DURIAN, FRANK SEKIYA, HAWAII , durian by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski

Published in Island Life
Summer 2000

HAWAIIAN JOHNNY APPLESEED SOWS EXOTIC FRUITS
Aphrodisiac durian, which smells like hell but tastes like heaven, one of his top-sellers

OAHU, Hawaii

It takes a daring man to grow durian in America.

The dense, pineapple-sized fruit, covered with cudgel-like thorns, incites passions in Southeast Asia, from where it originates. Alfred Russel Wallace, a Victorian-era naturalist who traveled widely in Asia, noted that durian's taste was "worth a voyage to the east." But gastronomic voyagers beware.

This is no ordinary fruit. F.W. Burbridge, another 19th century explorer, described durian's flavor as: "a combination of corn flour and rotten cheese, nectarines, crushed filberts, a dash of pineapple, a spoonful of old dry sherry, thick cream, apricot-pulp, and a soupcon of garlic, all reduced to the consistency of a rich custard." Less poetic contemporary observers liken its complex taste and aroma to that of eating strawberries and cream in a public toilet. Most Southeast Asians recognize durian as an aphrodisiac, which has led to the frequently-heard aphorism "when the durians are down the sarongs are up."

Is America ready for a fruit that generates such passion?

Frank Sekiya thinks so. Sekiya, who has been called "Hawaii's Johnny Appleseed", discovered the fruit on one of his frequent trips to Southeast Asia. Durian is one of the 400 varieties of fruits and ornamentals he grows on his nursery near Kailua, half an hour from Honolulu.

As part of his personal journey, Sekiya follows the sage advice that one path to happiness is to know what you do, and then do it. He studied business administration, worked as a food buyer for a large supermarket chain and finally decided that his destiny lay in getting back to the earth by growing fruits that are exotic even to this unusual corner of America. It's fitting that his fruit-fest is found in Hawaii, the most Asian state in the country.

Sekiya's first challenge was to obtain an import license, required because Hawaii's agricultural officials are notoriously paranoid about alien plants and animals that they fear will ravage native ecosystems.

Sekiya, 47, proudly shows a visitor some of his star crops.

· Queen Victoria offered a healthy reward for anyone who could bring her a fresh dark-skinned, richly-succulent mangosteen. These were the days before airplanes, and no one succeeded. Often called the "most perfect of fruits", the mangosteen generates a purer form of ecstasy than the durian. But both are often eaten together, since in Southeast Asia the fruiting seasons coincide and the slightly-acid mangosteen cuts the richness of the durian. A 19th century American tourist in Java, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, joined the ranks of those who wrote fruity prose after tasting the mangosteen: "The five white segments separate easily, and may be lifted whole with a fork, and they melt on the tongue with a touch of tart and a touch of sweet; one moment a memory of the juiciest, most fragrant apple, at another a remembrance of the smoothest cream ice, the most exquisite and delicately flavoured fruit-acid known - all the delights of nature's laboratory condensed in that ball of neige parfumée."

· The keppel fruit, named after Henry Keppel, a 19th century British sea captain (who also gave his name to Singapore's harbor), is said to make the body's excretions smell like violets. It was mandatory eating for the harems of Indonesian sultans. Keppel, incidentally, criticized philosophers who suggested that work comprises "the sum total of human happiness." Instead he recommended "food" as a feel-good route to happiness, especially when nourishment "can be obtained without ceaseless labor, [thereby enabling] the poor man to relax from toil."

· Sapadilla, or salak, is often referred to as Indonesian "snake fruit" because of the pattern and texture of its skin. Its flesh is tart and astringent. · An unusual dark purple mango, found only in one locality near Banjarmaisin, Indonesian Borneo.

· Abiu from the Amazon, a one pound fruit which tastes like melon and caramel, with the texture of persimmon.

· The edible young leaves and shoots of pak wan, also called tropical asparagus, are one of the most nutritious and tastiest of all green leafy vegetables. It's eaten cooked or raw in its native Thailand, has a pea-like flavor and is rich in protein and minerals. A bit of an all-purpose plant, pak wan is relatively resistant to disease and pests and makes an excellent hedge.

· Peanut butter fruit grows on a fast-growing small tree, whose fruits have a rich, sweet flesh with a texture somewhat like Skippy's. Could this discovery solve the problem of kids who won't eat their vegetables?

· Marang, a breadfruit relative from southern Philippines that tastes like vanilla ice cream.

· Mamey sapote, from the West Indies and Central America. The size of a papaya, the fruit's skin resembles dark cantaloupe. The flesh is the color of dark pumpkin and tastes of chocolate, pumpkin, and almond.

· Sawo, the size of small potato, tastes like honey-flavored peach or pear.

Frank sells saplings and cuttings, and he can advise which fruits can survive frost and drought. All his plants are authorized to be sent to the Mainland. Considering the exotic nature of his trees, prices are reasonable. For example, a breadfruit sapling costs $20 - $35, dwarf Brazilian banana $20; abiu $30-$45; jakfruit $35-$60; rambutan $45. Still want that smelly, sensual durian? You can buy a tree from Frank for $40-$100, or put your name on the waiting list and wait for a fruit to fall off one of his trees -- $7.50 per pound for a taste of heaven gone astray.

Frank Sekiya Frankie's Nursery 41-999 Mahiku Place Waimanalo Hawaii96795 Tel: +1 808 259-8737