The Durian and other tales

Tonight at supper Sabrina told us that she had purchased a fruit that smelled bad but tasted good. I vaguely remember hearing about this fruit before, and Hope knew about it. This fruit is called the Durian, and I would describe its smell as something similar to gasoline. The taste, while definitely better than the smell, could not be separated... I hope I never have opportunity to try it again! It's hard to describe, but the smell permeated the whole house as soon as we entered, and it was quite fascinating to see some of our friends eating large portions of this fruit with flourish! The following is an excerpt from an article I found on the internet about the durian.

Individual fruits are divided into five compartments, each containing a large
brown seed covered by a sac of thick, creamy, yellow pulp with an aroma that's
legendary. You could publish a small book full of analogies that have been used
to try to pin down this odor. Some of the more common comparisons include
overripe cheese, fermented onions, rotten fish, and unwashed socks. (The bad
smell, of course, performs a very important function: It attracts jungle animals
to the fruit to facilitate seed dispersal.)
Combine the unpleasant odor with the fruit's rich, almond-sweet flavor and puddinglike texture, and you have a culinary experience that's been described in one respected book on tropical crops—written, wouldn't you know, by a Westerner—as "French custard passed through a sewer." But it's an experience that many people in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia appreciate and crave.

One of the funniest things I read was that this fruit has actually been banned from hotels and airports in Asia, especially Singapore. Wow. Anyways, it was an experience, that's for sure....

The next few days promise to be quite exciting... on top of all the work I need to finish up, we have someone coming to visit us for the weekend, and then on Wednesday I get to go see PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!!!! I am quite excited!
Our friends the Su's are leaving for Africa tomorrow! Craziness hey? The people who aren't visiting family over Chinese New Year are often travelling the world! Hope's going to Malaysia, maybe she'll encounter more durian...