Last night I was out downtown, and decided to walk into one of the Asian grocery stores I've been meaning to visit. I ran out of instant
ramen packets a while ago, and have been meaning to stock up again.
In the corner of the store sat a pile of
Durians that were obviously not the hot ticket item of the store. Anyone that
Really knows me knows that I
Love Durian (and was quite amused to find it in Norway). Normally I wouldn't pick up the fruit on my own, especially since taking it home on the bus requires subjecting the masses to the horrors of the smell, and it can be quite heavy to eat an entire fruit all on ones own. However, the smell in the store really wasn't all that pungent (in my biased opinion), and I was feeling significantly nostalgic enough to decide that maybe I could risk it.
So I purchased the smallest
Durian I could find, and proceeded to wrap it in a few plastic bags before walking out of the store. The friend I was with claimed to be nauseous all the way up till we parted ways at the train station. Despite the plastic bags the smell still wafted up into the air.
When I got home I walked straight into my apartment and then out again onto the balcony and opened the fruit half outside, half inside (it's quite cold and rainy outside these days). My roommates were half fascinated, half horrified by the smell, and fled in disgust. I commented that it's a good thing my boyfriend is out of town all week -- there is just no way I could subject him to
Durians right now. I then ate the fruit in my bedroom, with the windows opened, and after finishing, soaked the dishes in hot soapy water, bundled up every bit of remaining
Durian and took it down to the dumpster, and then sprayed down the apartment with deodorising spray. I could still smell the smell in the air when I went to bed a few hours later.
I like to think that you can distinguish a real Asian person by whether or not he/she can withstand the smell of a
Durian. I have also promised my roommates that the next time I decide to purchase a
Durian it will be during the summer, when I can be outside and open all the windows without fear of cold.
The Norwegians use the word "
sterk" (which means Strong) to describe intense spice or smell. So, "the
chili sauce was very
sterk" implies that the
chili sauce was very hot (spicy), whereas, "your perfume smells very strong" implies that the scent is overpowering. I warned my roommates in advance that the smell of the
Durian would be very strong.
Birte said she appreciated the advance warning. :)
Labels: Durian
