The next paragraph is immediately paraphrased from the wikipedia article on durians:
The unusual flavour and odour of the fruit have prompted many people to express diverse and passionate views ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust. Writing in 1856, the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace provides a much-quoted description of the flavour of the durian:
| “ | The five cells are silky-white within, and are filled with a mass of firm, cream-coloured pulp, containing about three seeds each. This pulp is the edible part, and its consistence and flavour are indescribable. A rich custard highly flavoured with almonds gives the best general idea of it, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream-cheese, onion-sauce, sherry-wine, and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses, but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect. It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop. In fact, to eat Durians is a new sensation worth a voyage to the East to experience. ... as producing a food of the most exquisite flavour it is unsurpassed. | ” |
Wallace described himself as being at first reluctant to try it because of the aroma, "but the natives give it honourable titles, exalt it, and make verses on it". Others have more graphic descriptions of the odor: British novelist Anthony Burgess writes that eating durian is "like eating sweet raspberry blancmange in the lavatory." Anthony Bourdain, a lover of durian, relates his encounter with the fruit as thus: "Its taste can only be described as...indescribable, something you will either love or despise. ...Your breath will smell as if you'd been French-kissing your dead great-great-aunt." Travel and food writer Richard Sterling says:
| “ | ... its odor is best described as pig-sh**, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia. | ” |
Haha! And I only discovered this AFTER I bought one. Truly, I did notice a disagreeable odor yesterday evening after returning from the store but wrongfully attributed it to my neighbor's cooking (sorry neighbor!) And it is strange, because the flesh itself doesn't smell that strongly up close, but somehow the outer shell and the flesh from far away do really smell quite awful - my fridge smells like a garbage dump today!! Furthermore, there are varying cultural beliefs concerning durians, including that they cause excessive sweating and are thus unsuitable for pregnant women or people with high blood pressure, that they cause indigestion or worse when eaten with coffee or alcohol, that they have aphrodisiac qualities (Japan) or antipyretic qualities (Malaysia) [almost the same thing, right?] And to top it all off, there are in fact signs on durian trees in Indonesia warning against lingering, or if you must, to wear a hardhat, due to the mortal danger from a 7-lb spiky fruit falling on your head!
Oh my goodness - I haven't laughed that hard in a while! My favorite line is that it is likened to eating sweet raspbery blancmange in the lavatory. Too funny!
ReplyDeleteI confess, though, in two years I never actually ATE the fruit having been warned by many-an-expat to stay far far away. Maybe when I come in October if there are still a few around, I'll be brave enough to try it.... But perhaps we should cut, consume and dispose of it outside of your apartment! :D
hmm...sounds interesting
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