A family member managed to procure a durian over the weekend. Two knowledgeable friends introduced him to the art of hacking into the spikiness, and extracting the custardy insides. He was so enthused that he called me while eating.

I have read so much about durian over the years, how the taste can be a combination of several things not usually experienced simultaneously. When I finally bought one some time ago, it sat on the dining table as more of a curiosity than a food object. It wasted away, and by the time it began splitting open on its own, the lifeforce had departed.

So when the moment came to actually sample durian that looked like photos I’d seen - big lobes of pale yellow, creamy flesh - it was anticlimatic. Lovely and subtle, somewhat reminiscent of onion, but in a good way.

This weekend, when another family member shows up, no doubt there will be another durian. Maybe this time, my pictures of one will actually come out okay.