as @BobC indicated, some folks need to transform into a chameleon, shooting out a foot-long tongue to be able to taste without getting a whiff lol
young green coconuts are probably the closest thing i could think of. Technically not the fruit we are eating when eating coconuts, but actually the seed. But then again, the flesh that we eat when eating durian is also part of the seed(aril). Anyway, the flesh of very young/immature coconuts are unbelievably sweet(no need to add sugar!), and also relatively high in fat. It is at that stage when the sugars haven’t been transformed into coconut oil, or just starting to.
sadly though, the sweetness wanes with storage, so the green coconuts shipped from the tropics to usa aren’t as sweet as when butchered straight from the palm tree. Something other than durian(and all manner of tropical fruits)you’d definitely get to enjoy when you move to hawaii
rhetorical question
it is a sundae i can have monday thru saturday, haha
of course had avocado ice cream as well, which is quite a staple in the philippine isles
I used to not like durian when I was younger. It was the smell that turned me off. One day, my mom somehow convinced me to try some, and I never looked back. The flavor and texture are luxurious. I go out of my way to find durian when I go visit family or vacation in southeast Asia. I was annoyed when I stayed in Bangkok, because eating it in public was forbidden in some places. Bringing it on the subway and skytrain was a no go too. My taxi driver freaked out when he found out a had a durian in my bags. Thankfully, in Viet Nam the rules are much more lenient as in they are lacking. Here are a bunch just laying on the sidewalk up the street from my grandma’s house.
Here I am during my school days at a durian orchard. I make sure not to stand directly beneath the fruit when I go to the orchards. It isn’t just the smell that’ll kill you. Death by durian does happen!
Yup, never stand directly under a durian tree that has fruit on it. You never know when one will fall. Better safe than sorry.
In general, eating durians in any enclosed, air conditioned is a nobgobexcept in your own home. There are plenty of people who cannot stand the smell. My niece’s husband has to eat it on his front porch because my niece (inside with door and windows closed) can’t stand the smell. The poor guy.
Seriously, they will probably never be my thing. They’re intensely sweet and fragrant, but a lot of that fragrant is “rotten onions, if you pooped on them.”
That said, their flavor powers through. I made an EXCELLENT durian liqueur (said by friends from Indonesia and Singapore) adding a bunch of pulp to high-proof rum, steeping for a month, and filtering. Durian popsicles and other products are easy to find in Asian markets. I get why they are popular, but I really don’t see myself becoming a fan. If you ARE, liqueur might be a fun place to try extending your durian skills, since it is so easy…
Monthong (gold pillow) is still the most popular and very expensive durian variety in Thailand after all these years. Your have a tree of gold on your land.