Revealing The Secret Of Indonesian Fruits
Leisure, fountain of our Joys!
To be delightfully occupied during our leisure time. Reading leisurely, working leisurely, learning leisurely, traveling leisurely, eating leisurely, ... and fall asleep. To feel the throb of being alive, to escape the clock or trap of routine duties. To be master of one’s time.
Should you happen to visit or stay some time in Indonesia, I would like to treat you - instead of visiting the well known famous tourist’s sites - to tasting, touching, seeing, smelling, eating, picking, plucking, cutting, cracking, watching the many kinds of our country’s fruits in a leisurely way. Imagine the funny faces you would make by “savoring” such subtle delights or perhaps ... tremendous tortures and miseries.
Nangka is as big as a roasted pig on the table. You never know what or how to eat. But after a surgical operation, the sight of the golden sweet-smelling fruits within makes one say “mmmmmmmm”.
Durian is as awesome to the touch as a heavy spiked mace-head. Those who don’t know how to handle it will make a mess by hacking it to pieces and so spoiling it. The fruit “stinks” enormously, but lovers have only praise for its creamy flavor and particular aroma.
Then have a look at the Rawit, which is as small as a match-head, so innocent and harmless looking. But even a tiny bite is enough to give you a shock of blazing hell in mouth, lips, throat, ears, eyes and makes you scream for help and water. Nonetheless, it can’t be lessened or extinguished even by buckets and tanks full of water. Though most wouldn’t like to miss Rawit at dinner time.
Pare is as bitter as gall or perhaps as bitter as when you ever have tasted any forbidden fruit. But cooked in proper ways, it is for many people still a very appetizing food and delicacy.
Don’t mistake eating the fruit of the Kenari for its kernel and say it’s tasty. Its stone is nearly as hard as stone. You’d have to get a big stone to hammer it open and see to it you don’t crush its kernel or hammer on your finger as a “souvenir”. Lovely souvenirs are cut out of the fruit’s seed. In the golden days of childhood, Kenari picking, cracking, eating is such a delightful occupation, one couldn’t stop until all the Kenari gathered have been eaten.
Then there is the Harum Manis. People say that stolen fruit tastes sweeter. But after tasting the Harum Manis, you would swear, avow, they never could excel the sweetness of this sweet-smelling mango-fruit.
And there is the Manggistan: open its chamber carefully and decently with your knife and behold nature’s sweet queen of beauty slumbering on her dark-brown couch.
And you should manage to stay some time in the country and see the Mango or the Kemang tree during their bridal festivities, draped and veiled with the richest of blossoms.
Then watch the colorful Buni berries or the Rambutan or any other fruits ripen, luring, stirring God’s creatures and man alike.
Still, there are so many fruits I haven’t told you: the Puan, Pala, Jambu, Blimbing, Salak, Duku, Lengkeng, Lontar, Ketapang, Gandaria, ... but that is for you to take a try and enjoy them as memorable souvenirs from Nature’s hand.
The Jakarta Post, February 10, 1986
No matter whether people praise or blame you, you always remain the same.
November 2010
Leisure, fountain of our Joys!
To be delightfully occupied during our leisure time. Reading leisurely, working leisurely, learning leisurely, traveling leisurely, eating leisurely, ... and fall asleep. To feel the throb of being alive, to escape the clock or trap of routine duties. To be master of one’s time.
Should you happen to visit or stay some time in Indonesia, I would like to treat you - instead of visiting the well known famous tourist’s sites - to tasting, touching, seeing, smelling, eating, picking, plucking, cutting, cracking, watching the many kinds of our country’s fruits in a leisurely way. Imagine the funny faces you would make by “savoring” such subtle delights or perhaps ... tremendous tortures and miseries.
Nangka is as big as a roasted pig on the table. You never know what or how to eat. But after a surgical operation, the sight of the golden sweet-smelling fruits within makes one say “mmmmmmmm”.
Durian is as awesome to the touch as a heavy spiked mace-head. Those who don’t know how to handle it will make a mess by hacking it to pieces and so spoiling it. The fruit “stinks” enormously, but lovers have only praise for its creamy flavor and particular aroma.
Then have a look at the Rawit, which is as small as a match-head, so innocent and harmless looking. But even a tiny bite is enough to give you a shock of blazing hell in mouth, lips, throat, ears, eyes and makes you scream for help and water. Nonetheless, it can’t be lessened or extinguished even by buckets and tanks full of water. Though most wouldn’t like to miss Rawit at dinner time.
Pare is as bitter as gall or perhaps as bitter as when you ever have tasted any forbidden fruit. But cooked in proper ways, it is for many people still a very appetizing food and delicacy.
Don’t mistake eating the fruit of the Kenari for its kernel and say it’s tasty. Its stone is nearly as hard as stone. You’d have to get a big stone to hammer it open and see to it you don’t crush its kernel or hammer on your finger as a “souvenir”. Lovely souvenirs are cut out of the fruit’s seed. In the golden days of childhood, Kenari picking, cracking, eating is such a delightful occupation, one couldn’t stop until all the Kenari gathered have been eaten.
Then there is the Harum Manis. People say that stolen fruit tastes sweeter. But after tasting the Harum Manis, you would swear, avow, they never could excel the sweetness of this sweet-smelling mango-fruit.
And there is the Manggistan: open its chamber carefully and decently with your knife and behold nature’s sweet queen of beauty slumbering on her dark-brown couch.
And you should manage to stay some time in the country and see the Mango or the Kemang tree during their bridal festivities, draped and veiled with the richest of blossoms.
Then watch the colorful Buni berries or the Rambutan or any other fruits ripen, luring, stirring God’s creatures and man alike.
Still, there are so many fruits I haven’t told you: the Puan, Pala, Jambu, Blimbing, Salak, Duku, Lengkeng, Lontar, Ketapang, Gandaria, ... but that is for you to take a try and enjoy them as memorable souvenirs from Nature’s hand.
The Jakarta Post, February 10, 1986
No matter whether people praise or blame you, you always remain the same.
November 2010
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