Ode to Durian. :)

With the rainy weather & the red wine churning in my stomach, I will write an ode to durian because it's the reason why I'm having this terrible headache.


Oh durian!
You smell so heavenly
as heavenly as
a land fill in May

Oh durian!
You are the reason
why I am crinkling my nose
in disgust

Oh durian!
You being stuck in that container
Makes me weep inside
Because of joy

Ech. I hate durian. Its smell is all over the house. Plus, one time, my mom picked me up from school and she burped and hello! We meet again, durian. I seriously want to puke right now.

Let's explore the DURIAN even further. JOY.

According to Wikipedia, the durian(IPA: [ˈd(j)ʊriən, -ɑn])^[1] is the fruit of trees from the genus Durio belonging to the Malvaceae, a large family which includes hibiscus, okra, cotton, mallows, and linden trees. Widely known and revered in Southeast Asia as the "King of Fruits", the fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and formidable thorn-covered husk.( How unique indeed.)

Here's a Philippine Folk Tale on how there came to be durian. I'm so grateful, Barom-Mai.

There was an old and ugly king named Barom-Mai who lived in a place called Calinan. Calinan is in Mindanao (not in the Visayas region). This kind lived hundreds of years ago. He was very powerful, except in winning the love of his young bride, Madayaw-Bayho (the daughter of Tageb, the king of the pirates).

Barom-Mai asked his advisors for help to win the love of his bride. Matigam was the wisest of the advisors. Matigam told the king "There is a hermit named Impit Purok. He lives in a cave in Mt. Apo. He can help you."

Barom-Mai went to see the hermit. The hermit asked the king for three things: He wanted an egg of the black tabon bird. He also wanted twelve ladles of fresh milk from a pure white carabao. And finally, he wanted nectar from the flower of the tree-of-make-believe.

Barom-Mai asked the hermit "Why do you need these things?"

The hermit explained: "I will use the egg to soften the young bride's heart. I will use the milk to make her kind. And the nectar, it will make her see you as a young and handsome king."

Barom-Mai goes to find the items for the hermit. For the egg, he gets the help of Pawikan, the king of sea turtles. The next morning at breakfast the king's cook helps him find the milk of a white carabao. And the nymph of the air, Hangin-Bai, leads him to her sister, a wood nymph, with the magic flower in her hair.

Barom-Mai brings the three items to the hermit. Impit Purok asks the king to prepare a big feast after he wins his young bride, and to invite Impit Purok as the king's guest of honor.

The hermit then goes to work mixing the three ingredients. After they are mixed, he tells Barom-Mai to plant the mixture in his royal garden. The next day, a tree grew. The tree had a sweet smell, and it's fruit tasted good. When Madayaw-Bayho was given the fruit of this tree, she fell in love with the king Barom-Mai.

The king is very happy that he has his bride. He has a big feast for all of his closest friends. But he forgets his promise to the hermit Impit Purok. He forgets to invite the hermit.

In retaliation, Imput Purok cats a curse upon the fruit: The sweet smell is replaced with a horrible odor, while the smooth skin of the fruit is covered with very sharp and dangerous thorns. Ths is how the durian smells and looks to this day.

Wow. I'd like to extend my gratitude to stupid Barom-Mai and the hermit, the ones who made it possible for me to smell the UNIQUE ODOR my nose is currently ehem, enjoying.

Credits: Wikipedia, chat.org :)