fruit philes

a road side fruit stand in penang

let's take a moment to talk about fruit, shall we? while in penang dan and i (as mentioned) tried every known tropical fruit. they were as beautiful as they were tasty. our new favorites are the mangosteen (an eggplant purple shell with white meaty insides that resemble tangerine slices), dragon fruit (bright pink, graceful looking fruit with a kiwi-esque inside that is white with black seeds - very striking), and the rambutan (a red, hairy, lychee nut looking thing).

papaya and dragonfruit at breakfast

the most different of all fruits that we tried during our time in penang - and only once - is the durian, or stinky fruit. this infamous fruit is banned from all forms of public transportation, hotels, or any structure that in enclosed in any way. to eat a durian fans of the fruit travel to remote areas of their cities or islands to have the fruit cut open for them in the stall where it is consumed immediately. indeed the stink is so great that it has been compared to rotting flesh. the burps it induces after consumption are said to be twice as bad. should you drink alcohol after eating a durian you will die from the flesh of the fruit fermenting in your gut. lovely.

a sign on the singapore subway - no fine, just dirty looks from your fellow riders

so, of course, dan and i had to at least smell one, if not taste it, just to see what all the stink (ha!) is about. luckily we found one that had been cut open already (not purchasing one was key as they better varieties can go for as much as 20 dollars a fruit). it was sitting in the basket of a motorbike on the side of the road for god knows how long. we tentively approached it and sniffed the air around it. then john, our penang tour guide, came up and said, "you want to smell it? really get your nose in there." then he picked it up and the fruit spilled open, smooth clotted cream like substance falling to the road and splashing on our toes. we smelled. it was bad, but not as bad as i thought. so i ventured a taste. i scooped a fingerful up off the road and put it into my mouth before all my better judgements could get to me. they say taste is connected to your nose as much as to your tongue. i would say this is true. as i swished the fruit around my mouth the distinct smell of rotting-meat-in-the-trash-when-you've-left-it-in-a hot-house-for-a-few-days came over me. i can't honestly say what the fruit actually tastes like. not 20 dollars good, though, of this i am sure. perhaps this was one of those cheaper knock-off durains?

dan gets his nose into a durian

from now on i will stick to the pineapple and mango juices at breakfast and my new favorites for lunch. bravery in the face of fruit has been accomplished. most likely, i would have regretted not trying it when i had the chance. now i can go on with my life. and perhaps i have saved you the experience as well - or have i just piqued your curiosity...?