Love it or Hate it? Durian

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Durian, love it or hate it?

Love it
4
80%
Hate it
1
20%
 
Total votes: 5

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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Love it or Hate it? Durian

Post by brimstoneSalad »

cufflink wrote: In the '60s I lived in Malaysia for two years as a United States Peace Corps volunteer and became virtually addicted to durian. I would get on my bike and ride 5 miles into town, buy a couple, and cycle back home, my mouth watering all the way.

There's a wide-spread folk tale in Malaysia, and maybe elsewhere, to the effect that if you eat durian while drinking alcohol, You. Will. Die. I'm living proof that this is nothing more than mythology.
That's awesome. Some time I'll have to tour SE Asia while they're in season.

I didn't know about that folk tale. I'm not a drinker, but something like that would tempt me to drink just to prove it wrong.

Did you horrify anybody by doing that?

In the U.S., I like to walk under ladders and open umbrellas inside when there are superstitious people around.
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cufflink
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Re: Love it or Hate it? Durian

Post by cufflink »

brimstoneSalad wrote:
cufflink wrote:
There's a wide-spread folk tale in Malaysia, and maybe elsewhere, to the effect that if you eat durian while drinking alcohol, You. Will. Die. I'm living proof that this is nothing more than mythology.
I didn't know about that folk tale. I'm not a drinker, but something like that would tempt me to drink just to prove it wrong.

Did you horrify anybody by doing that?
I'm not much of a drinker either, just the occasional beer or glass of wine. I was living in a very conservative area of Malaysia with Muslims who would have been offended by alcohol in their presence, so I waited until I got home to test the superstition, some durian in one hand and a glass of chardonnay in the other. All was well.
One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,
One Moment of the Well of Life to taste--
The Stars are setting, and the Caravan
Draws to the Dawn of Nothing--Oh, make haste!

—Fitzgerald, Rubáiyát, 2nd ed., XLIX
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TheVeganAtheist
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Re: Love it or Hate it? Durian

Post by TheVeganAtheist »

how do you know if the durian is ready to eat?
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cufflink
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Re: Love it or Hate it? Durian

Post by cufflink »

TheVeganAtheist wrote:how do you know if the durian is ready to eat?
There's some useful information here: http://www.yearofthedurian.com/2012/11/ ... 5amOxbx-3k.

Test #4, the "shake" test, is what I use the most. But note what they say at the end about frozen Thai durians, which is what you're likely to find in North America. Despite the discouragement, IMO they can still be pretty good.
One Moment in Annihilation's Waste,
One Moment of the Well of Life to taste--
The Stars are setting, and the Caravan
Draws to the Dawn of Nothing--Oh, make haste!

—Fitzgerald, Rubáiyát, 2nd ed., XLIX
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brimstoneSalad
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Re: Love it or Hate it? Durian

Post by brimstoneSalad »

A lot of vendors and distributors will also lick the knife to test for sweetness, so as to assure quality control. When I first realized that probably every durian I ate in Vietnam had been pricked by a saliva-whetted knife, I kind of felt grossed out. Then I got over it.
:o

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Durian are so delicious, but that's so gross...

I'll have to remember to look for a merchant who doesn't double dip if I go to SE Asia to eat them fresher.
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