Tuliptree

by Steph Jeffries

Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera) bloom

Stop whatever you are doing.

Go outside, right now,

Before sunlight lifts the morning dew

And the air is still awakening.

Look up.

Breathe in the primeval sweetness

Of tuliptree flowers, and watch the squirrels

Nip them off, holding the cups in their paws

Like goblets, imbibing the nectar,

Pulling tepals off one by one

Like an artichoke, then releasing them

To tumble to the ground.

Ask yourself--

How you could have missed

This small miracle,

Happening just outside your door.

Steph Jeffries is a forest ecologist and Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at NC State University in Raleigh, NC, where she teaches Dendrology and Forest Communities. She is the co-author of Exploring Southern Appalachian Forests and loves sharing her love of trees and forests with people of all ages. Read more of Steph's poetry at Running with Scissors and follow her on twitter at @scissorsrunning.

To be Admired and... Eaten?

by Joyce Zhang

“Just move the incense sticks up and down three times and put them in this holder.” I remember being told the first time I prayed at the family altar as a kid. I noticed that practically everywhere in the alter-carved into the altar itself, on the candle holders, and underneath the Buddha statue - was a flower . I had no idea that these flower symbols were representative of a real flower, but I knew one thing for sure - they were really pretty.

On another day, my parents were watching yet another Chinese historical drama, but something piqued my interest this time. The TV screen showed that same flower as all those flowers in the altar. I just had to ask my parents what it was, and I finally learned that it was called lian hua (莲花) or a lotus flower, which then led to a bunch of google searches. 

I never saw a lotus flower in person when I was younger, but luckily I had the internet. In my spare time, I enjoyed drawing and drew the lotus flower (top photo), which over time grew to be one of my favorite flowers. The lotus flower is gorgeous and perfectly symmetrical for people like me who love paying attention to detail. Even better, parts of the flower are a common ingredient in my parents’ cooking. Lotus flowers, seeds, and roots are frequently used in herbal medicinal soups and traditional Chinese cooking. Whenever I had a stomach ache or cramps, my mom would always make soup with lotus seeds and roots because in her words, the lotus is good for “cleaning out your stomach.” Since I left home for college, it has been a while since I’ve eaten these dishes. 

This past summer, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Yunnan, China with students from all over the world. We almost always ate lotus during our meals. I especially loved introducing the lotus root to my classmates, who have never had traditional Chinese food before because it was one of my favorite foods growing up. It was really nice to share a bit of my culture with others and it brought me back to my childhood when my parents would make various dishes with lotus root, or soups and tea with lotus seeds and flowers. We also learned about traditional Chinese medicine, including medicinal properties of my beloved lotus flower. Various parts of the lotus including the seeds, petals, and root contain fiber and various antioxidants that promote an overall healthy digestive and immune system. As a result, they are common ingredients included in many herbal medicinal treatments for ailments like diarrhea, loss of appetite, and palpitations. Traditional Chinese medicine treatments and their effects have been recorded over many years since ancient times, so it provides a unique approach to medicine compared to modern Western medicine. 

Cui Hu Gong Yuan (翠湖公园), or Green Lake Park, in Yunnan Province, China with a green lake full of lotus flowers

The best part of the study abroad, however, was that I saw a lotus flower in person for the first time. The Yunnan province is the most biodiverse area in China. In every park we visited, there was always a huge lake or pond with a vast expanse of just lotus flowers, and their leaves. It was surreal to see. As a kid, I never thought that I would have the opportunity to see a single lotus in person, let alone hundreds of them in just one lake! This past summer experience abroad really brought me back full circle. I learned to appreciate what I loved as a child and even learned how to make these traditional dishes for myself at college since I can’t always have my parents’ cooking.

Joyce is a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, and she is currently applying to medical schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Photos and Drawing Courtesy the author.

World's Smelliest or King of Fruit: You Decide!

by Shayla Nguyen

The durian. This spiky, watermelon-sized fruit is one of my all time favorite fruits, but admittedly, it is intimidating upon first encounter. Typically it’s not the appearance that sends people running, but rather the durian’s pungent smell. Many people have likened the smell to rotting meat, vomit, or perhaps a ghastly combination of both. In fact, the smell is considered so horrendous that the durian is deemed the world’s smelliest fruit. The durian is banned from numerous international airports and has caused evacuations from public spaces like college campuses, airplanes, and malls because of its odor!

Personally, I think that durians get a bad rep. Growing up in a Vietnamese household, I know durian as trái sầu riêng and I absolutely love it! It is distinctly sweet like a dessert and despite its tough exterior, durian is oh-so-soft in texture. As a child, it was my favorite fruit simply because of how much it reminded me of custard. I remember eating it on its own or in the form of durian flavored wafers and mooncakes. As for the smell? If you ask me, I would respond with “what smell?” Neither I nor my other family members can detect any distinguishable smell from durian, let alone one so intense that it causes people to gag!. This is why it came as such a shock when I learned that many, many people were repelled by its scent.

This overwhelming opposition to durians has compelled me to showcase a different side of durian. Durians are the fruits of trees within the genus Durio and the family Malvaceae. (The Malvaceae family also includes other delicious plants like okra and cacao — the plant that gives us chocolate!) Durian grows in the wild in Southeast Asia and it is eaten by orangutans, rhinos and elephants.

One of durian’s striking features is its smell, which is actually the most interesting part of the fruit! Researchers at Dune-NUS Medical School recently discovered that durians have such a complex and strong smell because it has multiple copies of a gene that produces smelly, sulfuric compounds. By having more scent-producing gene copies available, durians can amplify their odor production. Scientists at the German Research Center for Food Chemistry have so far identified sixteen different chemical compounds that contribute to the durian’s scent profile. Some of these compounds create a sweet smell that is more typical of other fruits. Other compounds, especially the sulfuric ones, lead to durian’s ill-perceived smells. As it turns out, those who have spent a greater amount of time around durians are able to discern more of the sweet smelling compounds. This is how some people (myself included) are not repelled by the odor of durians!

Singapore's MRT public transit system do not love durians; durians are specifically banned from MRT stations, buses and trains!

My family and I are not alone in our love of durian. It is actually a very popular ingredient in many Asian cuisines. Durian’s sweet taste lends itself perfectly to desserts and it is common to find durian flavored commodities like ice cream and milkshakes in many Asian countries. If you enter any oriental food market, you are also bound to find durian cookies and cakes scattered throughout the sweets aisle. Contrary to its depiction as the “world’s smelliest”, durian is considered by many people to be the “king of fruits”.

Durians may be divisive, but if you haven’t already tried one, I encourage you to try durian and form your own opinion! As some have pointed out, the more time you get to spend with durians, the easier it is to get past the stinky, spiky exterior to find a soft and sweet interior. Durians are such a special fruit that no matter whether you consider it to be the world’s smelliest or the king of fruits, you will surely gain a memorable experience out of it.

Shayla is a 21 year old student at the University of Pittsburgh with a major in Biological Sciences. She loves gardening, taking care of house plants, and sharing tidbits about Vietnamese culture

---

Photo Credits: Top photo byJonny Clow on Unsplash; middle photo byJim Teo on Unsplash; 'No Durian" sign by Steve Bennett, Wikipedia.