Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 hello seattle! this is sam. man, it's cold around here! this is the kind of weather that makes me want to move to the tropics! well, anyway, i have been buying durians from wah jamiah (*bad spelling) in belview, and they are " fresh " i thought, but they are in this yellow netting stuff. i was wondering if they are frozen on the way over here and then taken out to thaw, or are they really raw... does anybody know? does anyone shop there? it's near crossroads kinda. well, if anyone knew, that would be great! thanks so much, and have a great raw, warm day! in the raw, ```sam``` Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 >durians... i was wondering if they are frozen on the way over here >and then taken out to thaw, or are they really raw... Sam, I suspect that any durians we find around here are either frozen or previously frozen. I believe it's an import requirement for the US. Vancouver, BC has fresh ones, but it's not too convenient. While frozen foods may not be ideal, they're still better than cooked! Dehydrated foods and frozen foods may not be the ideal foods for us, but they are great transitional foods and terrific treats. I'd much rather someone eat them then go back to cooked. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Hi Sam, I'd stay away from the Uwajimaya durians. In my desperation, I've tried them twice this winter and both times they were inedible. The store is pretty good about giving refunds. The problem is that these durians are not raw, they are frozen, you are correct. They're supposed to stay that way until shortly before they are eaten. Uwajimaya gets them frozen but puts them out in their semi-refrigerated produce section where they sometimes sit in a thawed state for days before they are sold. I usually don't buy a durian that isn't frozen solid (unless I know it's raw). The way you know a raw durian is that they are sold without the netting, in addition to the price being a lot higher. Fyi, I got a durian at Central Market last weekend that was one of the best I've ever eaten. Other good (and much cheaper) places to buy them are Viet Wah or Lam's Seafood Market in Chinatown. Nora samantha woolsey wrote: > hello seattle! this is sam. man, it's cold around here! this is the kind of weather that makes me want to move to the tropics! well, anyway, i have been buying durians from wah jamiah (*bad spelling) in belview, and they are " fresh " i thought, but they are in this yellow netting stuff. i was wondering if they are frozen on the way over here and then taken out to thaw, or are they really raw... does anybody know? does anyone shop there? it's near crossroads kinda. well, if anyone knew, that would be great! thanks so much, and have a great raw, warm day! > > in the raw, > > ```sam``` > > > > Protect your identity with Mail AddressGuard > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Durian is a bit different than regular frozen fruit in that its high fat content prevents as much damage as is normally done to fruit when it is frozen. I still don't eat much of it, though. It's pretty obvious when you compare raw and frozen that there is damage. Raw durian is usually only available for a few months between August and October, although I heard they were still getting it fresh in November up in Van. This was the first year that raw durian was available in Seattle. Nobody seems to know why. Nora Jeff Rogers wrote: > >durians... i was wondering if they are frozen on the way over here > >and then taken out to thaw, or are they really raw... > > Sam, > > I suspect that any durians we find around here are either frozen or > previously frozen. I believe it's an import requirement for the US. > Vancouver, BC has fresh ones, but it's not too convenient. > > While frozen foods may not be ideal, they're still better than > cooked! Dehydrated foods and frozen foods may not be the ideal foods > for us, but they are great transitional foods and terrific treats. > I'd much rather someone eat them then go back to cooked. > > Jeff > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Good morning, I'd like to pipe in with my Durian experience as well. I had been buying frozen durian at Ranch 99 market in Kent/Renton when I lived there. I had been assured that all Durians were organic because they grow well and resist pests without synthetic chemicals. However, when I ate the last one there (about a year ago) I felt so awful and had such vivid nightmares (about swallowing chemicals) that it put me right off of them. I wouldn't eat them again without knowing the country of origin and growing conditions. If anyone does find good ones, and a good country to get them from please let me know. I understand that most come from Thailand, but the best ones are from Cambodia. I believe Thailand is one of the countries where DDT use is still permitted. Ranch 99 also had unfrozen durians a few years ago, but their taste and texture were entirely non-habit forming and the price was $5/lb. Now that I have moved East, there are some local asian markets that will special order durians - but if I go that route I'd like to give them a brand name to look for. Currently the only way durian is available is either frozen solid (after