I’ve never personally met a durian but know them by reputation as the world’s stinkiest fruit, banned from certain public spaces all over Southeast Asia but with a dedicated fan base nevertheless. I even found a blog dedicated to durians, called, well, Dedicated to Durians.
A friend visiting Bangkok brought a bag of durian chips for Kid Two to taste. He was pretty psyched and ripped the bag open in the car – we had recently watched No Reservations, Indonesia together so he knew what he might be in for. They were an unexpected treat, with the texture of a baked potato chip and a mild fruity flavor. We would eat them again.
Here’s a bit of that No Reservations Indonesia, episode, in which Anthony Bourdain has his durian and eats it, too:
[youtube 1PNmuExjlEM]
When live gives you durians, make chips.
Did they smell?
Love, Mom
Mom, that’s the obvious thing I left out! No, they don’t stink at all and really didn’t have much of a smell at all. Not scary – I think even Dad would eat them if he didn’t know what they were.