“What!! 19 durians in one sitting?
Are you sure? ????
Don’t you mean 19 pieces of durian?”
This is the reply I usually get when I tell people about my hubby’s durian record.
“Nope, 19 actual whole, large durians”, I proudly retort.
Haha, what a thing to be proud of one’s husband about!
Bryn’s 19-durian performance was enough to get him a page in the local Chinese newspaper.
“Foreigner loves durians” was the headline, or something to that effect. And Bryn certainly does love durians, I think that’s fair to say.
He hasn’t been able to get into Malaysia for over 2 years due to Covid and I am sure he must be going crazy by now.
In fact, he probably started going crazy after just a few days. Bryn claims this undisputed “king of all fruits” is the only food that you can literally get addicted to.
Rumor has it, if you combine durian with alcohol on the same day, you might not survive, as evidenced by several Malaysians who have succumbed to this apparently lethal combination over the years!
I wonder, is there a secret ingredient that causes this? I think it is more likely a combination of factors. Let’s have a look at exactly what he, and clearly so many others, are so excited about.
In 1856, British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as “a rich custard highly flavored with almonds, and the more you eat of it the less you feel inclined to stop.”
Yes, durians are smelly! But the smell, he says, far from unpleasant, quite the contrary, actually gets him in the mood for a durian session whenever it wafts into his nostrils.
Bryn agrees that is about right (especially the “cannot stop” part!) but he notes that the infamous odor imparted by the durian, which most westerners seem to have heard about even if they are otherwise unfamiliar with the fruit, is in general massively overstated.
You’d be shocked at how far away durian addicts can detect the presence of a durian truck from. The exact distance likely depends on wind speed, the species/ripeness of the durians and more, but it is safe to say it is pretty far.
Durians are found throughout most of south-east Asia but Bryn points out that only Malaysia offers the very best, truly addictive types, and then only when in season.
Pinning down the durian seasons isn’t a simple task, mind you. It turns out that there are so many varieties that even Bryn is yet to try them all, and it is impossible to predict exactly when each variety will be in season for a given year.
Musang King, D24, Udang Merah, D101… these and many, many more are household names in Malaysia and you can easily read about these hugely successful commercial varieties online. For the locals, however, nothing beats the good old original “kampung” durian.
The term “kampung” doesn’t refer to a specific variety but rather is a catch-all term (literally meaning “village”) used to describe general batches of durians that have not been deliberately cultivated to achieve a particular standardized taste. If you ask for kampung durians in Malaysia, all will be different, no two durians will be the same, and you just don’t know what you are going to get, other than – for sure – a big smile.
This element of surprise, Bryn insists, is one of the main contributors to the electric sense of anticipation he feels when he sits down at his table waiting for the first few to be served.
And what better place to experience this than at SS2 in Petaling Jaya?
SS2 during the durian season is a durian lover’s paradise. Check out the menu.
Whatever durians are currently available, you can be sure they will have them here. The prices per kg are ok, not particularly cheap or expensive, just right. But chances are you aren’t here to buy a couple of kilos by weight. Oh no, you are here for the all-you-can-eat buffet aren’t you?
The famous ss2 durian buffets are really quite a spectacle. In season the whole area of at least a square mile starting from the Maybank on the corner of jalan ss2/75 and jalan ss2/24 is cluttered with mountains of fresh durian interspersed with piles of discarded empty shells, while the air is filled with their unmistakable and irresistible scent.
If you are anything like Bryn, once the first few molecules of durian-air have filtered through your car windows then you aren’t going home with an empty stomach.
Even the buffets have varieties. You can go for the kampung buffet, the D24 buffet, the Musang King buffet, more exotic types, or various combinations of the above and pricing will vary accordingly.
For many the musang king buffet is the highlight, and although it will set you back at least rm99, considering that the price per kilo rarely dips below about rm30, provided you can put away at least 4kg it is well worth it. And if you can’t, well then unfortunately I guess you’re not ready for the buffet!
Be sure to drink plenty of water (you will soon figure that one out) and as tempting as it may be to just get stuck in full throttle, try to pace yourself at the start, or it might soon be all over quicker than you expected!
You may now go ahead and let out a few durian burps, then carry on. Are you done? Now the hangover begins. You’ll probably feel a bit sick and you might even decide you’re never going to have another durian ever again in your entire life but don’t worry, this doesn’t last long.
In Bryn’s case by the next morning he is craving durian again. But he will control himself. No more than 3 times a week, he says, or it will lose its magic.
Well, maybe temporarily.
Once you’re addicted, the magic never dies!
DurianMan SS2 ????
Address: Lot 7680, Jalan SS2/24, SS 2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
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