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The durian is a light green, spiny, melon-like fruit from southeast Asia that has delicate, creamy, bittersweet golden flesh and an unforgettable odor. One writer likens it to: "overripe cheese. Rotting fish. Unwashed socks. A city dump on a hot summer's day... carrion in custard." The mystique of the stinky yet delicious durian is legendary among travelers to tropical Asia, and has inspired enough web pages to warrant a unique Fruit > Durian category in the Yahoo! directory. There we found the estimable Durian OnLine, believed to be the Internet's first
site dedicated to durians. We learned that durians are a favorite of orangutans and monkeys, are pollinated by bats and ants, and are cared for by agile workers who climb high into the canopy of the durian tree (Durio zibethinus Murr) to remove parasites. They're harvested after the fruit has fallen, since that's the best way to be sure the fruit is ripe. Harvesters must take care to avoid falling durians. We tried to locate a news story like the one you mention but had no luck. Although the durian smell is repellent, even sickening, to the uninitiated, we couldn't find an explanation for the sickness you describe. Unless the boys were drinking... An article about "Exotic
Asian Fruit" from Orient Magazine refers to "a commonly held belief ... that drinking alcoholic beverages after eating durian can cause illness or death." A page titled Durian Talk from the Bao Sheng Durian Farm in Malaysia also mentions the taboo against mixing alcohol and durians. Here's their explanation: "The flesh of the durian is rich in protein and when high protein mixes with alcohol it becomes yeast. You will feel uncomfortable and you may need to visit a doctor then." We also found a recent column in Singapore's Straits Times titled "Puff but don't inhale" which reviews the best durian cream puffs in Singapore. Now
there's a tasting project that might lead to a tummy ache...
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