Diary 17: Hill Durian

26 Jan 2010. On our field trip from Slim River in Perak to Kuala Lumpur, we stopped at a Malay stall selling hill durians. The female seller explained that the durians were harvested by the Orang Asli (aborigines) on the way to Cameron Highlands. She was able to describe how difficult the Orang Asli have to collect the fruits from the hilly areas. That touched my heart. She was telling the true situation as our research experience among the Orang Asli community indicated the same situation.

The other reason I purchased about 13 durians from the Malay woman was her sincerity in selling them. This category of people needs our support. Sincerity in doing business is important as it has a long term impact on the form of interaction in our society.

Of course, I like hill durian for another reason ---health. As a vegetarian, we need some “hot” fruit to sustain our warm body energy as most fruits are “cooling” in nature. The low-income Orang Asli do not apply chemical fertilizers or pesticides to maintain their durian trees. They normally sell the fruits at between RM1 to RM2 per fruit to traders coming to the remote villages. Consequently, these durians are sold at a reasonable price in the urban market. That is another plus point. It simply means that we can still have good and healthy food at a reasonable price.

Beware, not all expensive durians in the urban markets are good for your health as some growers apply chemical fertilizers or pesticides to ensure good harvest and return.

Choose hill durians for good health!