Days with Durian

Do you know what is durian? Have you tried one? Durian is a fruit from Southeast Asia. It is called the “King of Fruits”. Thailand has many good and famous durian. Durian is huge. It is usually about 5 lbs. The shell is green, brown, hard and spiky. You really don’t want to be hit by it. It will injury you badly. It is definitely worst than a pineapple.

Durian is one of those food that you either really like or really hate. The odor of the fruit is the most distinctive. To people who don’t like durian, the smell can be pungent. Bryan said that it is like the smell of socks or old meat. To me, as a lover, I think that is the smell of heaven. The edible part of durian is the inside. The meat is yellow and white. It is very creamy and sweet. Bryan described the flavor as “fruity, mild, with a hint of old meat on the finish”. Hahaha…. I don’t agree with that, but as I said, you either like it or not. It is up to you.

When I was little, I went to the market with my parents. It is very interesting to see my mom buying durian. The shopkeeper would put on his thick gloves. He would hit the shell real hard with his special round knife. After a few hit, he would peel the shell, but leave the whole fruit intact. At last, he would wrap the durian with a few layers of newspapers and put it in a plastic bag. Once we got home, my dad would open the fruit and take out all the delicious goodies.

After I came to Los Angeles, I haven’t had many durian. Of course, you can’t find them in local supermarket. In some Chinese supermarkets, you can find the whole frozen durian or a package of frozen durian meat, and occasionally, you can find the fresh whole durian. I haven’t bought any fresh one yet. If I have bought it, I wouldn’t know how to open it.

But I have tried those frozen packages of durian meat. They were good. However, the smell is strong. Once I have opened the package, the whole house is filled with the odor of durian. When I kept them in the fridge, I have wrapped them with layers of ziploc bags and boxes. The smell just stayed in the fridge and the house. One time, I used a plastic box which was used to store durians for Bryan’s lunch by accident. Bryan complained that his lunch smelled like durian that day. I promised that I wouldn’t do that again. Hahaha….

These few days, Bryan is out of town for a business trip. It is just the perfect time for me to enjoy my durian. Hopefully, the house won’t smell like durian when Bryan comes home.

Where can you buy this frozen package durian?

Shun Fat Supermarket (1635 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776)

There is a freezer in the fruit and vegetable section. The whole freezer is filled with the durian packages.