Ang Dabawenyo

No self-respecting Davao publication will ever go far without carrying anything about the King of Tropical Fruits — the Durian. So, here’s my own personal experience of this prized delicacy of the Philippine South.

For more than half my life, I actually never touched the stuff. I guess it was because my mother hadn’t started eating durian until she was pregnant with my younger brother (na pinaglihi naman sa durian!). So during my formative years, Mom must’ve passed on to me her Manileño’s aversion to the fruit.

What’s ironic is, it was in fact in Manila (during college) where I learned how to eat durian! It was mainly out of pride of origin: since I was from Davao, I felt the need to show solidarity with fellow Dabawenyos in Manila and eat durian with them. I guess, for us, that’s akin to breaking bread…. And it was an awakening for me! After wolfing down my first few seeds, I couldn’t believe I’d missed out on durian my entire childhood.

This month is the start of durian’s best season (apparently there are two ripening seasons in a year), and this will last until October. It’s that time when Dabawenyos go crazy over this aromatic enigma. ‘Smells like hell, but tastes like heaven’ is how the durian is described by converts. But to a Dabawenyo, the scent of durian is neither good nor bad — it just is.

My family hosted an exchange student from Portland, Oregon many years ago. He was in Davao for a year, and he’d gotten hooked on durian. Pop said the kid would spend his allowance on durian and durian shakes like crazy. And when it was time to leave and head home for the U.S., he lamented, “What am I gonna do? There’s no durian in Portland!”

The Kadayawan sa Dabaw is upon us. Ergo, it would be inexcusable to not go visit any of the durian parks in the city. There’s one on F. Torres St., another one in Pryce Business Park, and another in front of Magsaysay Park. Let’s not forget the fruit stands of Madrazo and along Anda St. Sample the different kinds of durian now available.

Growers of durian have long developed new varieties, I believe coming from grafts of Thai varieties. But my ultimate favorite is Davao’s native variety — the one that’s slightly bitter and has just a hint of buttery flavor.