Durian - the King of Fruit.
The most well-known, and notorious, fruit on the Singapore horizon has to be the Durian.
Called the King of Fruit - and the Fruit of Kings - the Durian is famous for its pungent taste and smell.
So smelly is it that when approaching a Durian Stall the pong hits you from about fifty yards away...if you are downwind, make that a hundred.
So bad can the aroma be that Durians are banned on buses, in trains and in most hotels. Many of the latter having paid the price for allowing guests to have a Durian party in their rooms and been unable to get rid of the smell thereafter...in many cases having to fumigate then redecorate the rooms.
The fruit though has many fans. If you are one (I'm not - hate it...) take yourself down to the raunchy suburb of Geylang one evening (MRT to Kallang Station - walk along Sims Avenue in the direction the buses are moving) settle down at any of the outdoor tables between Lorong 11 and Loring 21...and munch away to your heart's content.
Some long time ago (and keen to sample everything Singapore had to offer) I went to a Durian stall with friends and watched them pick and prod the spiky fruit, before smelling it - the last check on quality - a chosing the perfect offering.
Ever the immediate integrator I did the same...which went well until I stuck my nose into the outer layer of the fruit.
The spikes pierced the skin and I ended up with a nose and face covered in blood. Enough already! I felt a real idiot...
‘It takes all sorts...' though. So if you are a Durian fan - or daring enough to try the famous fruit - off you go. Enjoy ... but, as the boy scouts say ...
‘Be prepared...'