Is It Dangerous To...

[wilson steer]

The Durian season is in full swing; I like the taste, but not the lingering after taste that lasts for days, so I avoid them now as a rule.

Is there any truth that eating them together with alcoholic beverages is dangerous, or lethal?

Anyone have first-hand experience of this? Someone told me more people in Thailand are killed by them falling from trees than by injesting them together with beer and spirits.

[Abandon]

not as dangerous as putting food questions in the general forum and not in the food and expat life forum ..

[Wolfie]

Which is why not only have we moved the thread to a more relevant forum, but we've also instructed George to send round the TV death squad (consisting of me, Dr PP and the newly appointed sbk)

[expatinasia]

You'd smell bad, and be drunk, neither one a crime in Thailand.

[bkk_mike]

I spent my only night in a hospital bed in Thailand one night 7 years ago after eating durian and drinking beer and whisky.

It was the last time I ate durian, let alone drank and ate durian.

However, it is my wife that keeps telling me it was the durian and alcohol. I actually think it might have had more to do with my sister-in-law's cooking (or under-cooking).

[maxcherry]

Can some tell me what is Durian

[Explorer]

Can some tell me what is Durian

Durian

Durian is a fruit which is well liked in Southeast Asian countries, but westerners usually do not want to try it because it has a pungent smell that is difficult to describe. Some people compare the penetrating odor of durian to cheeses like limburger. Airlines and hotels in Southeast Asia do not allow clientele to enter them with durian in their possession.

Durian has a very thick and thorny husk, which usually is opened with a machete or large knife. The color of the skin is yellowish green. Inside there usually are large sections [phuu] that are pale yellow in color and covered with a thin membrane undetectable to the tongue. At the center of each section is a large, brown seed that is discarded. The flesh is like a thick, rich, mildly sweet custard or soft cheese like brie.

It is claimed that they are very high in cholesterol, and there are recurring reports of older people addicted to the durian dying from overeating it. The durian is roughly the size of a soccer ball. The very best durians are, per kilogram, the most expensive of all fruits during a normal harvest year. It is often eaten with sticky rice and coconut cream or used to flavor ice cream.

Explorer

[PeaceBlondie]

Can some tell me what is Durian

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some of them are larger than a breadbox, almost watermelon-size. they have spikes on them, like the hairstyle of one of those heavy-metal, head-banger kids. If dropped on an unsuspecting tourist, the choices are cremation or internment. They smell worse than your Aunt Mathilda's after-dinner farts.

I have no idea what they taste like; haven't gotten close enough to try.

[lampard10]

I guess it is dangerous.....................my cousin drank 5 bottles of lau kau and they found him dead at the bottom of the stairs in the morning; slipped on piece of durian.

[autonomous_unit]

Don't the people who overdose on durian just suffer from a carbohydrate overload? Are there any doctors here who would know why alcohol might intensify that? You don't hear of too many people who die from too many rum cordials...

My mother-in-law goaded me into trying durian, which surprises most people because I have an overly sensitive nose. I won't go near quite a few foods (including a number of tropical fruits) for the stench I perceive. Anyway, while durian is pungent I don't find its odor among the worst one encounters in BKK! I think of it as some sort of cross between bananas and pineapple, both in flavor and texture.

[Girlfrombar]

it will make u more hot!! (with high blood pressure)

[Neeranam]

Drinking booze and eating Durian is very dangerous.

It raises the blood pressure.

I am a big durian eater but don't drink now.

I bought 30kg of it recently.

I ate 3 kg once in the evening and I felt prettty sick, dizzy and pounding heart.

My good Thai friend's father died of eating durian, causing a heart attack, he was drinking too. I think maybe if you are an alkie you are more likely to suffer or die from eating too much.

[Dara]

Durian is a fruit that demands respect - it is rich - high calories & high fat which can give intense heat to the body quite suddenly. People have been known to die after eating too much of the fruit or with the wrong combination.

That said, IMHO, it is the best fruit that you can ever eat - I have it everyday possible for breakfast when I'm in Thailand. Used to be able to eat any time of the day, however, but the body has succumbed to years of change, I guess. Now I find it hard to eat it during the heat of the day or in the evening.

If you don't like the taste that lingers, eat a piece of green guava afterward - it's a great odor suppressor.

Don't know about how dangerous it could be with alcohol, but it would make sense that a combination of two heat producing agents in the body can set it afire...

