Replies

Nonsense my ass.

I’ve eaten durian in several places in Asia. It smells just like an open sewer. The seeds have a custard-like coating, and this is the part you suck off to eat.

And yes, if the fruit is ripe, the taste is pretty good.

To say that durian does not smell like an open sewer is just fatuous. In Singapore, if you are new to the place, you could be frightened off eating at one of the many amazing hocker stands that serve food that is equal to, if not better, than a white-tablecloth restaurant.

Reason, as you approach, it smells like the vendors are squatting over a trench as they sell their food. They aren’t, its just that someone there is hocking durian, and you can smell it for blocks. 6 blocks and if the wind is right, more.

Nobody sells better chow than the Singapore hocker stands.

“Nonsense, durian is perhaps one of the most delicious fruits in the world. There is a restaurant in Houston where they have durian smoothies as desert. Absolutely fantastic.”

ROTFLMAO! You really need to get out more. Maybe even stay at a Holiday Inn.

Reaction to the fruit's odor seems to differ between people of European and Asian ancestry, but not necessarily always.

Once visiting a factory near Ipoh, Malaysia I was with one American (our factory manager) and two Malaysian employees driving back from lunch and we spotted a flat bed truck selling fresh durian by the roadside. The Malaysian guys asked if I'd ever tried it and I said no but that I had heard about it for years. So we stopped, my American colleague made sure to go about 30 yards upwind from the truck, they cut one open and extracted a gooey chunk for me to taste. "Hmmm, not bad". They chuckled and asked if I wanted another and I did. They seemed dumbfounded that I didn't puke. Flavor was super sweet and rich but didn't revolt me at all.

A couple weeks later I was back in the office and a production guy who'd been to the Malaysian plant came in and said "We heard you tried durian ... and that you ate two pieces". "Yep, it wasn't bad. A bit too sweet for my taste. But not bad." He just shook his head and walked out. Apparently it was a running joke, when the fruit was in season, for Malays to take visiting Americans out to taste durian. I think I disappointed them when they tried it on me.