Durian: Delicious or Disgusting?

I've referenced the durian off-handedly a few times since arriving in Singapore but until yesterday had yet to try one. Known for its formidable odor, the durian is one of those things most people either love or hate. Here's the picture available from Wikipedia:


My colleague Christina loves durians and she promised to pick out a "good one" for me to try. Always so thoughtful, she brought me one on Sunday and here's a look at my first taste.

Ok, so I wouldn't go far as to say that I hated it but I didn't eat any more than that first bite. What I DID hate was the resulting smell in my apartment. I'm sure you noticed that I tried my first taste at the pool. That's because they're so ridiculously odoriferous that I did not want to open it in my home. Despite the fact that the durian was in a styrofoam clamshell wrapped in Saran Wrap and a plastic bag and behind the closed door of my fridge, it STILL smelled up the place. Brian had enough and said, let's get this thing out of here ASAP, so that's when we went to the pool. Luckily the smell is almost gone now, thanks to a little baking soda and an air freshener.

Brian declined to try the durian. Wonder why?

BTW Brian left this morning (boo) and is somewhere between Tokyo and SF right now. Sad to see him go, we had such a great trip, but I'll be home in 18 days. Jen arrives Thursday and I'm looking forward to her visit so much!