Durians in Austin!!!!!!!!! (Houston, Anthony, Mart: prices, shop, public transportation)

[verybadgnome]

I'm so happy! They are not fresh but rather frozen whole Durians at MT Market in Chinatown on North Lamar. Looks like they are from Thailand and are between 4 and 6 lbs. at $1.29/lb. Dense and thorny suckers they are too!

I left one in my car trunk and came back to a rather musty smell, but I think that is a good sign. Any other Durian lovers here?

[edubya]

I've been wanting to try one since seeing Andrew Zimmern choke on durian. His description made them sound pretty disgusting. What's your take on the taste?

[G Grasshopper]

What is a durian?

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by edubya

I've been wanting to try one since seeing Andrew Zimmern choke on durian. His description made them sound pretty disgusting. What's your take on the taste?

Texture is creamy and pasty like an avocado. Taste is melon-like with custard and onion flavors. There is a mustiness to the taste as well as the smell.

[edubya]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

Texture is creamy and pasty like an avocado. Taste is melon-like with custard and onion flavors. There is a mustiness to the taste as well as the smell.

That doesn't sound bad at all. A little odd, perhaps, but that's the fun, right?

[edubya]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

What is a durian?

A kind of fruit grown in southeast Asia.

[belliot30]

FYI, Durians are well known for their terrible smell. They are considered tasty in places like Singapore but they definitely have a strong odor. A friend of mine who traveled there said they even have signs saying that no durians are allowed on public transportation.

[Blackfield]

I grew up in South East Asia, so I have durian since I was a kid. Even there, not everybody loves it.
Most people cannot even stand the smell, the taste is unlike any fruit that you ever taste before. Only the most adventurous person should try it.

Anthony Bourdain loves it when he stopped by in Indonesia. I will let him describes the taste.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PNmuExjlEM

I notice that he does not know how to open the fruit properly.

I personally love it!!
One day, I brought a durian wafer cake to my office for my coworkers to try. It caused a little havoc, as most people could not stand the smell. This is NOT even the real durian.
One of my coworkers described it that it smells like a poop. . None of them dared to try it.

You can find Durian smoothie in Houston, I have not found one here in Austin.

[hinke]

MT Market is great! We were there for the first time last weekend. We love Thai food, so we stocked up on a few favorites and saved quite a bit of money. For example, they have coconut milk for 89 cents, we normally pay $1.39 at HEB or WalMart.

The lemongrass, Basil and cilantro prices were much cheaper than the other stores. Also, the Thai curry paste was very cheap. I paid twice as much for half the size at World Market.

Check it out, it nothing else, it is good for culture shock. It feels like you have left Austin for Asia.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by hinke

MT Market is great! We were there for the first time last weekend. We love Thai food, so we stocked up on a few favorites and saved quite a bit of money. For example, they have coconut milk for 89 cents, we normally pay $1.39 at HEB or WalMart.

The lemongrass, Basil and cilantro prices were much cheaper than the other stores. Also, the Thai curry paste was very cheap. I paid twice as much for half the size at World Market.

Check it out, it nothing else, it is good for culture shock. It feels like you have left Austin for Asia.

The only thing I hate about MT Market is that they sell shark fin's soup...... Talk about cruel, unusual and wasteful fishing.........I mean could imagine a deer hunter in Texas felling a doe and then proceeding to cut off its legs and leaving the rest to rot?

They also have Durian pre-sliced, frozen and wrapped inside a plastic box. I had the same brand in Sydney and it didn't stink too bad.