A Singaporean friend at school held me in such high regard that he offered to share his durian sweet with me one day - a great honour apparently, right up there with receiving the sheep's eyes in the middle east.

The sweet was a tubular sort of thing wrapped in clear plastic - an almost hardened jelly that was pale to translucent yellow/white and sticky. Had a faint aroma of old sport socks and a pungent taste that would not go away - despite vast quantities of water.

I think the latin name for the fruit is excellent - and it's closed yet another loop for me.........I now know that when people say (when they've tasted something disgusting) "it's as bad as licking a cat's backside" - they're really referring to it having a taste as awful as that of a durian!!

stales