The smell of durian always strongly reminded me of one of those odorants that’s used in propane - ethyl mercaptan.
With a delicate hint of rotting death.
My hubs quite likes it. My S’porean friends introduced him to it, they, of course, adore it. When they tried it on me I wasn’t having it. They took me to an all durian open market. Each vendor had different size, colour, price and there was wild haggling! The WHOLE market, only Durian.
It took me several exposures before, when I smelled it on the breeze, I actually could smell the sweet fruitiness. But I still don’t eat it.
I will eat the cookies, and the ice cream is pretty yummy too.
(Fancy hotels on Orchard Rd, have beautiful polished brass plaques, ‘No Durian in the Hotel’)
You can have the rest of my moshi. I got the sweetness. But lots of delicious fruits can give me that and don’t smell like wet socks or pulp and paper mills.
The only durian item I’ve tried was a durian filled donut, purchased in a moment of whimsical madness at a train station in Java, shortly before getting on a 4 hour train trip. No mouthwash, no other food to take away the taste (I had a bottle of water- it just helped the flavour move around my mouth a bit more), just hours of durian burps.
I don’t recommend the experience.