Fruits and Chinatown
I have lived in San Juan, Metro Manila, for more than 70 years, where we have the second-oldest Chinatown in the Philippines, with diverse Chinese subcultures: languages, food, religions, schools, and much more.
At one grocery last week, I was with my son and grandson, and the apo pointed at a fruit that looked like a mutant suha (also known as pomelo), really small. I had never seen anything like that, but I did guess and asked the vendor if it was a suha, and she said yes and that it was from Davao.
I had a free taste, a good blend, juicy, not too sour, salty, or sweet. The vendor said it was a recent introduction and was selling well, selling out within half a day through advance orders.
That got me thinking about how fruits are such cultural objects, quick to be advertised if they fit cultural criteria, accepted as a new cultural object, familiar to an old culture, but still new and innovative.
I remember all the different variations of Chinese fruits. Lychees, which have been imported for a long time, have small and large seeds, sweet and not so sweet. In fact, oranges come in all kinds of varieties and sizes. My favorites are called “ugly ponkan,” very wrinkled (thus “ugly” and quite sweet.
Grapes and cherries also come in all varieties, and we may as well go into vegetables, which is a good development, like the fruits, because they have different nutrients and tastes and have helped to create new demands for different vegetables and fruits.
Also, we are seeing a demand for new fruits, some because of prestige. Japanese and Korean fruits fall in this category. The vendors, if Chinese, also explain new fruits in terms of traditional qualities, e.g., good for heat or cold, for digestion, etc.
Public health logic comes into these choices as well. Fruit shakes are avoided, with some people nervous that they are too sweet. I’ve learned, too, that people complain about diarrhea from fruit shakes. I figured it’s more because of many Chinese (and Asians) having lactose intolerance. Fruit shakes have milk, which causes diarrhea.
Don’t forget that fruit drinks might end up too sweet: sugar in the fruit, plus more sugar added for those with a sweet tooth. Deadly for diabetics and for those with bad teeth!
All told, the Chinese groceries are doing so much for fruit literacy, helping to promote a scientific understanding of fruits.
I grew up with relatives promoting apples, pears, grapes, and peaches. Chinese groceries introduced “Asian” fruits, and, later, Philippine fruits for Chinese tourists. Durians, for example, were sold for hundreds, even thousands of pesos. Durians were in Chinese culture, the king of fruits.
I’m hoping we will see more Philippine fruits gaining stature and prestige. I’ve found the tiny señorita banana called the “Queen of Fruits”—or was it the “Queen of Bananas”?
Bananas are a class of their own. Think of the saba (plantain) varieties, some confined to a particular geographical area with a distinctive taste or flavor.
We Filipinos (and Chinese Filipinos) should familiarize ourselves with more fruits and their names and promote them with visitors: royal reputations and all.
I do want to end: we should do more research on special properties of certain fruits, but also be careful of the claims made. Fruits, by and large, and on their own, have many nutrient claims that are scientifically sound without extraordinary claims.
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