# Durian, the Evil Fruit **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161 "2009-07-07T03:33:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/21 "2009-07-08T03:36:57Z")
For those of you who claim to like the taste of durian: You’re all posers! I have sampled durian ice cream and durian cookies, and those were tolerable. But then, dump a ton of sugar in and even bat shit probably becomes edible. I’ve not heard of a preference among tigers for durian. They may consider durian growers tasty, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/22 "2009-07-08T04:35:26Z")
I used to work near a cargo facility at LAX and we certainly knew when a shipment of durian had come in. Pew! ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/23 "2009-07-08T05:37:39Z")
What a coincidence: a friend of mine currently has the Facebook status “anything remotely durian-related should not be allowed on a plane”. Apparently a couple of women decided to snack on some durian on her Bangkok-Manila flight. Sounds neat. Never seen/smelled it, myself, but I am curious. ---
**Author:** ![Omgalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/41988e/32.png) [@Omgalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omgalion)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/24 "2009-07-08T06:59:05Z")
I tried durian in Hong Kong recently and was disappointed in the lack of overpowering aroma or taste. Does it lose the smell over time or are there less stinky variants? ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/25 "2009-07-08T13:53:58Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > …but claims to like oysters that were wiggling a few seconds before he eats them, but yet can’t stand natto. _Claim_ is the key word. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/26 "2009-07-08T14:57:37Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ve not heard of a preference among tigers for durian. They may consider durian growers tasty, though. 😃 Tigers hate durian. They love cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/27 "2009-07-08T15:44:31Z")
Never eat Durian Durian… You’ll suffer from hallucinations of space ships, biting parakeets, evil robotic nutcracker dolls, men with wings (who are apparently a good lay), and sex pot brainless traiterous wymen. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/28 "2009-07-08T17:15:12Z")
I tried durian - once. I’ll try anything once. I was truly curious how someting could smell bad and still taste good. I took me the rest of the day to get that nasty-ass taste out of my mouth. I remain convinced that the myth of the great taste of durian was created as a giant practical joke. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/29 "2009-07-08T19:12:25Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > …but claims to like oysters that were wiggling a few seconds before he eats them, but yet can’t stand natto. I am the same way. I’ll eat those oysters, but natto? No thank you. And I don’t think he’s making it up. ---
**Author:** ![Baron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@Baron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/30 "2009-07-08T20:47:46Z")
I found it overrated. Not tasty, but not intolerably revolting, either. I bought a chunk of it in Chinatown (they also had the whole fruits for sale) but I don’t think it was ripe–the fruit was somewhat hard inside. I’ve had it in my fridge for 3 weeks and it doesn’t seem to stink (double bagged). It does have that distinctive odor, just not strong. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/31 "2009-07-08T20:52:59Z")
I tried it once, not powerfully stinky but with a good bit of odor. I think the smell varies as a function of ripeness, and oddly enough I didn’t notice the smell after I started eating it. The taste could best be expressed, I think, as vanilla pudding with onions. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/32 "2009-07-08T21:40:21Z")
One of the episodes of the nature series “Equator” was set in a southeast Asian jungle. In it, the intense smell of tropical fruits was discussed, and how they are designed to appeal to primates. There was a funny sequence showing a young orangutan trying to figure out how to open a big durian, but of course it was too spiky and hard for her to succeed. She gave it up with such a sad orangutan face! Then an Asian elephant came along and showed how it was done: drop it on the ground and stomp on it. That worked. But I don’t see how the smell would entice an orangutan or any primate. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/33 "2009-07-09T02:17:23Z")
Durain Rocks. But only the fresh stuff…never eat it in icecream, pastries or any other way. Must be taken directly from the shell. And secondly - what is it with Sweet Corn Ice Cream… YUCKS!!! ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/34 "2009-07-09T07:12:34Z")
> [@](#): > > yellow alien fetus Dare I say it? BAND NAME!!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Neofio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/82dd89/32.png) [@Neofio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neofio)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/35 "2009-07-09T09:46:28Z")
I’m disappointed in you people. Durian is heavenly. And I daresay it smells heavenly. I’ve smelled worse crap from western foods. Bleu cheese comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Knightrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7c8e57/32.png) [@Knightrunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knightrunner)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161/36 "2009-07-09T10:51:39Z")
> [@Tully\_Mars](#): > > I tried durian - once. > > I’ll try anything once. I was truly curious how someting could smell bad and still taste good. > > I took me the rest of the day to get that nasty-ass taste out of my mouth. I remain convinced that the myth of the great taste of durian was created as a giant practical joke. I agree 100% with everything you just said. It tastes like tallow soap that’s gone off. It has to be an elaborate practical joke. Or maybe food stalls sell it knowing that you’ll buy the rest of their stock just to drown out the taste. Warning: Don’t try to drown it out with carbonated beverages- the last thing you want is to burp that flavor back up. :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/durian-the-evil-fruit/502161.md?page=1)