We tried it in the past, this most unusual fruit. While in Chicago recently, we decided to give it one more try! You see, the first time we tried it we were ... let's just say "not big fans" of the infamous durian. (Here's an episode of Kevin Gianni's Renegade Health Show, shot in our home, documenting that day.) It's a stinky fruit to most, although some claim to enjoy the bizarre odor (which is sometimes described as dirty sock and propane gas smell). If you can get past the smell to give it a taste, you'll be greeted by a taste as strange as the odor. Wendi describes it as a sweet onion pierogie, but each person seems to have a different opinion about this odd fruit.

In this current video our raw friend Debbie Gedayloo-Bennett, whom we met in Chicago, jumped at the opportunity to hang out for a bit of a durian experience. Debbie is on the pro-durian side of the fence that divides those who love and those who hate the alien-like fruit. Wendi was still sitting on the fence, not making up her mind after the initial taste with Kevin and Annmarie. Jim was adamantly sitting far from the love side of the fence, refusing to even attempt approaching the pro side. Debbie was a pro in opening this spiny fruit, so she agreed to open it while on video so that we could share the experience and knowledge with all of you.

You'll see that our dog, The Jooge, was extremely curious to try this exotic fruit. She didn't seem able to determine which side of the fence she was on, however, so we think she'll be wanting to try it again in the future. Wendi says even though she didn't like it, she's open to trying it again since it wasn't completely offensive.

Have you tried a durian What do you think of them, if so? If you haven't, is it something you're willing to sample? They aren't easy to find, so it feels like a real treat when you stumble across one like we did while in Chicago -- even if you aren't a big fan.

Just so you know, the fruit has a very strong stink ... and we're not exaggerating! Debbie helped us eliminate all of the evidence of the fruit from our hotel room, but the odor was still there hours later when we returned to the room. And, guess what? The cleaning staff didn't bother to empty the large trash can at the end of the hall the day we disposed of it, so the entire floor of the hotel was quite an exotically scented place! Durian may be called the King of Fruits, but we think it's more like the King of Stink! Here's the video:

By the way, Debbie is a fascinating person! She doesn't currently have a blog to share with you, but we're hoping she'll begin one soon. Currently, she's on her way to work at the Tree of Life in Arizona. In Chicago, Debbie said something really interesting about intuitive eating. We were lucky enough to have the video camera with us to capture her unique thoughts and experiences, which we'll share with you tomorrow.

Photo credits:? Gas Mask Photo by: Flickr user Catherinette Rings Steampunk. Durian photo by: Flickr user YimHafiz