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Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

nytimes.com

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Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#121

Post by raynr »

LordAtlas wrote: post #112
magnio wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It puzzles me how the smell of durian, which I find very aromatic, can be disgusting to some people. Also dragon fruit is a 'bland mush'? I've must have been eating the wrong fruit. There's also a red dragon fruit which is a little tastier.

Well, when nations that grow durian natively have signs banning durian from public transport and hotels, it's probably a good indication that enough of a majority finds the smell unpalatable. (I've tried durian in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand to try to like them. I have failed. There is just no divorcing the taste from the stench.)

> Well, when nations that grow durian natively have signs banning durian from public transport and hotels, it's probably a good indication that enough of a majority finds the smell unpalatable.

What "majority" do you speak of?

The "majority" of locals in Singapore, at least, do not think the smell is unpalatable.

Locals just recognize that it is a strong, potent smell, that is difficult to get rid of, that lingers for ages, that is detectable even at trace concentrations. So, practically, everyone understands that durians shouldn't be in public transport or hotels.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#122

Post by sfj »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #101
3131s wrote: post #72

I live in Cambodia where all of these fruits are available, and more. I like every fruit mentioned, except salak, and eat many of them every day. This author comes off as a deeply uncultured American giving a generic impression of a drunken 3-5 day visit to SEA. There are so many errors in this article it's unreal. Jackfruit does not have a "jagged sheath" (that's durian). Dragon fruit is only mushy when it's badly b…

"Durian does not stink of death" Sounds like you're the one spreading lies. Durian is without a doubt, the smelliest, nastiest fruit I have ever had the displeasure of ever smelling or eating in my life. My wife is from SEA and literally laughed out loud when I showed her your post. Check yourself before you try to check others.

Yes, exactly ! I remember traveling through Asia and seeing a “no durians” sign posted near the metro entrance. I forget the country, but it was probably Singapore or HK.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#123

Post by Nursie »

3131s wrote: post #86
magnio wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It puzzles me how the smell of durian, which I find very aromatic, can be disgusting to some people. Also dragon fruit is a 'bland mush'? I've must have been eating the wrong fruit. There's also a red dragon fruit which is a little tastier.

And a purple one which has a sweeter and earthier taste, which is my favorite. There are also many varieties of passion fruit, some of which are very sweet. One time I had a batch of an heirloom variety of yellow passion fruit from a small farm in the provinces and it really was unlike anything I've ever had since.

Passiflora fruits are very varied, there may be a hundred varieties, with all sorts of different flavours. There's even one that stinks of garlic!

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#124

Post by 3131s »

tptacek wrote: post #113
3131s wrote: post #72

I live in Cambodia where all of these fruits are available, and more. I like every fruit mentioned, except salak, and eat many of them every day. This author comes off as a deeply uncultured American giving a generic impression of a drunken 3-5 day visit to SEA. There are so many errors in this article it's unreal. Jackfruit does not have a "jagged sheath" (that's durian). Dragon fruit is only mushy when it's badly b…

Hannah Beech has been an SEA bureau chief at the NYT and, before that, Time Magazine for something like a decade, and wrote for Time Asia for years prior to that. I don't think "deeply uncultured American" helped your argument, and note that most of the fruit-related points you made here were challenged downthread.

I wasn't wrong about anything. Durian does not smell like death, even to people that don't like it. I know people can perceive tastes differently.

My tone was too flippant because I found the article's tone annoying and misleading. I get it, hyperbole, but when most of the people reading it have no familiarity with these fruits it's going to put them off trying.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#125

Post by aptwebapps »

3131s wrote: post #72

I live in Cambodia where all of these fruits are available, and more. I like every fruit mentioned, except salak, and eat many of them every day. This author comes off as a deeply uncultured American giving a generic impression of a drunken 3-5 day visit to SEA. There are so many errors in this article it's unreal. Jackfruit does not have a "jagged sheath" (that's durian). Dragon fruit is only mushy when it's badly b…

> Jackfruit does not have a "jagged sheath" (that's durian).

Durian's spikes are pointier, but you can call both of them jagged.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#126

Post by aptwebapps »

magnio wrote: post #77
3131s wrote: post #72

I live in Cambodia where all of these fruits are available, and more. I like every fruit mentioned, except salak, and eat many of them every day. This author comes off as a deeply uncultured American giving a generic impression of a drunken 3-5 day visit to SEA. There are so many errors in this article it's unreal. Jackfruit does not have a "jagged sheath" (that's durian). Dragon fruit is only mushy when it's badly b…

It puzzles me how the smell of durian, which I find very aromatic, can be disgusting to some people. Also dragon fruit is a 'bland mush'? I've must have been eating the wrong fruit. There's also a red dragon fruit which is a little tastier.

I think I have not had good dragon fruit yet. That's the trouble with trying new fruit you see in the market - you never know if it is a good representative.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#128

Post by lokedhs »

greggman3 wrote: post #69
reedlaw wrote: post #47

Dragon fruit can be grown in California, Florida, and Hawaii and is not "bland mush with tiny seeds that can require floss to dislodge". The author must have had a bad one. They can be extremely sweet. The seeds are so small that they go down without noticing and I've never had to use floss. My favorite is a variety with deep red flesh. Mangosteen is so far from its depiction---"to eat a pile of mangosteens is an exe…

I don't dislike Dragon Fruit but having had 30 or so of them in SE Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan) I've never had one that was "extremely sweet". All of them were relatively on the bland every place I had one. It's good to know they can be sweet but I'm curious why finding a sweet one is so rare. As for the seeds I agree. It's like eating kiwi seeds. Mangosteen is great! No idea why the author…

I know that chain of puff stores. Their durian puffs are tasty, but I agree with you that the flavour is very mild. The thing about those puffs are that even people who normally don't like durian can appreciate them, and you may fall into that category.

There are different places you can get durian puffs where the filling is basically pure durian. Of course, unless you love durian you're not going to appreciate them.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#129

Post by lokedhs »

philliphaydon wrote: post #120
greggman3 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had both white and purple. I had hoped the purple would be sweeter but I never noticed a difference. It's hard to describe in words what how sweet something is but if I was to rank every fruit I've ever eaten in terms of sweetness Dragon Fruit would be at or near the bottom. I've have bland watermelon but I've had tons of sweet watermelon. I've bland other melons but I've had ton of sweet ones. I've never had a uns…

OH Custard Apple!!! The best I've had is in Taiwan. It's one of my wifes favourite fruits, but we can't find good one in Singapore.

Don't they have them in regular grocery stores in Singapore? They might only have them when they're in season though.

Re: Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward

#130

Post by philliphaydon »

lokedhs wrote: post #129
philliphaydon wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OH Custard Apple!!! The best I've had is in Taiwan. It's one of my wifes favourite fruits, but we can't find good one in Singapore.

Don't they have them in regular grocery stores in Singapore? They might only have them when they're in season though.

They aren't very good. A lot of the time they are rock hard and if you let them rippen they don't turn out very good. Just used to Taiwan where it's always nice and soft and yummy.
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