There are some things in life we either love or hate.
Three examples are pets, Kanye West, and durian.
To some, durian is a delectable mouthful of creamy goodness. To others, it’s like eating garbage wrapped in a fart.
For one Japanese woman, it’s clearly the former.
The woman, known as iChang on Youtube, tried durian while on a trip to Malaysia and instantly became an addict.
The problem is that she lives in Hong Kong, where durian is either too expensive or not as easily available.
iChang posted a video on YouTube of her scouring the streets of Hong Kong in search of the spiky fruit.
She found that the fruit was much more expensive in Hong Kong, with prices ranging from HK$65 to HK$140 per pound.
That’s around S$11 to S$24 for under half a kilogram in Singapore.
She first tried a durian-flavoured snack from a 7-11 but found it underwhelming.
She then began her search for durian, visiting several durian stalls on the streets of Hong Kong.
Though they were all expensive, she finally caved and bought one despite the high price.
But even before opening up the fruit, she had doubts about its freshness.
She cited its wobbly stem and gooey flesh as a sign that it’s old or stale.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she tried the fruit.
iChang’s expression was one of frustrated disappointment.
She added that while it was tasty as a fruit, it was nowhere near as good as the ones she had in Penang. She also called the durian she had in Malaysia the “real” durian.
It’s a bit like having Singaporean food abroad; it’ll never be as good or authentic as the food back home.
We Singaporeans should appreciate the fact that we have a steady supply of durians from Malaysia, which is why they are tasty and affordable.
In a comment, iChang later added: “Durian always makes me happy!”. That’s something most of us can certainly relate to, whether we live in Singapore, Malaysia, or Hong Kong.
