Durian - a controversial fruit for good reason :)

We attended a wedding in KL, Malaysia.  After the wedding, my uncle took us to eat durian at a roadside stall...
The durian is known as the 'King of Fruits' in SE Asia but for many foreigners, it is a very stinky fruit indeed. I won't post the picture of Mr Bok's disgust but it was very funny.  When my sister visits Malaysia during durian season, she stays in the car! whilst her husband sits and eats it, so bad is the smell to some...but if you don't eat it, you're not a true Malaysian!

Heehee inside our rental car it tells us 1 day's extra rental will be charged 'if this vehicle pervades with pungent smell of durians' LOL!!  You will find No Durian signs all throughout Malaysia, on shopping centres, hotels, hair salons, doctor surgeries, hospitals...just about everywhere really  :)

It is a very 'heaty' food so it's not good to eat too much of it...you should drink water out of the husk of the durian to 'cool' your body down afterwards.

I found the image above on the internet, it is of durians growing on a tree - do you know they wear hard hats as protection when working in a durian orchard.  Reason is obvious really. 

Miss Bok took one whiff and refused to eat it so she settled for coconuts and mangosteen instead (one of my favourite fruits)

Mangosteen - yummy

Remnants of the durian husks at the stall afterwards

The other fruit we eat a lot of here and love - dragonfruit, rumbutan, jambu (green guava...?) and rose guava

I forgot to mention.  The night we arrived in KL, we were stuck at a police blockade for 4 hours.  The government blocked off KL because they were afraid of a protest calling for fair and transparent elections that was going to occur the next day. Protests are rare and illegal in Malaysia.

 

Peaceful protesters - very sad that the government responded so badly with teargas and water cannon. They prepared with busloads of police as you can see on the right. There was no need for that.  I am reminded again that I am so lucky to reside in a democratic nation.

It was really good being in KL to visit family.  Especially my one remaining grandparent.  She loves durian.  I tolerate it just to make her happy and prove I am Malaysian inside somewhere...even if I've lived abroad my whole life.

 

My gorgeous 90 year old grandma.  I hope I look as good as my grandma when I'm her age (me on the right) - actually wait, I hope I'm healthy enough in body, spirit and mind as she is at her age!