Great Sage! Could those be a durians?

As promised, today I am going to fill you in on the little adventure Rawbin and I took Tuesday. I'd like to refer to it as our durian quest (it's about time the two of us got our hands on some, and there was no better time to make this trek than in honor of both our birthdays).

Now, since I did manage to take my camera, I'll spare you the lengthy text. So, here is a photo summary of our day.

Our first stop was the H Mart in Catonsville, Md. Rawbin had gotten a tip that this particular market carried our prickly stinky fruit.

As you can see, we found what we were looking for, so we posed for this pic in the produce section. Rawbin's durian weighed in at 8 pounds, while I selected a smaller 6 pounder. We also picked up a few extra items, including some dried persimmons (sorry, no photo, but I think they looked a little like donuts).

Obviously, we weren't posing for Glamour Shots; the durians are the focus in this pic.

After seizing the treasure at the end of our hunt (wow, that didn't take long), we headed on to Conscious Corner in Clarksville, Md. to celebrate our find. For those of you unfamiliar with this location, it is the home of Roots Market, Bark, The Nest and Great Sage (you may have seen this veg-friendly restaurant in an issue of VegNews magazine).

Our first stop was Roots Market, a small organic market, which even caters to raw foodies. Just check out the refrigerated section of prepared raw snacks (you have to see it to believe it, so I made sure to get this shot), in addition to various other raw ingredients and bulk foods (not pictured, although I did pick up these raw cacao and goji berry chunks of energy from the bulk section; I know I could've made them myself, but sometimes it is nice to have someone else do it for you).



I picked up some of the basics, like my favorite Artisana Coconut Butter (not to be confused with the usual coconut oil; coconut butter has some of the meat blended in, too). But, I also made sure to get some birthday treats for myself, including High Country Goji Berry Kombu Cha, edible flowers (I enjoyed these alongside some heirloom tomatoes in my salad last night, pictured below) and a nonraw Vosges Black Pearl Bar (hey, it was for a special occasion, and Natalia Rose said it was okay. Besides, it was good quality dark chocolate, flavored with wasabi, ginger and black sesame seeds - I bet I could make a raw version next time I want some).

All this talk about food was making me hungry, so we headed over to Great Sage, a vegetarian/vegan restaurant, for a bite to eat. Everyone there is so nice; they recognize gluten-free and other various dietary restrictions, preparing your meal as you request.

I had this strawberry and asparagus salad, which I opted to have avocado added to it. I also sipped on a Sunrise smoothie made from strawberries, mango and white grape juice.

Rawbin shared her hummus plate with me, too. She ordered it with extra veggies instead of the usual pita chips. Then, she continued with these flavors in her main meal - this Mediterranean wrap, minus the wrap, and served on a bed of lettuce. She also ordered a maple walnut smoothie.

We had so much fun at the restaurant that we just had to pose for a couple pics. Here is Rawbin and the tree she had been focusing on behind me during our meal.

And, there's yours truly being my usual goofy self in front of the waterfall art I had been admiring the whole time we were there (you can't tell in the pic, but there is water running through it).

Lastly, we went to the Nest (a little eco-friendly boutique, which sells organic cotton, bamboo, soy and hemp clothing, vegan footwear, jewelry, books, gifts, etc.), but unfortunately, left empty handed. I need to save some money for this weekend when my mom and I go shopping in Georgetown/D.C. (I love Lush and American Apparel; I'm wearing a shirt and tank from there in the photos) and to lunch at Java Green (they have added more raw items to the menu; I can't wait to check it out).

But, before I move on to this weekend, I need to tell you about the durian, which we sampled at my mom's house. Now, maybe we don't know anything about selecting the best one, but after sampling both, I have to say I don't care for them. At least I had the chance to experience it for myself. For now, it will be a large contribution to my mom's compost pile. Oh well, we can still say we tried it :-)