Guy Betsy

Have YOU smelt a durian? All airlines ban the carriage of this fruit no matter how well you pack it! But honestly, this fruit and it's snacks can be found in major city's Chinatowns.

relangford

A little OT, but I (ignorantly) had never heard of the durian. On my first trip to Malaysia, my hotel had a sign "No durians allowed". I wondered if it were racial. Upon being told about the fruit (and given a bite to eat), I had an indelible memory of the durian. Years later, when I lived in China, our local Carefor started selling them; you could smell them well before getting to the fruit department!
Recently, the questions asked for checking on Global Entry have changed from "fruits, meats, and vegetables" to "all foods". I wouldn't try to bring a durian back.

Guy Betsy

Yes i wonder why people attempt to bring them back to their countries. Most large cities' Chinatowns usually have them - but frozen - in supermarkets. They are still as good as fresh ones once they are thawed. And they retain their pungent smell too !

tentseller

I beg to differ. I would not eat thawed frozen durian. I am not the only one.

SQ319

+1, especially one which have travelled thousand of miles and kept frozen for several days.

tentseller

IF you are lucky. If not it could be weeks or months.

lcpteck

I'm glad we can get fresh durian here.

tentseller

HK is not a problem anymore.

When I was in Toronto I had to pre-pay to get my name on one out of batches that is freshly flown in bi-weekly. It is usually a 2-3 month order ahead.

AirCanada881

Is Durian that good? I am in SIN for the first time in November and it's the first thing I'm planning on eating once I land!! Unless SQ serves some on board hehe

relangford

Smells terrible; tastes sweet and OK. Try taking a bite while holding your nose; it tastes fine. Just be careful about opening your nose.

Guy Betsy

Smells terrible for most.. except to those who are born in South East Asia, or as one caucasian friend who loves it, says he must have been in Asia on a past life to enjoy this.

To those who love it, it does not smell bad. I know its sort of weird that for many who don't know it, it smells like something the cat dragged in from under the tree after it has been festering t here for months. Or dirty socks. Or the sewer. But for those who do, its a very distinctive smell that has a pungent heavy smell which means that if you eat it in a room, the smell stays in the room even if you keep the doors open! The smell is unique and not at all pungent. No, even those who like durian will not say that the sewer smells nice.

Its really hard to explain really. I like durian but I won't go out of my way to eat it unlike some of my friends who dedicate their lives to waiting for the durian season to come just like for people waiting for the Super Bowl season.

TennisNoob

So I tried to transport a Durian back from California (usa) to Texas but I ended up just eating it raw while it was in California. In my rental trunk of course due to the fact I can't eat it anywhere.

What is the best possible way to transport the durian? I thought all else would be okay if it was in the luggage but we left the Durain in the car overnight (while in the hotel's valet parking). I'm sure the valet parking person was really joyful smelling the Durian when he went to pull the car..........

robyng

Don't know about anyone else. But - when we clear customs in the US - our baggage is usually "searched" by dogs. They're sniffing for drugs - but will probably also detect things like fruit. Because of agricultural interests - importing things like fruit is often a big no-no. And - best I can figure out - durian imported from Singapore is on the "no-no" list:

https://epermits.aphis.usda.gov/manu...mmSummCountryP

I don't want to be responsible for bringing any pests into the US that can destroy crops where I live. Especially since - if I want to buy durian - it's readily available at my local oriental grocery store. Robyn