian farmers in Penang, Malaysia have more integrity than export farmers, although prices are also high thanks to a rainy spring, which knocked most of the harvest.
Read more at the Borneo Post.
The stormy spring brought out the durian’s malicious side again. A couple nearly escaped death when a durian tree fell on their house in Sarawak, Malaysia. Durian actually kills multiple times a year, and these folks are lucky. If you don’t believe me, just take a peak at last year’s Durian Obituaries.
Read more at the Borneo Post.
Speaking of the dangers of durian, a deranged durian seller in Johor Bahru lit his apartment complex on fire, using an explosion to start the flames. He fled the scene of the crime by trundling away with all of his belongings packed into his durian cart.
Read more at The Star
Back to Penang, the durian season is on in full swing as Malaysians gather to express their jubilant love for the durian at events around the island.
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| Bowling champions. Photo by Gary Chen/The Star |
The Penang Durian Masters Championships attracted bowlers from around the world for the 4th time as bowlers competed for a prize of – you guessed it – durian. There were cash prizes as well, but the main focus of the three day tournament was a prize of 300kg of Red Prawn, the subject of this week’s Durian Porn, given to the competitor with a perfect score. That prize was won by Singapore’s Keita Oku (shown above, center), who rolled a perfect 300 score. I wish I was his friend! I don’t think even the infamous durian-gobbler Grant Campbell could handle 300 kg on his own.
Read more at The Star
Next up, a Briton durian fanatic made headlines when he took second place at the Penang Durian Festival’s eating competition. Duncan McNeil (shown above) admits to having traveled to Penang just to eat durian. Who is this guy? I think we should be friends.
Read more at The Star
And last and by far not the least important: It was my birthday! Thanks to all the friends who gathered in Bao Sheng’s Durian Farm in Penang to celebrate my getting older with some of the best durian in the known universe. Here’s a link to a recap of my birthday party.
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