Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Durian Ice Cream

Kyle 9:50 PM durian, family fun, local food, written by Kyle

Durian may be the Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde of fruits as it provoke polar opposite reactions from people (total delight or disgust). For me, not a fan. At all.

So, obviously, I wanted to feed it to my family. Their first introduction should be in ice cream form (a good way to ease into it, no?).

Here’s what they had to say about it:

Meilin (11)

“With my nose plugged, it was fine though barely tolerable. If it was any worse I don’t think I would dare to try the actual fruit.”

Erik (9)

“It wasn’t terrible, but I didn’t really like it. I can see how some people don’t like it.”
Charlie (7)

“It was really good! I loved it!”
Millie (5)

“My nose was running all the way down my lip because it was so YUMMY. And then it went up the other side.” (Huh?)
Cosie (2)

“Mine!!! <scream> MINE!!!” (Whenever anyone else tried eat it.)
Tiffany

“It mostly just tasted like rotten leftovers, blended into ice cream. This was offensive. To make things worse, the taste lingered for hours.”

On another interesting note, the smell is so strong (a.k.a. wretchedly foul) that it’s not uncommon to find “No Durian” signs in hotels and other shared spaces around Southeast Asia:

Upon arrival to Penang, I felt safe in our durian-free airport taxi. However, the feeling was fleeting… I just knew there was one lurking around the corner, just waiting to pounce on my olfactories as soon as I got out.

When we summon the strength to try it in raw fruit form, we’ll see if anyone shifts their opinion. I will be massively proud if any of my kids can palate this rubbish.

I may even give it another try—it has been 17 years since my first (and only) taste in its most naturally putrid form.

More durian resources: