Malaysian Fruit

Hello Everyone!!

Well, I'm sure you're all anxious to hear about everything we've seen and done. We've done a ton of stuff. We've seen a ton of stuff. But, today we ate local fruit. So, while not in chronological order, it's what I'm blogging about.

Malaysia is home to the world's oldest tropical rainforest. We're talking millions of years old - much older than rainforests in Africa or South America. It is also home to some wonderfully delicious fruit. Below is what we ate for a Sunday afternoon snack. The large pink one is dragonfruit, the purple round ones are mangosteens, and the spiny red ones are rambutans.

First, let's talk about the dragonfruit. It is large and pink with a thin skin. On the inside it is bright purple or fuscia with lots of little black seeds. It is really good. Craig liked a piece, but wouldn't eat more than one. I think the closest thing to a dragonfruit is a kiwi.

Below is the rambutan. It has a spiny skin, although the spines aren't sturdy enough or sharp enough to hurt you. The fruit itself is kind of like a grape, but much sweeter. It has an almond-sized pit. We just eat the grape part. Craig ate as many of these as he could.

Finally, we have the mangosteen. These are covered in a purple colored husk that permanently stains clothing if it drips on you. The fruit is unlike anything I've ever had. It is sweet and tangy, and absolutely wonderful. I could eat these all day long. Craig ate a bunch, but only after Jennifer and I had some too.

So, we're all doing well. We are having fun experimenting with the different foods. Jennifer ate a whole octopus the other day for breakfast as part of "curry mee". I wouldn't have done it. She says it looked worse than it tasted - but I still wouldn't have tried it. Craig loves "kung fu panda dumplings", or spring rolls to the rest of us. We love the Indian food and have found some really fun restaurants. But the mangosteens are awesome.

We love you all and we'll post more soon!