Saturday, March 03, 2007

Strange Fruit



For years, I've been intrigued by the Southeast Asian durian fruit. Not only is it extremely large and covered in needle-sharp spikes (somewhat like a medieval weapon), its fruit is said to possess one of the foulest odors known to man.

While the taste of the durian is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, the smell has been described as "dead dog," "gym sock," "stale vomit," "skunk spray," and "sewage." In fact the odor is so powerful that the durian is banned from many public places in Southeast Asia. Once the fruit is open, its odor can it can taint an entire room or subway car. That's why every spring, Malaysian hotels battle their own customers to keep the fruit out of their buildings. An interesting video report on these "Durian Wars" can be found on the National Geographic website.

This morning I had an opportunity to sample the strange fruit. (And of course, I was careful to open it outside.) The fragrance was reminiscent of a rotten Easter egg that's been forgotten under the sofa and rediscovered sometime in May. The flavor and texture, however, were not unlike custard. A really eggy custard. (If you like eggs, which I don't, it would probably be delicious. I can understand why durians can sell for up to $50.) All in all, it was a very unusual experience--one I probably won't be repeating any time soon.


11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Weird. Seriously weird.

10:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Anaka! I just love your book, it's so awesome and this site always has the coolest stuffage! :)

12:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Strange fruit. Couldn't get my little sister to eat that in a million years...

9:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always liked fruit, but this fruit would be probably the WORST thing i would have ever tasted
!!!!!!

6:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

first of all people the character is ananka the author is kirsten miller and by the way anonymous 901 pm that coment is so funny

9:59 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really? And your proof is?

9:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, durian... That thing tastes horrible. But my dad and my grandpa likes that stuff.
>-<"

4:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Durian tastes as it smells - like garbage

8:18 AM  
Blogger Micci said...

lol, my mom LOVES that. (she's of Indonesian ethnicity). And my dad hates it. I for one have never had. I would really like to try, though!

4:29 AM  
Blogger Micci said...

That's what Anthony Bourdain said it tasted like, when he went to Indonesia.

4:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i hate eggs.

5:59 PM  

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