Jin Sun Enjoys Her First Durian

It is banned from many hotels and airlines (and illegal in public places in Singapore), but durian lovers are convinced that, like fine French cheeses, the worse the smell, the better the taste.

Here are some of the ways that the smell of Durian has been described:

* Fermented onions
* Overripe cheese.
* Rotting fish.
* Unwashed socks.
* A city dump on a hot summer day.
* Historians report that Sir Stamford Raffles, who established Singapore as a British trading post in 1819, held his nose and ran in the other direction if he caught even a whiff of the dreaded fruit.
* Another former British governor likened the stench to carrion in custard.

Biologists believe that the bad smell attracts jungle animals to eat the fruit, thus facilitating seed dispersal.

Here are some other food pics from Bangkok...tasty.