Although, I will never do it again, I admit to trying Durian in KL. Growing up with 1/2 slavic heritage and tasting a jar or two of limberger cheese made me think, "How bad can this durian be". My friends made sure to pick a good durian for me. I remember during the time when we wanted to buy one, it got kind of nasty when my friend accused the salesman of softening up the durian by hitting it with his knife. Boy, you guys take this business of eating durians real serious! Anyway, I smelled it. Not too bad. I put it in my mouth. Okay,maybe it smells bad but will taste delicious when I bite it....NOT! I almost blew my cookies. And I spent a week in Beijing eating duck brain duck heart, jellyfish, eel, squid, you name it. Another American who was working with me in KL tasted it. His comment,"Man, that's the closest I've ever come to eating a pile of dog poo.
a friend recommended me to try the durian recently and i have to admit that i was very intrigued to know how it tastes like. i've heard alot about this fruit. especially its distinct smell. and the first time i saw it, the smell really turned me off. and when i got a taste of the fruit, i had a gag reaction. i just couldn't stomach it. in my opinion, i think there are differing views regarding "stinky" foods. some people may find it offensive while some may find it a delicacy. i guess i can understand why the locals really love the durian as i think it is an acquired taste.
since so many Westerners have never even heard of a durian, much less eaten or smelled it. I ate my first durian in 2002. The first time I ate some, it was okay. The second time I liked it better, and by the third or fourth time I was totally converted. I try to eat all or mostly-all raw food diet. My health really requires that I do at this point. And durian is one of my most special treats, helping me to know that I am not being deprived at all. There can be no sense of deprivation while eating a durian, haha! It is very much an sensual and gastronomic delight. I have only had the frozen durian. I usually wait until it is thawed out, but not always! One day I would really enjoy the chance to eat fresh durian too.
Nobody seems to appreciate the aroma of durians from where i came from! I can't even smell those frozen ones they sell in Chinatown even with my nose right on them! Yeah, I was surprised when i got to know that there are westerners who actually like durians too after trying! some people may get turned off by the smell initially but when you taste it, it's really good. i love being in singapore since it is a popular delicacy among the locals.
My encounter with Durians
anonymous
November 12 2007, 14:30:02 UTC
Durians! Used to hate it when I was young. I just place it on the ground when my godfather gave me the choicest kampong durian. What a waste!
Things have changed though. As most Southeast asians will agree, it is an acquired taste. We explored from the Segamat kampong durian to the popular D24 sultan durian which used to cost $16/kg. We once ordered one for $28 for a visiting Mexican friend who loves it on his 1st try.
These days you have many new additions. The popular ones are the 'jing fong' (small and bitter) and 'Mao san wang' which have 'dethroned' the D24 and XO durians.
Tried the 'hong xia' or 'red prawn' from Penang late last year at KL. It has pinkish flesh. I even took pictures of it. Was great.
The fun of it comes when you have a group of friends who can enjoy this fruit together. Some things money cannot buy ;)
Comments 12
Male
American
USA
Although, I will never do it again, I admit to trying Durian in KL. Growing up with 1/2 slavic heritage and tasting a jar or two of limberger cheese made me think, "How bad can this durian be". My friends made sure to pick a good durian for me. I remember during the time when we wanted to buy one, it got kind of nasty when my friend accused the salesman of softening up the durian by hitting it with his knife. Boy, you guys take this business of eating durians real serious! Anyway, I smelled it. Not too bad. I put it in my mouth. Okay,maybe it smells bad but will taste delicious when I bite it....NOT! I almost blew my cookies. And I spent a week in Beijing eating duck brain duck heart, jellyfish, eel, squid, you name it. Another American who was working with me in KL tasted it. His comment,"Man, that's the closest I've ever come to eating a pile of dog poo.
Reply
F
Korea
Singapore
a friend recommended me to try the durian recently and i have to admit that i was very intrigued to know how it tastes like. i've heard alot about this fruit. especially its distinct smell. and the first time i saw it, the smell really turned me off. and when i got a taste of the fruit, i had a gag reaction. i just couldn't stomach it. in my opinion, i think there are differing views regarding "stinky" foods. some people may find it offensive while some may find it a delicacy. i guess i can understand why the locals really love the durian as i think it is an acquired taste.
Reply
2)F
3)canadian
4)Texas, USA.
since so many Westerners have never even heard of a durian, much less eaten or smelled it. I ate my first durian in 2002. The first time I ate some, it was okay. The second time I liked it better, and by the third or fourth time I was totally converted. I try to eat all or mostly-all raw food diet. My health really requires that I do at this point. And durian is one of my most special treats, helping me to know that I am not being deprived at all. There can be no sense of deprivation while eating a durian, haha! It is very much an sensual and gastronomic delight. I have only had the frozen durian. I usually wait until it is thawed out, but not always! One day I would really enjoy the chance to eat fresh durian too.
Reply
-M
-american
-singapore
Nobody seems to appreciate the aroma of durians from where i came from! I can't even smell those frozen ones they sell in Chinatown even with my nose right on them! Yeah, I was surprised when i got to know that there are westerners who actually like durians too after trying! some people may get turned off by the smell initially but when you taste it, it's really good. i love being in singapore since it is a popular delicacy among the locals.
Reply
Things have changed though. As most Southeast asians will agree, it is an acquired taste.
We explored from the Segamat kampong durian to the popular D24 sultan durian which used to cost $16/kg. We once ordered one for $28 for a visiting Mexican friend who loves it on his 1st try.
These days you have many new additions. The popular ones are the 'jing fong' (small and bitter) and 'Mao san wang' which have 'dethroned' the D24 and XO durians.
Tried the 'hong xia' or 'red prawn' from Penang late last year at KL. It has pinkish flesh. I even took pictures of it. Was great.
The fun of it comes when you have a group of friends who can enjoy this fruit together. Some things money cannot buy ;)
Cheers/Timothy
Reply
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