The Stinky Fruit

So being in KK has given me the opportunity to experience a ton of new food from a variety of cultures. We have all tried things on this trip we never though we would ever eat or ever like. One of the main things the locals love to have new people try is the Durian fruit. I'm not sure if there are really words to describe this fruit. It could be in a food category all by itself. It is a hard spiky fruit that grows on large trees. The durian farmers climb up in the trees and tie rope from the fruit to the branch. Once the fruit falls off on its own then you can eat it. The part you eat is inside the hard exterior and looks like a seed pod. The texture of this seed is like raw chicken, instant turnoff to my vegetarian ways, and has a hard nut inside. The smell is, well it is, umm, potent. You can tell when someone has had or handled Durian because you can smell it for a while. I think it may be worse than Lutefisk in that manner! Well, I got past the smell and the texture and gave it a try... twice! It isn't so bad, however I think the best part about this fruit is you get to use a machete to open it. I would give it another shot just to try and figure out what the taste is like. I have yet to pin it down to a comparison. The other fruit her has been amazing and delicious. It is all very fresh and I like being able to see where it is grown and who some of the gatherers are. Going out to eat here has been an adventure and we are never sure what we will be getting. There are so many different types food. I think my favorite so far has been homemade fried noodles and bread in a small family run shop. (I'm looking for the ma and pa shops for you Gene!) Overall, the food has been great and different. A few of us hope to learn some recipes to make when we get back to the states.