We thought cutting into the durian outside would be best. I said we should do it in the back yard so the neighbors wouldn't know where the smell is coming from just in case it was as horrible as we've heard.
The spiny outside is pretty nasty.
Aaron strapped on the ove' glove and dug in
We cut into it, and realized the inside was still partially frozen (after a few hours of sitting in the trunk and an indeterminate amount of time in a crate in the produce section of 99 Ranch).
Individual pods had their own seeds and a custardy, stringy pulp.
The custardy, stringy, pulp.
Aaron tries it first...
and he likes it.
I'm a little scared of it..
but it's not so bad.
The final verdict?
It's really not bad.
Aaron thinks it tastes like a mix of honeydew and avocado. He likes it and would eat it again if it weren't for all the work you need to put in to eat it! I don't think it's yummy or gross. It did get better the more I ate. To me, it tastes like unripe cantaloupe. I would eat it again, but only to test if maybe I like it more or less under different conditions.
We think one reason it wasn't so bad maybe have been because it was partially frozen. At room temperature, we think it would be much worse. Some portions of the durian we had were defrosting and seemed a little more pungent in taste and smell. We saved a little of it and plan on trying it a few different ways, i.e. room temperature and in a smoothie! We'll see how that goes.
In the end, though, the fury in the durian caught up with me.
*side note: I asked Aaron for a few Title suggestions, and he came up with:
- The Beast from the East
- The Stink from the Chink
- Spiky on the Outside, Stink and Creamy on the Inside
- The Good, the Bad, and the DURIAN
