Since deciding that durian does not belong in ice cream, I’ve seen many other food groups that have been invaded by the fruit. I’ve been curious but afraid. I remember the conflict of my senses: it smells like onion, it initially tastes like onion and it’s creamy. There’s a tiny bit of sweet toward the end. The burp aftermath can be deadly.
One last chance
We met new friends from abroad one day and took them to Pizza Hut. Their daughter is having a tough time adjusting to local cuisine so we thought a little familiarity would be nice for her and them. She ordered a small pepperoni and I was so happy that she was going to enjoy a meal from home.
Kim and Aubrie shared a Hawaiian. My favorite. I could have easily given in and shared it with them because I love ham and pineapple. Apparently there are two camps on this combination: some people love Hawaiian pizza and other people are just wrong. They think pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza. I know it does. But what about durian? If it doesn’t belong in ice cream, maybe pizza would be a good fit.
Remember when I said sometimes I’m wrong?
The first bite wasn’t bad. No, let me rephrase. While I was bringing the first bite to my mouth, before it entered my face, it wasn’t bad. I could smell the onion-y smell and I was imagining the creamy texture mingling with the sauce and the cheese in a delicious marriage of taste.
I bit into the slice. There was blissful cheese. There was poofy crust. And there was durian. Super strong, creamy onion. So strong. It wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. I actually regretted ordering an entire pizza with the fruit but at least it was only a personal size. I knew I would have burps later so I tried to eat around the durian. Unfortunately it was also under the cheese. It was everywhere. I ate what I could and thankfully Kim and Aubrie didn’t finish their pie. I was able to cleanse my palette with a slice of Hawaiian. I know I will not order durian on pizza again. Or anything else with it.
But I might try it raw. Just once. There’s a cart on the street that sells it. They cut it for you. And it smells good! Sometimes.