On My Arrival In Batavia One Of My First Trips Had Been To The Market To Buy A Durian, Which I Brought To The Hotel With Anticipation Of Great Enjoyment. My Disappointment Was Great, Its Taste Being To Me As Offensive As Its Odour.

Nobody knows what a durian is like until he eats one that has been permitted to ripen and fall to the ground.

Even in Java this would be difficult, unless one made special arrangements with the natives who bring them to the market-places. It is popularly supposed that the durian is an aphrodisiac, but that is not the case. Any food or fruit that one greatly enjoys acts favourably on the digestive organs, and therefore makes one feel in vigorous condition.

Those that were brought to me on this occasion, and which had just fallen from the tree, were of a fresh green colour with a streak of yellow here and there and had a pleasant, rich odour. The most satisfactory way to eat it is with a spoon; the pulp, though rich, is not heavy, and, moreover, is stimulating. It serves the purpose of a dessert, with a flavour and delicacy that is indescribable and that makes one feel happy. Among the great enjoyments of life are the various delicious fruits when really ripe and of the best grade, but comparatively few people have that experience. The vast majority are perfectly satisfied to eat fruit that was picked green and matured afterward. Many years ago I tasted a real orange from New-South-Wales, and ever since I have disdained the more acid kind.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 279 of 489
Words from 74397 to 74666 of 132281