“Malaysianized”

Since coming to Malaysia 11 years ago, I noticed that there are two things which make Malaysians go wild; (I must say that on any given day, Malaysians are normally reserved and quiet) – one is World Cup & the other, Durian season! (You may disagree with me but at least I can speak for my husband and some other people whom I know).

I have never been a fan of both and I thought will never be; but last year I found myself asking my husband to wake me up at 3AM to watch the World Cup finals! And along with almost everyone who was awake & screaming in their homes, (at 3AM!), I woke up the following morning with a sore voice and so in need of sleep!

My love affair with the Durian started on a very rough patch. I remember when I was first introduced to it by an eager friend whom we later dubbed as “Malaysia’s Durian Ambassador”; no expert artist, not even Van Gogh or Monet, could draw my contorted face – the smell was so obnoxious, it literally made me puke! The months of June till August wasn’t something that I was looking forward to – with the smell of durian in the air and my so called “friends” dragging me for a durian lunch, dinner or supper!

With my resistance, I felt so isolated. While everyone hovers around the shop’s round table with the array of 101’s, D24’s, D19’s, D11’s – laughing, giggling and telling durian jokes – I will be standing 10 feet away or remain in the car. Worst still, when the party’s over, they’d hop in the car smelling & burping Durian! I had no choice but to stick my head out of the car!

This went on for a while until 4 years later, after much prodding from my husband and friends; I took up the courage of putting one big piece of the most gorgeous-looking-durian seed inside my mouth – there was no looking back, I was hooked!

And then I found out the real thing. It is not really about the love of Durian that makes Malaysians go “crazy” about the Durian season; it is about the camaraderie of friends, sharing that piece of thorny fruit, gathered around a table, any time of day, waiting eagerly for each piece to be opened by the “Uncle” or “Pak cik”; the ohs, and ahs that follow on the sight of each mouth-watering seeds and eating it alongside everyone’s most-infectious laughter. Hmmm….Yummy!!