The durian conundrum
zhanglihua
July 09, 2008, 10:11 AM posted in General DiscussionLove it or hate it...what do you think about this exceptionally scented, alien looking fruit? Any experiences to share?
mayor_bombolini
July 10, 2008, 02:55 AMpinkjeans,
Hi. Please explain the yang qi concept you are referencing above. I've been trying to figure out this "heaty" vs. cooling thing for awhile. How do the Chinese express it?
I don't have a problem with eating Durian and then drinking beer afterwards. I'm told this shouldn't be done.
Thanks, Bill M.
xiaohu
July 10, 2008, 06:51 AMDelicious!
And not nearly as stinky as everyone says.
真好吃而且没有人家说的那样臭！
RJ
July 10, 2008, 09:52 AMbill, I think pinkjeans is talking about "gas" here. Your question can be answered on many traditional medicine sites on the internet such as
http://www.pacificcollege.edu/publications/articles/2007/january/02-15-2007_Trad_Chin_Nutrition.htm
RJ
July 10, 2008, 10:03 AMChange- the solution is to feed her some as well. :-) Or do without.(the durian of course)
pinkjeans
July 10, 2008, 12:24 PMHiya, Bill and rjberki! No I'm not talking about gas. As far as I know durian doesn't give you gas like like some foods do. Qi here is not gas, it's to do with energy flow. Bill is right about yangqi being a heaty thing. Chinese believe that foods are either cooling, heaty or neutral and that eating too much of either heaty or cooling food can cause an imbalance in the energy system or qi of the human body, resulting in health problems. These foods can also be ingested to correct an already present imbalance, or to maintain a good balance. For example, in winter, it is good to eat more yang food and in summer more of the yin (阴) type. I have also heard about that deadly beer-durian combi. I think it has something to do with both foods causing vasodilatation and extremes will cause a stroke or haemorrhage. Don't know to what extent it's true, but you won't find anyone in Malaysia or Singapore willing to risk it. Maybe the Western constitution is different or robust enough to take it. Brave Bill!
RJ
July 10, 2008, 02:39 PMthanks pinkjeans. Got it :-). Bill was right then.
blusapphire
July 14, 2008, 04:08 PMA english book that's pretty helpful for explaining the yang/yin heat/cold food is, "A Spoonful of Ginger," by Nina Simonds.
pinkjeans
July 09, 2008, 11:27 AMHa! My friend just sent me a really long email cataloguing the durians found in Penang, Malaysia. Personally, I like durian, but I'm not crazy about it like some people are. These people eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the durian season. And they eat loads of it at one go. I worry about getting too much 阳气 when I eat durian and that it'll give me spots, but I really like durian cake and durian ice cream.