[fivevenoms]

As it so happens, there's evidently two varieties of durian. My mother in law bought one that lacks that distinctive durian stench, or at least in as offensive a quantity as normal durian. It's slightly more expensive, and as mentioned, considerably less malodorous. I was quizzical myself about it, but it's actually pretty ###### tasty. Plus it's another one of those "Oh really?!?" topics you'll get from Thai people.

"Can he eat durian?"

"Oh yeah. He says it's tasty."

"Oh really?!?"

[Boon Mee]

Can some tell me what is Durian

It looks sorta like a big jackfruit but when you cut into it, you know it's a durien.

On my very first trip to Thailand I made the dumb farang mistake of having some of one and drinking rather warm Singa beer at the same time on the train up from Butterworth.

It was not a pretty picture...

[davethailand]

Can some tell me what is Durian

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The thai Pronunciation of Julian?

I guess it is dangerous.....................my cousin drank 5 bottles of lau kau and they found him dead at the bottom of the stairs in the morning; slipped on piece of durian.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its also dangerous eating with alcohol because when drunk you might drop it down your shirt

[Totster]

Can some tell me what is Durian

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Durian

Durian is a fruit which is well liked in Southeast Asian countries, but westerners usually do not want to try it because it has a pungent smell that is difficult to describe. Some people compare the penetrating odor of durian to cheeses like limburger. Airlines and hotels in Southeast Asia do not allow clientele to enter them with durian in their possession.

Durian has a very thick and thorny husk, which usually is opened with a machete or large knife. The color of the skin is yellowish green. Inside there usually are large sections [phuu] that are pale yellow in color and covered with a thin membrane undetectable to the tongue. At the center of each section is a large, brown seed that is discarded. The flesh is like a thick, rich, mildly sweet custard or soft cheese like brie.

It is claimed that they are very high in cholesterol, and there are recurring reports of older people addicted to the durian dying from overeating it. The durian is roughly the size of a soccer ball. The very best durians are, per kilogram, the most expensive of all fruits during a normal harvest year. It is often eaten with sticky rice and coconut cream or used to flavor ice cream.

Explorer

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just a picture so you can recognise the evil fruit when you are drunk...

totster

[IMA_FARANG]

Can some tell me what is Durian

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It looks sorta like a big jackfruit but when you cut into it, you know it's a durien.

On my very first trip to Thailand I made the dumb farang mistake of having some of one and drinking rather warm Singa beer at the same time on the train up from Butterworth.

It was not a pretty picture...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Drinking warm Singha is not advised anyhow.

I love Durian, but it isn't to be eaten in large amounts.

When is Durian season anyhow? There is a street in Singapore where, in season, hundreds of Durians are on sale.

Durian smells like a just uncovered sewer when it is cut open. The inner white pulp is what you eat. It is an acquired taste. I like to have it in a kind of Fruit/Durian/Ice mixture. Put a layer of Rambuthan, cover it with some brown sugar, a layer of ice, a layer of Durian, ice, Rambuthan & brown sugar,etc. Maybe put in a layer or two of crushed fresh pineapple. Keep going until glass is full. Eat with a long spoon. Great stuff, but rich and fattening.

Edited May 6, 2005 by IMA_FARANG

[Totster]

Drinking warm Singha is not advised anyhow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Drinking Singha is not advised whether warm or cold....

totster

[Kathe]

it will make u more hot!! (with high blood pressure)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, it will make you hot, and lots of gas in your stomach. Durian Gas Bomb could kill you too without alcohol....hehehee

But I do LOVE to eat Durian so much. Should not eat Durian with alcohol. There were many death cases. Enjoy Durian and afterward take some Alkazelsor ( sorry dont know to how to spell this word ) to release the gas.

Choose Morn Thong ( Golden Pillow ) Durian or Garn Yao... taste wonderful and less smell but higher price, good quality.

[maerim]

or used to flavor ice cream.

As in durian smells like &lt;deleted&gt;, tastes like &lt;deleted&gt; and looks like &lt;deleted&gt;.

Durian ice cream on the other hand smells like &lt;deleted&gt;, tastes like &lt;deleted&gt; looks like

ice cream.

[lampard10]

I must admit to being one of the strangest people on the planet; I don't mind the smell of Durian,but I think it tastes awful.

[jayenram]

Is there any truth that eating them together with alcoholic beverages is dangerous, or lethal?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I died from eating durian on a belly full of *chang*.

But I got better.

[jayenram]

I must admit to being one of the strangest people on the planet

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[yeti]

Some singaporians friends used to say it smells like h e ll, but it's a taste of heaven.

I wouldn't go as far: smells like garbage that stayed too long at the sun, and tastes really good.

And it's always funny to surprise thai people by showing them you like it

Edited May 7, 2005 by yeti

[alex100]

Can some tell me what is Durian

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some of them are larger than a breadbox, almost watermelon-size. they have spikes on them, like the hairstyle of one of those heavy-metal, head-banger kids. If dropped on an unsuspecting tourist, the choices are cremation or internment. They smell worse than your Aunt Mathilda's after-dinner farts.

I have no idea what they taste like; haven't gotten close enough to try.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funnily enough they actually taste like your Aunt Mathilda's after-dinner farts.

[pyros]

Well , i did eat durian before on several occasions . More than 1 time with alcohol , never felt sick or anything . Don't know if it is dangerous , can be they told me before but they also tell it for the spicy stuff ( which i can eat also without a problem ) or the green mango's ( no problem whatsoever ) . The only thing what makes me sick in Thailand is to much drinking and smoking several days after eachother or frozen Singha ... my stomach get's very very upset the morning after .

[p_brownstone]

These days it's very difficult to find any varieties of Durian other than "Gaan Yao"," Morn Thong" or "Chanee", at least in Bangkok; years ago there were many more around, my favourite was "Gob", this is a somewhat larger fruit, paler green in colour than others and with very thin seeds and firmer flesh.

Also I am not sure if it's a result of bio-engineering or my own olfactory senses becoming dulled with age but the fruit used to smell much stronger to me than it does now!

Patrick

[meadish_sweetball]

Some singaporians friends used to say it smells like h e ll, but it's a taste of heaven.

I wouldn't go as far: smells like garbage that stayed too long at the sun, and tastes really good.

And it's always funny to surprise thai people by showing them you like it

For those of you who havent guessed already, Yeti is a Frenchman.

[sabaijai]

Can some tell me what is Durian

Durian

Durian is a fruit which is well liked in Southeast Asian countries, but westerners usually do not want to try it because it has a pungent smell that is difficult to describe. Some people compare the penetrating odor of durian to cheeses like limburger. Airlines and hotels in Southeast Asia do not allow clientele to enter them with durian in their possession.

Durian has a very thick and thorny husk, which usually is opened with a machete or large knife. The color of the skin is yellowish green. Inside there usually are large sections [phuu] that are pale yellow in color and covered with a thin membrane undetectable to the tongue. At the center of each section is a large, brown seed that is discarded. The flesh is like a thick, rich, mildly sweet custard or soft cheese like brie.

It is claimed that they are very high in cholesterol, and there are recurring reports of older people addicted to the durian dying from overeating it. The durian is roughly the size of a soccer ball. The very best durians are, per kilogram, the most expensive of all fruits during a normal harvest year. It is often eaten with sticky rice and coconut cream or used to flavor ice cream.

Explorer

Durian doesn't contain any cholesterol, which is found only in meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, and of course in your own body. It's high in saturated fat however. Nutritional content of durian per 100 grams (about 3 fruits with seed) is typically: 150 calories, 3 grams of protein, 3.5 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbohydrate, less than 1 gram fibre.

I've heard the stories about alcohol and durian, can't figure out why it would be dangerous unless there's some other component of the fruit that reacts badly with alcohol.

Found this on the Web

According to a recent analysis of the aroma composition of durian (Durio zibethinus) fruits published in 1995, there are 63 volatile constituents (including 30 esters, 5 ketones and 16 sulphurous compounds), which contribute to the smell. The major problem that still remains is the determination of the components most responsible for the distinctive smell of durians. The fruits from different clones appear to vary markedly in aroma composition, and the aroma composition may vary with ripeness. How much of a volatile substance contributes to the aroma of a fruit is not necessarily indicated by its relative abundance; some substances simply smell much more than others.

A common belief is that it is harmful to drink alcohol after consuming durians. Some scientific studies have actually been conducted to investigate the validity of this belief. Despite the important contributions to our knowledge of durians and human/animal physiology provided by these experiments, some flaws are evident. Most of them were lacking a control treatment in which animals were fed an equivalent mass of some food item other than durian. Thus, any effects on alcohol absorption might be due to the presence of food in the stomach, and not durian per se. At this point, it is fair to say that consumption of durians with alcohol has not been shown to be harmful.

From http://www.science.edu.sg/ssc/detailed.jsp...parent=4&cat=36

An extremely detailed review of durian's constituents and all the studies on eating it with alcohol, see:

Everything you never wanted to know about durian.