having been received fresh) or in convenient pre-packaged plastic containers. Although I live in a small town, it has a major university and supplies a wide diversity of international tastes. It's actually a lot better than South King county in that respect. Nickolas Hein Morgantown WV - Nora Lenz RawSeattle Wednesday, December 10, 2003 12:40 AM Re: [RawSeattle] DURIANS... are they really raw? Durian is a bit different than regular frozen fruit in that its high fat content prevents as much damage as is normally done to fruit when it is frozen. I still don't eat much of it, though. It's pretty obvious when you compare raw and frozen that there is damage. Raw durian is usually only available for a few months between August and October, although I heard they were still getting it fresh in November up in Van. This was the first year that raw durian was available in Seattle. Nobody seems to know why. Nora Jeff Rogers wrote: > >durians... i was wondering if they are frozen on the way over here > >and then taken out to thaw, or are they really raw... > > Sam, > > I suspect that any durians we find around here are either frozen or > previously frozen. I believe it's an import requirement for the US. > Vancouver, BC has fresh ones, but it's not too convenient. > > While frozen foods may not be ideal, they're still better than > cooked! Dehydrated foods and frozen foods may not be the ideal foods > for us, but they are great transitional foods and terrific treats. > I'd much rather someone eat them then go back to cooked. > > Jeff > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Hi - I was told by one of my clients from Cambodia that all durians that are grown in Thailand are indeed sprayed. He said that the best durians are Cambodian durians. I asked him where you get those, he told me " Cambodia " . (Doesn't help much, does it?) Sue I had been assured that all Durians were organic because they grow well and resist pests without synthetic chemicals. However, when I ate the last one there (about a year ago) I felt so awful and had such vivid nightmares (about swallowing chemicals) that it put me right off of them. I wouldn't eat them again without knowing the country of origin and growing conditions. If anyone does find good ones, and a good country to get them from please let me know. I understand that most come from Thailand, but the best ones are from Cambodia. I believe Thailand is one of the countries where DDT use is still permitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 10, 2003 Report Share Posted December 10, 2003 Sue, I believe I heard the same thing. Possibly from the same source. Nick > > " Sue Aberle " <sue > 2003/12/10 Wed AM 06:51:35 CST > <RawSeattle > > RE: [RawSeattle] DURIANS... are they really raw? > > Hi - I was told by one of my clients from Cambodia that all durians that are > grown in Thailand are indeed sprayed. He said that the best durians are > Cambodian durians. I asked him where you get those, he told me " Cambodia " . > (Doesn't help much, does it?) > > Sue > > I had been assured that all Durians were organic because they grow well and > resist pests without synthetic chemicals. However, when I ate the last one > there (about a year ago) I felt so awful and had such vivid nightmares > (about swallowing chemicals) that it put me right off of them. I wouldn't > eat them again without knowing the country of origin and growing conditions. > If anyone does find good ones, and a good country to get them from please > let me know. I understand that most come from Thailand, but the best ones > are from Cambodia. I believe Thailand is one of the countries where DDT use > is still permitted. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 Durians are required by agricultural law to be frozen to enter the US. I don't know how Central Market got their fresh stuff last year, I checked with Audi and he assured me that it wasn't irradiated or anything nasty like that. I've tried the fresh durian, both here and in London, and because it's harvested so green, I haven't been very impressed with the flavor. The stuff we got at Central Market last year was very green on arrival, and the one that I bought (at $6/lb) never did ripen up properly. I ate it, but the frozen durian that Central Market carries tends to taste a lot better, I think, although sometimes the texture leaves a lot to be desired, it's not creamy like I would expect. I looked in the London Asian markets (this past September), and their durians were very green as well. I bought some that was already sectioned, since I didn't have enough time left to ripen up a completely green one before we needed to come home, and it was much lighter in weight to carry on the " tube " and the train! But the flavor still wasn't what I expected, nothing to get excited about and make a special trip to London for. (But ok for a sidetrip on an otherwise planned trip to London.) I get cravings for durian at times, and I will go to Central Market and buy theirs. But, given a choice between durian and fresh, local, summer berries and fruit, I'll go for the latter any day. It's locally-grown (an environmental issue), organically-grown, less expensive, and yummy!! (And nobody will complain about the smell...) Sue Durian is a