Durian Heaven or Hell?
Driving down a 'jalan tikus' (back street) in Medan we were suddenly confronted by a sea of green spiky oval balls, being enthusiastically ripped open by a gang of intense and singleminded 'tukang lepas', with seriously sharp steel blades, to reveal the creamy white contents inside. Anywhere else the above scene may have been misinterpreted as a gang fight about to erupt.
The durian (or jackfruit) is a much sought after 'delicacy', greatly loved by the Indonesians (and indeed throughout Asia) for its unique taste, described by some as like "garlic and caramel, blended into whipped cream". But to the wary 'Orang Belanda' like myself, its taste is totally masked by its pungently eye-watering malodorous stink, not dissimilar (I imagine) to a witches brew of sewage, overripe cheese, rotting flesh and vomit.
It has been described by some as "tastes like heaven and smells like hell" but, for me, both the taste and smell are the antithesis of nirvana. Suffice it to say that this pungent fruit, most intensely 'on the nose' when at its ripest, is unconditionally banned from many hotels and airlines throughout South-East Asia. Not even plastic food wrapping can disguise its distinctive, gut stirring aroma, which, if surreptitiously introduced into ducted air conditioning, has an inordinately efficient capability of inducing virtually instant evacuation.
So we pulled up at this local trading establishment, Ucok Durian, and my Indo rellies all piled out of our locally hired minibus with gusto. You see, Ucok Durian, besides preparing and packaging durian for local sale and Indo-wide distribution, has a small 'rumah makan' attached where visitors may sample the goods and wash them down with an assortment of cold beverages. I stopped to take some photos, turned around, and there they were, gone, only to be found a few minutes later devouring the stinky white contents of quartered spike balls.
Curiosity eventually got the better of me and I abandoned my camera to complete my culinary education with respect to the do's and don'ts of durian ingestation. Apparently (and I have it on good authority - from my better half) the trick to preventing the pungent aroma from lingering on your hands is to wash them in the empty skin. Similarly, to prevent post consumption cheesy vomit breath, and many subsequent hours of fellow human recoil, the consumer drinks water from the fruitless skin when the feasting is over.
All I can suggest is "Don't knock it if you ain't tried it". I have and will!
Over to you!
So who among you will cast aside caution and relish in the flavour of heaven, or indeed tipple the taste of hell?
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When not researching the weird or the wonderful, the comical or the cultured, the sinful or the serious, I chase my creative side, the results of which can be seen as selected photographs of my travels on my website at:
http://ken-boddie.squarespace.com
The author of the above, Ken Boddie, besides being a sometime poet and occasional writer, is an enthusiastic photographer, rarely leisure-travelling without his Canon, and loves to interact with other like-minded people with diverse interests.
Ken's three day work week (part time commitment) as a consulting engineer allows him to follow his photography interests, and to plan trips to an ever increasing list of countries and places of scenic beauty and cultural diversity.
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Comments
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #36
Remind me not to upset you on social media, Aurorasa. I don't want to end my days drinking my food through a straw. 😨
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #35
So you like durian, Jianlan Li? You belong to a very large club with similar tastes. But yet again, there are a lot of people out there who still think the world's flat. 😂
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #34
But as I keep saying, Aurorasa, "You'll never really know, If you don't give it a go." 😈
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #33
They have to strip once they hit the jungle and supply themselves with shelter, food and water for 21 days while naked.
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #32
I can't even watch those shows. Just like Naked and Afraid- WHY do they HAVE to be naked??? But, they do know what they are signing up for. Agree, you couldn't pay me enough to be on one of those shows.
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #31
oh that's disgusting Aurorasa Sima. There used to be a reality show somewhat similar to that in the States about 10 years ago, does anyone remember the name? They didn't go to the jungle though.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #30
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #29
Nice try, Praveen. You almost had me convinced that the durian is a delicacy. 😉
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #28
Please feel free, Michele, to use my photos. I only ask that you credit them to me and that perhaps you mention the distributer, Ucok Durian (pronounced oochock, dooreean). Thanks for the complement.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #27
Although I am not over enthused, Lada, about durian myself, I am curious that so many Asians love it so much. I would suggest that this is one occasion when you really should form your own opinion on this paradoxical fruit. And there is only one way to do that. 😊
Lada 🏡 Prkic
7 years ago #26
Not always, Ken. My curious nature compels me to try out new things, such as a food I have never tasted before, no matter what others told me about that. But it is not always a good idea. Like my husband says, when something looks like s..t and smell like s..t you don't need to push the finger (or nose) to be sure it's a s..t. But sometimes you'll be surprised! 😲
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #25
Thanks, Netta, for your thoughtful comments.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #24
Long may your sense of taste and smell, Pascal, remain in blissful ignorance of the doubtful charms of this tropical fruit folly.
Pascal Derrien
7 years ago #23
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #22
All experiences gratefully received, Lada?
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #21
A wise man knows his limitations, Mohd - or is it the limitations of his stomach and nose? 😄
Lada 🏡 Prkic
7 years ago #20
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #19
Hmm well you are the only Uncle I have... so there, I've adopted you. But, I don't think your that much older than me Ken Boddie LOL. Lets just say for the sake of argument, you were a toddler when this niece of yours was born LOL.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #18
Although the classic durian season is during the wet season, I understand that Ucok Durian in Medan has durian available all year round. Good news for the many regular customers and the many out-of-town visitors. 😋 Bad news for many others such as Dicko. 😷
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #17
Well let me see, Lisa - one, two, three, five, seven - lots and lots. Need to get back to you on that one. 🤔
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #16
"While resting in a sewer?" Ok, it's sounding less appealing to try after reading the comments haha
Paul Walters
7 years ago #15
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #14
I'm great, thanks for asking Uncle Ken Boddie ;-) Hey Nana in the blue hijab is pretty! Just how many nieces do you have? I need to know if I have other distant relatives out there I'm not aware of LOL.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #13
just goes to show, Sarah, that $10 can buy you a whole world of 'fun'. 😷
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #12
Interesting, Dean-San, that you say "next time". For me it's "once bitten twice shy". 😝
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #11
how's my favourite niece? By the way, Lisa, Nana, in the blue hijab, with her tongue out at the camera, is also my niece.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #10
But, Mohd, You'll never really know, If you don't give it a go. 😉
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #9
Praise indeed from my favourite word slayer.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #8
Happy to say, Don, that, on this occasion, I kept my distance well beyond your 12" buffer. Many past experiences with durian have taught me caution.
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #7
I wouldn't wish that stench on my worst enema, Kev. 😝
Sarah Elkins
7 years ago #6
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #5
The photos looked like they were out of a magazine! Dean Owen, so beer and durian don't mix well eh?
Dean Owen
7 years ago #4
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #3
don kerr
7 years ago #2
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #1