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(Matt) Throughout South East Asia a big green thorny fruit know as Durian is considered to be the 'King of the Fruit'. Durian lovers consider the fleshy inner seeds as a delicacy to be savoured. After months of putting it off, we eventually tried it on our last day in Singapore (which was also our last day in Asia) and it made us feel a bit sick. The texture is like raw chicken, it smells like cheesy feet and the worst thing is that when it repeats on you (and it's reknowned for doing so!) the smell intensifies. For me the taste which I thought was quite bland couldn't overcome these negative aspects. A well known saying in Asia is that Durian
'tastes like heaven and smells like hell', the smell is so bad that many Asian hotels ban it and in Singapore you're not allowed to eat it on the underground train system!
In contrast to westerners general dislike of Durian, the opposite is true of the Merlion (half lion, half mermaid), this 9 metre high statue is the symbol of the Singapore Tourism Board. It is loved by tourists and detested by locals. Many see it as a
terrible visual cliché for representing Singapore. It does look a bit like something from a Disney cartoon. It probably says something that a brand new building opposite the Merlion is loved... it looks suspiciously like a certain foul smelling fruit!
In my opinion one of the best reasons for visiting Singapore is to visit the birthplace of the Singapore Sling. We went for drinks at the Raffles Hotel Long Bar the place where the Singapore Sling was invented (
Original Recipe). We were quickly drawn into the pleasant colonial surroundings of this fantastic place. We loved the mechanical ceiling fans, dark wood, low lighting, live band and the crunch of monkey nut shells that for some reason everyone throws on the floor. It was slightly dissappointing that at 10 quid a go the famous Singapore Sling was on tap! You had to be eagle eyed as it was poured into a cocktail shaker. However, this didn't take anything away from the taste or from the ambience.
Singapore is a brilliant place to spend a few days, as long as you spend most of it in the extensive air conditioned subways, malls and buildings. I'd also advise staying away from the
King of Fruit especially if you want to keep your friends!
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Sophie Dyas
Sophie Dyas
Brave!
Well done, I was never brave enough to try a durian!!!