bit different than regular frozen fruit in that its high fat content prevents as much damage as is normally done to fruit when it is frozen. I still don't eat much of it, though. It's pretty obvious when you compare raw and frozen that there is damage. Raw durian is usually only available for a few months between August and October, although I heard they were still getting it fresh in November up in Van. This was the first year that raw durian was available in Seattle. Nobody seems to know why. Nora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 I wrote a pretty long post on my further musings about durians this afternoon and it never showed up. Wonder what that's about. You're right, Sue, the fresh ones are harvested too green. Some of the ones I got at Uwajimaya last summer could have been riper. But some of them were really stupendous, hence my willingness to go into debt to buy 8 of them at $7 per pound! If you don't mind my asking, how do you know that about durians being required by law to be frozen? Is that federal law you're talking about or state law? I've always thought that if there was any law about freezing durians it must be state law because there seems to be no shortage of raw durians in other markets like San Francisco and Portland. Also, if there is a law, do you know why the stores in Seattle are suddenly willing to break it? Nobody seems to have the answers to these questions, even the produce managers. (Btw, I don't want to cast aspersions but I doubt whether Audi can guarantee that tropical fruits aren't irradiated. I've heard rumors that they undergo everything from gassing to hot water treatment. I wouldn't think it would be a big leap to irradiation. Judging by the paranoia shown by the US border patrol about tropical fruits coming in from Canada, there are obviously bad things being done to tropical fruit which are required by US law but not by Canada. It all makes me very suspicious.) Nora Sue Aberle wrote: > Durians are required by agricultural law to be frozen to enter the US. I > don't know how Central Market got their fresh stuff last year, I checked > with Audi and he assured me that it wasn't irradiated or anything nasty like > that. > > I've tried the fresh durian, both here and in London, and because it's > harvested so green, I haven't been very impressed with the flavor. The > stuff we got at Central Market last year was very green on arrival, and the > one that I bought (at $6/lb) never did ripen up properly. I ate it, but the > frozen durian that Central Market carries tends to taste a lot better, I > think, although sometimes the texture leaves a lot to be desired, it's not > creamy like I would expect. I looked in the London Asian markets (this past > September), and their durians were very green as well. I bought some that > was already sectioned, since I didn't have enough time left to ripen up a > completely green one before we needed to come home, and it was much lighter > in weight to carry on the " tube " and the train! But the flavor still wasn't > what I expected, nothing to get excited about and make a special trip to > London for. (But ok for a sidetrip on an otherwise planned trip to London.) > > I get cravings for durian at times, and I will go to Central Market and buy > theirs. But, given a choice between durian and fresh, local, summer berries > and fruit, I'll go for the latter any day. It's locally-grown (an > environmental issue), organically-grown, less expensive, and yummy!! (And > nobody will complain about the smell...) > > Sue > > Durian is a bit different than regular frozen fruit in that its high fat > content prevents as much damage as is normally done to fruit when it is > frozen. I still don't eat much of it, though. It's pretty obvious when you > compare raw and frozen that there is damage. Raw durian is usually only > available for a few months between August and October, although I heard they > were still getting it fresh in November up in Van. This was the first year > that raw durian was available in Seattle. Nobody seems to know why. > Nora > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2003 Report Share Posted December 11, 2003 Interesting. I've never checked into just what level of law or regulation applies to durians - this is just something I've heard, in explanation as to why we can normally only buy frozen durians here, and never any rambutan. (If anybody has specific information and/or has time to check this out, that would be most appreciated.) But that is why I was questioning what else might have been done to the durians to make them acceptable as fresh in the eyes of the law. With as fussy as the agricultural folks are re. anything remotely growing or alive entering the US, I would expect that there would be some kind of requirements. (We were delayed returning to the US in September because I had to check " yes " to a couple of the questions on the entry form - " have you been on a farm? " and " did you touch/handle any livestock? " ) I've never looked for durians in SF or Portland...I guess I don't get to either of those cities very often, used to go to Portland all the time when we lived near Astoria, where there is no worthwhile shopping. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.