I was excited the moment I saw the words “Vietnam” printed on the label. This was in the USA, and the durian was frozen, and it was sitting innocently between two packages of Thai durian pretending that the USA has always had choices when it comes to to durian. As I picked up the package […]
Vietnamese Durian at Fubonn Asian Shopping Center | Portland Oregon
To be honest, I was not impressed by Fubonn’s claim to be the largest Asian Shopping Center in Oregon. This is Oregon. Being the largest anything (except, perhaps, a tree) is not a particularly difficult feat. What impressed me was that an Asian Shopping Center exists at all in Oregon. It was described as a […]
Why Rob Isn’t Doing Durian Anymore
“She said it was either me or the durian,” a friend said years ago, pausing to let us laugh. “And I picked the durian.” He laughed too, so I’m pretty sure he meant it to be funny. But I wonder. Sometimes I feel haunted by those words. I sometimes feel guilty for writing this blog. […]
Raw Vegan Durian Mooncakes
Over the weekend I posted some traditionally untraditional Halloween snowskin mooncakes made with rice flour and stuffed with delicious durian. But I have issues with rice. It’s not just that I’m morally opposed to rice for because global warming (stop blaming cows: it’s rice) or that white rice is basically devoid of nutrients. I personally […]
Join Me To Learn Hokkien: A Language of (Malaysian) Durian Sellers
Early in our travels, I figured out that learning even a few words of the local language makes things so much easier. I could tell the vendor that I like my durian very ripe. That I don’t like sweet durians, so please don’t open one and expect me to buy it because that’s just an […]
Fresh Durian at Hawaii Supermarket in San Gabriel | Los Angeles, USA
In 2013 I was invited to a party. I needed something to bring some food contribution, and with little other choice (what else would I bring to a party? Casserole?) I decided to explore further afield in Los Angeles for better sources of durian. This episode is brought to you now because Hawaii Supermarket now […]
Rayong Durian Festival and Taphong Fruit Market
The province of Rayong doesn’t get enough durian credit, and in particular Rayong’s Fruit Festival. It’ the province just next door to Chanthaburi, Thailand’s attention-hogging durian capital, yet Rayong is the second largest durian producer of durian in Thailand and put on a festival that was, in my opinion, better than anything I’ve seen in […]
Announcing Our 2015 Group Tour
Sometimes, this blog doesn’t share the experience enough. I try to take good photos. I try to write awesome descriptions of durians. But I know in my heart that it’s a flat, 2-dimensional representation of a magical, overwhelming sensory experience. So often Rob and I talk about you, our wonderful readers, as we munch our […]
10 Most Popular Posts of 2014
Happy New Year! I can’t believe that we are closing our third year Year of Durians. Strangely, as I write these words I am sitting in the exact same room of the same hotel that Rob and I stayed in our first night in Malaysia, before this blog was born or we’d eaten our first […]
10 Most Delicious Durians of 2014
It’s been another year of durians, guys. Time is passing so quickly I’m worried I’m going to wake up tomorrow and find myself 90 years old with high blood pressure (which means I couldn’t pound durian. Oh no!) Where’d the time go this year? If my photos are any clue, we spent a lot […]
Red Durian Tempoyak, a Traditional Dish From Sabah (Recipe Included) | Kota Kinabatangan
The bus from Ranau dropped Jess and me off at Medan Selera, a small food court in Kota Kinabatangan on the east coast of Sabah. We were on our way to the Kinabatangan Nature Lodge, to see orangutans and elephants and all the beautiful wildlife that people come to Borneo to see. But we immediately […]
What Is Tempoyak? | Recipes
If fresh durian is said to smell like putrid flesh, overripe armpits, and fermented gym socks, can you imagine what it smells like fermented? Or what it tastes like? Fermented durian, or tempoyak, is a traditional condiment in Malaysia and Indonesia often mixed with coconut milk curries or pounded with chilies into a spicy dip. […]
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