Durian and Balut - the last experience

When my sister arrived to visit me here in the Philippines, we took the chance to make new experiences.

Of course maybe almost everybody knows about the famous fruit DURIAN. Durian is not a name of a boy or maybe a Typhoon. No. It’s the sweet name of a prickly green and quite big fruit. People say: Durian smells like hell and tastes like heaven. So there was no way out to buy a Durian. Of course we were successful and found one. All of us were very happy to taste it at the following day. Because the fruit is quite prickly, no rat or mice will eat it at midnight. So we just placed it in the kitchen. Maybe the rats also don't like it because of the smell? Next day I had to show how to open a ripe Durian. Big eyes about the inside. There are big nuts/seeds and the yellowish white fruit flesh. Hmmm “masarap” (tasty) I thought. And also I started to eat. Really very nice taste: fresh, fruity, healthy and beside something like "Swiss Appenzeller Cheese". After me my sister and her husband tried to eat the tropical fruit. But the smell was perhaps stronger than the taste? So I had to accept that they don’t like to eat Durian anymore. I hope for them, they will still like swiss cheese ;-) But for me: always when I get the chance to eat a Durian or to get a Durian-Shake: I’ll get it! Hmmm masarap!

Picture: Durianfruit, MH

Also in the Asian countries is famous BALUT. Balut means an 16 day old hatched duck egg. People in Asian countries like to eat it – who knows why. It’s widespreaded especially in Vietnam, China, Philippines and perhaps other Asian countries. I never tried to eat one. Also I denied when a friend told me it’s masarap. The idea of eating it was terrifying me. But now a friend was ordering one. First I thought it is for all of us. But then everybody was looking at me and I don't know what happened. I had to open it and at least I went on eating. I was very surprised when I realized that the taste was just like egg. And I had to correct my self: like double egg. Very tasty and Pinoy would say: masarap na masarap. But my companions just looked at it and possibly they might never taste a real BALUT. My philippine friends told me after: Now you are a real Pinoy. Ok, after that experience I have to say: once is enough.