287512 Sat Aug 18 17:51:07 -0700 2001 9 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1546897 On another board Jim (Alpha Dog) referred to Durian milkshakes. I have read some things about durian and have seen the frozen fruits in Asian markets. Not wanting to tackle a whole fruit, I have sometimes been tempted to order a durian milkshake for dessert at a restaurant that offers them. Should I? Do they taste good? Would my friends throw me out of the car on the ride home? Sat Aug 18 17:51:07 -0700 2001 0 e.d. 1 1546903 I should think that Durian in prepared form like a shake shouldn't stink. I've never tasted it, but people describe the flesh as creamy and tasty. Let me know what you think. However, if your covered a ripening durial fruit with orange blossoms and rose petals, it would smell almost as good as a rotting corpse. I remeber my first whiff of it -- walking through a night market in Hong Kong. The whole market stank something fierce - like a mass exhumation was taking place nearby. A friend told me the next day what it was and I quickly learned why many airlines forbid bringing it on board. Sun Aug 19 12:56:24 -0700 2001 1546897 0 Uncledave 2 1546909 Thanks for the response. Yeh, I'd read that they smell like s**t. I've also heard that if you eat one, your breath smells like that corpse also. I'd hate to have a durian milkshake and then have to stay in quarantine from humans for a day or two. As a chowdog I'd like to try one (I eat almost everything), but I have few enough friends as is. Sun Aug 19 19:27:53 -0700 2001 1546903 0 e.d. 1 1546912 You'll find them in southeast asian places specializing in juices and shakes. I have no NYC suggestions for you, but this wouldn't be the board for 'em anyway (ask on the correct regional board and I'm sure you'll get a savvy tip). The flavor of durian doesn't require lots of tortured descriptors. it's simple: sulphur (a.k.a. rotten eggs). And there's no reason it'd be milder in a shake, except that the fruit's cut with some milk and sugar. I kind of like durian shakes, but can't drink it in quantity. A little dab'll do yuh. Sun Aug 19 23:58:23 -0700 2001 1546897 0 Jim Leff 2 1546918 I don't doubt that sulphur is the biggest contributor to Durian fruit's odor, but for those who haven't smelled it, there's more to it than that familar sulphur smell. The sulphur one smells near a Hot Spring or in chemistry class is pleasant compared to Durian. Sulphur = rotten egg. Durian = rotting corpse I've always wondered who the first person was who decided to eat one. "Holy Budda! Hey, Nget, was that you? Man, that was a Wat clearer!" "No, it seems to be coming from over there." After four mile walk... "Phew, there it is! Now that is the FOULEST thing I've ever sniffed." "What do you think it is, a dead monkey? Elephant dung?" "Not sure, but all that walking made me hungry. Darn, I forgot to bring that taro pudding..." Mon Aug 20 08:26:01 -0700 2001 1546912 0 Uncledave 3 1546927 Where they serve Durian Milkshakes (at Vietnamese restaurants), they also likely serve Avacado Milkshakes. Try that instead. It's delicious. The durian fruit does smell- but not that bad. The fruit in it's shell does make a good weapon though.... Mon Aug 20 11:46:49 -0700 2001 1546918 0 fatboy 4 1546954 I had avocado milkshake in a Vietnamese restaurant for the first time in Chicago this summer. It's become a new item on the crave list. Are they available in NYC? Mon Aug 20 19:51:13 -0700 2001 1546927 0 HLing 5 1546958 I've seen avacado milkshakes at most authentic Vietnamese restaurants. Especially at those that serve Pho (noodle soup). I haven't been to NYC but I would be very surprised if you couldn't find it there. I usually go to Boston to eat Vietnamese food and always order a shake for the ride home. Mon Aug 20 21:56:04 -0700 2001 1546954 0 fatboy 6 1546964 The thing is I don't remember ever seeing it on the menu of, say, Pho Bang, in any of its locations.... Avocado milkshake restores the chili burnt palate back to new in a sip; works even better than a Indian Lassi! Tue Aug 21 00:00:12 -0700 2001 1546958 0 HLing 1 1546925 I don't know what the deal is with durian bashing. They taste kind of like a spicy banana, but it is true that they have a...uh...distinctive and unique odor. They don't smell anything like a rotting corpse, though. Believe me, I grew up on a farm, and you'd rather be in a crate of durians than anywhere in a half-mile radius of a dead cow that's been lying the sun for four days. I may be slightly biased, since I have friends from the Philippines, and they turned me on to the idea of durian before I was ever in the presence of one. Apparently, there is nothing like fresh durian, and you can only get it frozen here. Perhaps the uninitiated should just put a clothespin on their noses and enjoy. Mon Aug 20 11:07:02 -0700 2001 1546897 0 sam stevens