Durian

Some days I just gotta take a break from writing about weighty issues. I don't imagine many readers will be interested in my observations on fruit, but then, this blog was not meant to be read anyway.

When I went to the local Asian grocery the other day, I saw an interesting looking fruit called a durian. It was about the size and shape of a football, the outside was green and spiny, and it was cracked open to reveal lumpy, bright orange flesh. Frozen and shrink wrapped, it gave no hint as to its texture or flavor, but considering its intriguingly otherworldly appearance, I decided to give it a try.

After having tasted it, I can see why it hasn't caught on in the West like some other tropical fruits such as the banana. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the Durian: "Some Westerners have described the experience of eating the durian as 'like eating custard in a public lavatory.'" I suppose its aroma does have notes of toilet bowl deodorizer, but as for its flavor, I really didn't find it all that objectionable. The texture is another matter. The flesh is soft and mushy, and quite fibrous. Normally, one expects food to compact down upon chewing, but this seemed to expand in my mouth. A final word of caution: avoid skin contact unless you want to smell like a durian the rest of the day; no amount of washing will remove the odor.