Name a food you tried and will never try again. Mine is lamb which was served at a wedding. Very greasy in my opinion.

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85. Tales of the (controversial!) Durian fruit...

Last edited Fri Aug 15, 2025, 11:06 AM - Edit history (3)

I first found out about it from a National Geographic. Waaay back in ?'79, or '80. It was quite an unknown quantity back then to the general public. Not quite so very well known, still, I think.
Origins- Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Expanded to a few more countries; Australia, Vietnam. Even Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Custard texture but it's been described as eating the most heavenly dessert standing in a garbage dump. Yeah. 😱

People either absolutely love it, or abhor it! (More divisive than Trump!)
In a hotel a patron got busted for eating it in their room (air ducts). Special dogs on a Japanese Airline going to fly from Malaysia found a passenger with a super cellophaned wrapped, and newspaper covered one on their carry on.

While I was holed up for several hours in ?'80 at my client's apt w a sprained ankle (I was their graphic designer for some projects), I was talking to his wife. (We became friends, and still are)
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She'd spent some time in Malaysia or Indonesia as a kid. I remembered the article. "Have you ever eaten a durian," I asked. She got a dreamy look in her eyes. "Ah, the durian", she said.
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I wonder if me asking that question (she'd already had quite a varied life location wise) "said" to her that I might be an interesting person to get to know. Anyway, it turned out we had some major sympatico interests, too, which would cement a friendship.

I first saw one down in Manhattan's Chinatown in the '90s.I was almost shocked. 😄