July 19th

The Durian Experience.

It is difficult to for a day to go by in Singapore without some reference on the “King of Fruit” the Durian. Indigenous to Southeast Asia, the durian has been known to western civilizations for only the past 600 years. Here in Singapore the Duran has a mystique that is a bit larger than life. There are reminders everywhere in this town about this fruit. On the subway there are signs about it, the opera house is nicknamed after it, and of course the pungent smell of the durian catches your attention at least once per day. The pervasive nature of this fruit has created a bit of a love hate relationship with many Singaporeans but overall the population here is addicted to the paradoxical nature of this strange produce.

The durian is named after the Malay word for “sharp” due to the hard spiky husk which I’m sure allowed the durian to be use as a mace in medieval times. The durian is green to yellow-brown in color and is oblong to round in. sharp The weight of the durian is anywhere from 1 to 5 lbs. and the size ranges from that of a cantaloupe to the larger fruit the size of a basketball. There are about 100 varieties of durian which has led to a connoisseurship of sorts complete with a rating system based on the region the fruit was grown and the look and smell of the produce. The average cost of a durian is about $2-$5 with some of the more regal fruit (rated D24) going for as much as $50. Of course the most distinguishing feature of this crop is its pungent odor. I found a written description on the internet comparing the smell of durian to “a combination of pig-shit, turpentine and a rotten onion all stuffed together in an old gym sock”. Which actually is pretty close to the truth. The smell is a bit overpowering and it lingers like an over perfumed lady at High Tea. I have mentioned before, there are fines for carrying durian on the subways ($500). There are many hotels that will not allow you to bring it indoors and I have personally witnessed someone getting kicked off a bus attempting to smuggle some durian in his backpack. The odor is so persistent you can pick out someone on the street who has eaten any in the past few hours.

With this all said, I had to try some. Linda alerted me I was on my own for my durian adventure since she wanted nothing to do with it and this type of excursion was a good excuse for her not to be too close to me for the next three days. As you can imagine eating during is a bit of a production. One does not just run down to the local supermarket or 7-11 to buy some. Durian is purchased through the street vendors. These vendors set up shop in the outdoor stalls on the street corners. The durian arrives daily from Malaysia in trucks loaded with fruit baskets. The trucks arrive in Singapore around 3:00pm in the afternoon so durian on you eggs for breakfast is not going to happen. The best place in Singapore to purchase durian is in the Gaylang district. The Gaylang is a blue collar suburb known for its eclectic mix of Chinese restaurants, Buddhist temples, and its red light districts. In Gaylang the brothels and temples can share the same parking lot and apparently co-exist in harmony which bring us some philosophical musings that are too complex to include into today’s journal entry. Anyway, with camera in hand and an empty stomach I was off to taste durian.
As soon as I emerged from the above ground subway at the Al Junaid stop I could smell the bitter-sweet sent of the durian in the air. “This must be the place” I thought. Indeed, by the time I got down to the street level the smell of durian was semisweet and strong. I spied a durian vendor a block away. The vendor had wood slats set up to display the fruit. Around the stand were plastic tables and chairs with a score of people eating durian with their hands in an animated fashion. The durian vendors love to go shirtless and have a happy Willy Wonka affect for their trade. For a lot of them I guess this is a second job. As a Mazungi with a camera staring at the stall, one of the vendors guessed my destiny. He directed me to a small outdoor sink to wash my hands and then sat me down at a plastic table. A group of girls was next to me devouring a durian fruit with their gooey fingers and sweaty skin after a hard days work in this equatorial climate. I passed on the $12 durian as well as the 3 for $10 bunch and settled for a conservative $5 piece of fruit. The vendor took a small machete and cut a pod of durian off for me. The durian meat is concealed in 4-5 septa of the fruit. The meat is yellow to beige in color and is crescent in shape. The inside of the durian reminded me of a spleen or kidney I’ve seen while on a surgical rotation in Internship. (sorry) Eating durian is bizarre. The meat is covered by a paper thin skin that is easily broken. Inside this skin is a rich yellow custard surrounding three hard brown pits the size of cherries. The meat is so rich the best description would be a cross between eating an avocado and margarine. I can’t really portray the taste of the durian, it is so unique. The durian cannot be adequately described as sweet and sour, but it is. There is an almond or maybe rose aftertaste but overall the durian needs to be experienced not written about. After about six bites I was done. The vendor smiled at me and offered me a Kleenex for my durian laden fingers. I opened my currier bag and pulled out a tin of breath mints. He shook his head as if to say “those are not going to help!” I got up and walked down the street to watch some more Singaporeans enjoy their desserts. ( I don’t think it is possible to eat durian before a meal) I found myself running to a nearby soda machine to purchase a drink to help dilute out the concentration of durian in my stomach. I hopped on the subway to return home. In the subways everyone creates their own space. Either engaged in personal reflection about the day or staring into a cell phone, people on the subway give each other as much space as possible. I felt after eating durian, however, that I was given an extra wide birth. On the ride home I realized the benefits of eating durian only in the evening. After eating this delicacy you constantly burp up your meal again and again. This I was assured was not just a durian issue for the newcomer. Upon arriving hope I was ushered into the spare bedroom where I would spend the rest on the night alone dreaming about this fruit as I imaging most Singaporeans do.

I went to Davao City, Philippines for a family vacation. The city apparently bills itself as some sort of Dorian capitol of Asia, and you see it everywhere: tourist pamphlets, storefronts, hotels. At the airport, we were stuck waiting for a flight back to Manila and had to endure a looping tourist video where a woman clad in indigenous garb would offer a durian as a gesture of welcome. If someone offered me this fruit once I got off the plane, I’d graciously hand it back.

For me and my sensitive Western nose, it was a nightmare to explore the city and have to face this fruit around every corner. We ate at a fish restaurant, and my uncle ordered me a durian shake, claiming that it “smells like hell, but tastes like heaven.” To me, it smelled like hell and tasted like chalk. I took two reluctant sips and shoved the glass back to him with a sour look on my face.

I will agree though, that the durian is a little more tolerable when processed. I bought some durian flavored milk from a little boy after walking through a bat reservation, and it was refreshing. Our hotel also kept durian candy bars, a lot like Abba-Zabas, in the nightstand for every visitor. I waited until returning to the States to open up the wrapper so I could hand it to my little sister.

My first encounter with durian was in 1972 while riding in a jeep in rural Kelantan, Malaysia. I said “what is that smell?” My Malaysian teacher said with glee “The durian are ripe!”
Back at a market we bought one and, holding our noses, took a bite. How could people get so excited over such a stinking fruit?
A year later I was staying with a family and was offered some durian at a picnic. I was polite and took it. While it was quite strong and smelly, I could detect faint fruity notes and a bit of raw walnut flavor.
A year later I was given a durian fruit as a gift. Now the stink was hardly noticeable and the fruity and nut-like flavors were dominant.
The fruit has the ability to block the receptors for the stinky components, allowing the pleasant fruity and nut aromas to come through. I find that I prefer the paler moister fruits in contrast to the more popular golden drier fruits.
An amazing fruit in so many ways.