That my readers is durian. It’s nicknamed the King of Fruits due to it’s large size and very overpowering and unique (read: icky) smell. It’s also one of the most expensive fruits in Southeast Asia, since durian trees usually don’t bear fruit until after five years.
And speaking of the trees, many cultivators hang nets below the trees for fear of falling spiky fruits that can possibly kill you. Especially when it averages about a foot long and a half foot wide that weighs between two to seven pounds.
It has a bit of a notorious reputation in SE Asia. Many hotels, public transportation, and other public places have banned people from bringing this fruit in because of the smell alone. It’s very difficult to describe the smell of it, but the fact that it’s been banned from those places is enough. Also because those establishments are afraid to scare off tourists because of the smell. If by any chance someone does somehow manage to smuggle it into someplace like a hotel without being detected (the smell is very strong, so it would be a very difficult task), then the hotel has to shut off the entire section and use an air filtration device for a couple days to fully get rid of the smell.
A hotel sign in Singapore.
To say the least, I find this thing disgusting. Although, I have to say that it’s been years since I last consumed durian or anything durian flavored. I have memories of eating durian flavored things all the time as a child and actually enjoying it. I was either a very stupid child or had taste buds of steel then. The odor of it is so strong that you can actually taste it, and frankly after a taking a whiff of this stuff I don’t really want to eat it.
I also don’t trust things that look like an alien pod. In addition, it’s very difficult to actually open up a durian (even a small one) without a machete or at least a very large butcher knife, since the husk is so thick and leathery. And the spikes do not help with the cutting process. I believe that is a sign that it is not meant to be consumed, and therefore it’s nature’s mechanism to ward off foolish humans from eating this pungent and lethal fruit. Unfortunately, I don’t think nature was equipped to withstand advanced weaponry.
Thankfully because it’s so expensive in its native countries, it’s even more so when it’s imported to the US. Which is good, because my parents love the stuff and I don’t have to suffer the smell of it in the house and making the fridge smell like a rotting corpse. And ruining all of the food in the fridge by making it taste like durian. And then I would insist on throwing away said fridge and getting a new one because it would be the only way to get rid of the smell.
However, the only thing I like about it is the origins of the Vietnamese word for it: sầu riêng. It roughly translates to “one’s sorrows.” And this is the following story of the origin:
Long ago, there was a young couple that lived in the region. Because of social prejudices that could not be overcome, the couple sought their own deaths in order to be faithful to each other. Their own sorrows received the population’s sympathies, and the story of their tragedy has been handed down from generation to generation. To commemorate the couple, the locals have named one of their most valuable fruits sầu riêng.
Unfortunately, the commemoration happens to be one of the most foul things that calls itself food.
Filed under: babblings | 1 Comment
Tags: durian, fruit
I actually am the only one in my family, besides my mother, that LOVES durian. I do remember however when I was younger inviting friends over when we had durian in the firdge and their repulsion of the smell. My sister however gags even at the sight of the fruit.