Sexy China: Strange Fruit
Filed under: Deserving - June 6, 2008 @ 1:00 pmWhile in China I got to try a few different tropical fruits for the first time.
1. Red pitaya, or dragon fruit. I called this one “dragon fruit” before I even knew that was its nickname. It looks like something out of Harry Potter - all big and red and green and ruffly, and then inside it’s white with tiny black seeds you can eat. So sweet and subtle.
2. Durian, or King of Fruits. This bad fucker can weigh up to 7 lbs. If you walk by them in the market, you can smell their funk. They STINK. People either love ‘em or hate ‘em. I decided to find out where I stood, so I bought a slice and took it back to the room. The bag STANK. God what does it smell like? Hard to describe. Decaying flesh? Putrid garbage? An ogre’s armpit? The smell is so hardcore the fruit is banned in some public places. Its flesh is light yellow and has a custard-like consistency. And it’s sweet and good! As I ate it I didn’t even notice the bad smell. I liked it just fine. Wonder if I smelled like it later.
3. Mangosteen, or Queen of Fruits. This little plum-like gem = goddess food, ambrosia, heavenly. Doesn’t it look like a baby monkey brain? The flesh inside is glistening white and SO sweet and citrusy and peachy. I ate six in a row. My favorite fruit used to be the starfruit. Now it’s this one. I want to have a lesbian love affair with it. Omigod I’m getting all fruity wet just thinking about it. I think they are really hard to come by in the states. Wah!
June 6th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Beautiful descriptions, there is really nothing like a food orgasm, I have them all the time!
June 6th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Well… not knowing what monkey brains look like, I couldn’t say. Gotta love strange fruit, though.
June 7th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I see them all year round here in Malaysia and I must say that your descriptions of them are awesome!
hahah, the durian, the hardcore fucker!
Don’t like dragon fruit much tho.
June 7th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Kevin, May I ask where you are in Malaysia? I lived in Johor Baharu for three years.
My in-laws used to say that Durian “Smells like Hell, but tastes like Heaven.” I replied (after tasting it) that it, “Smells like Hell and tastes like Shit!”
My wife loved it, but I could never acquire the taste.
June 8th, 2008 at 12:07 am
What about the “Stange Fruit” hanging from the Poplar Trees?
June 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I’m from Petaling Jaya, Selangor. So nice to hear that you’ve been here before!
Durian really isn’t for everyone! I’m not really into it either even though it is kind of our ‘national fruit’ here.
Maybe you should take TBK to Malaysia for a trip sometime!
June 8th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I plan to bring both Beautiful and Belle to Malaysia some day. Unfortunately, that trip also involves meeting my dead wife’s parents. The in-laws aren’t quite ready for that yet.
June 9th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/slinks/from-the-kitchn-mangosteens-now-available-in-the-us-052872
Go buy yourself some mangosteens