Crushed garlic, mixed with Mediterranean cheese and seasoned with army socks

Yup. That's one of the many descriptions of the smell of a Durian, a tropical fruit grown in southeast Asia. It's also been described as smelling like:

"fruit in a plastic bag that has been forgotten three weeks in the sauna"

"vomit, dead rats guts and rotten banana all rolled into one"

"a city dump on a hot summers day"

"fermented onions"




The smell is so bad they are banned from many hotels, subways, and apartment complexes.







While the fruit 'smells like hell' it 'tastes like heaven'. It's said that the pleasure of this fruit alone is worth a trip to southeast Asia - "Once you are into them they are almost addictive" The taste is described as:

"The pulp tastes good like a butter-similar vanilla pudding, going hand in hand with the taste of almonds "
"the pale yellow flesh had an appealingly creamy, custardlike texture and a very weet taste"
"Durian's flavor reminds me of the finest vanilla custard"

However, others describe them as:

"Smells and tastes like gasoline, with a mild oniony flavour"
"the flesh of an animal in a state of putrifaction"
"like a cross between banana, garlic and something you'd drag out of a garbage can"
"Durians taste like warm beer and cheese with a high note of urine"

Yeah, that's definitely something I have to try. Seriously. The durian is so loved in Indonesia, they even have Durian flavored condoms. Yeah, I'm SURE you're wondering 'Where can I get a Durian?' At the Oriental Mart in East Lansing. I think I'll get one tonight or this weekend...