Group gatherings of a different kind...

When I think about people gathering in one location, I think about concerts, birthday parties, parties where people just want to get drunk, and Christmas. One thing I don’t think about, however, is people gathering at a person’s home to eat fruit.

Enter the durian, a Southeast Asian fruit, identifiable by its spiky husk and…interesting smell. It has been called the King of all tropical fruit, and is commonly found in Malaysia and Indonesia, but is popular in many other countries in the region. One British traveller said of the durian, "it is of such an excellent taste that it surpasses in flavour all the other fruits of the world."



I wish I could capture its pungent aroma in words, but you’ll just have to experience it for itself. One person at this gathering described it as having a “sweet odour”, which, though still vague, is probably the best way to describe it. This may turn you off it, but one taste and you’ll want more.

But back to the actual ‘party’ itself. It is 12 o’clock in the afternoon, and the couples start arriving. Mostly people of Singaporean/Malaysian background attend, and they are all older couples. The only children you will see here are the very young ones who could not be left home on their own.



Two men are seemingly nominated as the ‘durian openers’, the ones who will be responsible for using a variety of household tools to get through to the fruit inside.

Especially for the occasion, 5 boxes of the fruit are bought and thawed, as the fruits are not readily available in Australia, but must be imported. All in all, there are 20 durians, all very decent sizes, available for consumption. Once they are opened, of course.



One of the men explains to me “you have to look at the durian, and try to find the ‘lines’. This will show you where to cut, because you can’t just cut anywhere, or it will not open properly.”



Personally, looking at the fruit and the size of the knives they were using made me want to steer clear. The exterior almost screams, DO NOT TOUCH! But inside, it’s a whole different story, as you see the yellowy soft, creamy fruit inside. According to some, it tastes like heaven and stinks like hell.



Essentially, it’s a weird idea to have a ‘durian party’, but who’s to judge? After all, people come together for all sorts of reasons, ranging from the traditional, to the more extreme. If people can come together to wear togas and wear holly on their heads, it only seems fair that people can come together to eat a fruit that they all enjoy, and socialise in the process.