Saturday, June 21, 2008

Paul Nison and Durian

What a day! Coming down from the high of juice feasting (even if it was only three days!) is difficult, it is very emotional and my digestion is playing catch up today. I know it will be easier than when I did it for 30 days last September, but there is still an emotional and physical side to it all.

My moods were back and forth all day depending on the circumstance. Left my purse behind at a music class, thinking I'd left it at the soccer field I went looking there and then back to the music class where it was found safe and sound.

While shopping at Superstore today I met Melissa, an up and comer in jewelry design I believe. She mentioned that her business is called M3. She designs jewelry with inspirational words/sayings on them. Sounds great to me. I saw durian at the store for the first time in months (probably 8 months!) and almost hit a few people to get over to the produce area where I could pick one out. A nice lady asked me what it was and I told her it was durian. She then asked how I knew about durian and what to do with it. I told her about my interest in raw foods and she was with Melissa who is also a raw foodie! Wow, first one I've come across just by chance. We talked raw foods and bumped into each other a number of times, including the check out stand.

While reflecting upon this chance meeting (of course there is no coincidence!) I figured it was the universe's way of telling me not to eat the organic tortilla chips I had in the cart for the kids' Mexican dinner feast. Hmmm...I also realized that it wasn't just raw food that brought me to durian, but Paul Nison. His The Raw Life: Becoming Natural in an Unnatural World was the first I read on raw and living foods. I believe he is the self proclaimed Durian King! He talked so highly of durian that when I saw one in the market all those months ago I had to try it.

Durian is an acquired taste, but once you've had it a few times, there's no looking back.
I found this on Youtube, and it's got a lot of great info as well as a demo on how to open and eat a durian. Click here to see it. David Wolfe has a video about durian (mangosteen and jackfruit) as well. It's informative and interesting to listen to. Click here for his video. Can you believe it's banned in some motels in SE Asia because of it's smell!

If I could go back to my trip in 1998 when I travelled Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos I would eat durian there! I can't believe I never even tried it when I was there. Can you imagine?!

Anyhow, curious that durian has arrived in the stores and Paul Nison will be arriving in Vancouver next week. He has a few public dates. He'll be on CBC radio 102.7 FM from 1-2pm on Wednesday the 25th. He will be speaking in Vancouver also. Here's the info from Raw BC:

June 26: Paul Nison - Raw Food Health Lecture, "The Formula for Health"
We are excited to announce that Raw Foods Chef and Educator Paul Nison will be coming to town for a special lecture sponsored by RawBC at the Holy Trinity Church on Thursday, June 26th.
Paul's lecture will be focused on the contents of his newest book, "the Formula for Health", and can help you discover how to improve your health and live a disease-free life.
The more you understand the nutritional role in preventing disease and curing it, the easier it will be for you to eat healthfully, emphasizing vibrant, live foods.
This 3-hour lecture will provide you with sensible health information that can easily be applied to your life right away, resources to support you on your journey and help keep you on track, and a simple formula for health, along with a four-step program to enable you to achieve your goals.
Doors open from 6:00 p.m.
Date: Thursday, June 26th
Time: 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Location: Holy Trinity Anglican Church (main hall, upstairs), 1440 West 12th Avenue (corner of 12th Ave & Hemlock Street), Vancouver.
Cost: General Public $17
RawBC members* $12
*RawBC membership available at the event
RSVP: to reserve a ticket, contact RawBC. email: info@rawbc.org or phone: 778-737-8852

He will also be preparing a recipe on Breakfast Television (Ch. 13) sometime between 8:20am and 9:45am. I'm told it is going to be short but hey, it's on television and it's local, that's great!

I am not sure if I mentioned this before but Aaron Ash's sit down restaurant is now open! I'll be there July 7th for my anniversary dinner and can't wait. I don't believe he's had any time to update his website, but the info is there at www.gorillafoods.com. It may not be a current menu but it gives you a good idea of what they are about and some idea as to the kind of raw foods they are able to prepare for you. They do catering as well.

I'm off to take care of my sick husband. I took the kids out for the day so he could rest and now it's time to give him some TLC. In the meantime...

Eat Raw, Live Well!

Melinda

2 comments:

rawchefdan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rawchefdan said...

Yes the fasting thing can sometimes be so easy and at other times seem impossible. You just need to get past those first few day's. Lots of support helps; inspiration and education can keep you on track. Thats why I created a 5 day fast online, Fast and Juicy at http://www.rawchefdan.com. You get emails everyday that have juice recipes, inspirational quotes, podcast, educational stuff, music and more. It make the whole thing much easier and fun. I love seeing what happens when people fast. they really see what is possible with their health. And of course I introduce Raw Foods as much as I can.
And YES I LOVE DURIAN. I make Durian coconut Smoothies, Durian Pudding, Durian Ice Cream and Curian Cream Pies. YUMMY! If you put just a squeeze of lemon on it, it really kills the funkiness and beginners can get into it more. Try blending coconut Water, Durian and a squirt of lemon. Awesome stuff! Paul is a friend of mine from way back when he was a New Yorker. Great guy!
Keep up the great work, blog and spreading the raw revolution!
Peace and Gratitude Raw Chef Dan