Has there ever been anything in your life that people said was so bad, but you still wanted to try it badly? Wondering how bad it really can be. Like a movie, a book, a food item…
Or a fruit!!!!
Well, I put one in my must-try list as soon as my eyes rested on this weird poster placed outside the elevator of Ibis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur during our February trip.
Yes, bringing a mere fruit within the hotel premises could cost us a hefty fine of RM 500 (i.e. around ₹9000 or $120). We saw a similar sign inside the
Courtyard Melaka Hotel too. Piquing my curiosity further.
On asking, the hotel staff (and the general public) justified the cost saying that this single fruit stinks so bad that the room service people have to take extra measures in order to remove its smell from a room (even from the lobby sometimes). Yet this fruit was being sold everywhere in Malaysia as well as Thailand. And people love it 🤔
So verifying the truth of this fruit was all that I could think about in the next few days of our stay in Malaysia & Thailand 🔎
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Where ever we went — be it Melaka, Penang or Langkawi, Durian was there. And boy, it was expensive. A single full Durian costed you anywhere between RM 80-120. Too much to spend on a single fruit if you ask a couple out on a budget international trip.
Still people bought it.
It was in dishes too. For example, if you ever got bored gobbling down the famously delicious Mango Sticky Rice in Thailand, you had Durian Sticky Rice in the desserts menu to successfully replace it.
And funnily, this green and spiky on the outside and yellow on the inside fruit didn’t even smell bad to me.
But I even like the smell of a fish market, which normally is intolerable to most Indians. So, what do I know! 🤷🏻
BASIC RESEARCH
Obviously I watched its reviews given by several influencers on Youtube to brace myself for the taste I can expect from this tropical fruit. But two pole-apart reactions stood out from whatever I encountered online.
One was passive while other was disgusted by it.
Yet watching these two videos only solidified my determination further and nudged me to give this fruit a try.
FINAL TRIAL
I gathered enough courage and set aside enough money to try it once and for all. It was during my second visit to the glimmering city of Kuala Lumpur in October that I found it again on the stalls of the popular Jalan Alor Street.
There I bought a small Durian pack priced at RM20 and sat on my table to cherish it at peace, alas.
RELUCTANT REVIEW
As told earlier, it didn’t smell at all to me. And honestly I didn’t understand the hype surrounding it.
Means no offence to the fruit because it is a decent snack with a chewy texture and mellow sweet-spicy taste. But it is nothing extraordinary as compared to jackfruits, mangoes or dragon fruit available throughout the country as well as neighboring region.
Honestly, after all the buildup, I expected more from the infamous “durian”. However, all said and done, I can have it again any day.
Without the unnecessary anticipation and excitement 😪
PS – Banner photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash