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I'm curious is aversion to durian is at least somewhat genetic, similar to cilantro and broccoli. I spent 6 weeks traveling around Southeast Asia (Thailand, Ca

I'm curious is aversion to durian is at least somewhat genetic, similar to cilantro and broccoli. I spent 6 weeks traveling around Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), including several days in Bangkok. I ate a metric ton of durian, jackfruit (my favourite), mangostein, lychie, and so forth. I never noted any negative durian odour, and I just assumed that "it must always be fresh in Southeast Asia", and any reports are based on stale or older fruit after it's travelled internationally...

teruakohatu 6y ago
After reading the article I thought the same thing. People who hate cilantro tend to absolutely hate even the thought of it.
- fiblye 6y ago
  I sometimes wonder if there's a genetic component affecting how people smell and taste durian, just like with cilantro. To me it's just a little stinky, like someone fried onions a couple hours ago and the smell is mostly faded, but the flavor is pure sweet creaminess. As an example, once made a cup of durian coffee in a different room on a different floor entirely and someone stormed out of the building because of the odor. I didn't mention that I made it before that happened, so it wasn't just an exaggerated response. Nobody else could smell it. Not even I could smell anything beyond just plain old coffee.
- sg47 6y ago
  I'm in this boat and my wife thinks I'm being fussy. The thought of cilantro wants to make me puke but no one ever seems to relate to it. The worst part is my native cuisine uses cilantro extensively.
  - thaumasiotes 6y ago
    > I'm in this boat and my wife thinks I'm being fussy. I'm curious about the phrasing here; as far as I can see, that's what "being fussy" means.
    - sg47 6y ago
      She thinks it's a choice. For me, when I eat cilantro I really do feel like puking. There was a study that said cilantro tastes like soap to 10% of the population.
martythemaniak 6y ago
I think Durian hate is mostly memetic. Still, it is a very strong flavour, so even if you like it, it's easy to get overwhelmed by it. It doesn't have the easy eatability of mangosteen or lychee. And lord help you if you let out even a small burp hours after eating it...
- Nursie 6y ago
  Seriously no, I have been repulsed by the stink of durian stalls before even knowing they were there. This is not a memetic reaction.
Nursie 6y ago
Nope, not in my case at least, fresh and on-location it utterly stinks to my nose. This can't be uncommon, given the prevalence of rules against Durian consumption in enclosed public spaces in many places in the far east. Love me some mangostein, lychie, rambutan or snake-fruit though.
grawprog 6y ago
I've got a friend in the Philippines who loves durian. It's her favourite fruit. she goes nuts for it. She'll eat a whole bag at once and still want more. Even there though, there's people who can't stand it. A lot of her friends and coworkers dislike it and complain when she eats it around them.
sg47 6y ago
I liked durian icecream when I was there but I can't remember if I ate actual durian. I didn't mind the durian icecream but it did taste a bit like garlic icecream (which I have eaten in Gilroy) and jackfruit icecream mixed together.
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  That’s it! Durian, to me, tastes like garlic soaked in petrol (“gas” for the Yanks).
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
tyingq 6y ago
I guess it could be, but durian smells like a dumpster on a sunny day to me. That's much more pronounced than cilantro tasting a bit like soap.
no_carrier 6y ago
It's actually the other way around. The pre-sliced or non-fresh durian tends to have lost a lot of the odour. Hotels and public transport in Thailand don't ban it for no reason.
- ValentineC 6y ago
  Durian in Singapore is often sold packed in styrofoam containers, then wrapped with lots of cling wrap. The smell still gets everywhere, and lingers for a bit.
TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
I wasn’t aware that broccoli aversion may be genetic, thanks! https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/aversion-to-broccoli-may-have-genetic-roots/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/aversion-...
arcsin 6y ago
No one has mentioned so far that there are many variety of durian, which has different smells. Another factor is how ripe the durian is. For example, probably anyone could eat a montong durian that's not too ripe. The kind and ripeness that is most popular seems to vary by country as well.
- 9nGQluzmnq3M 6y ago
  Yup. Thais tend to like their durians fairly fresh and not so stinky, while some Malaysians push them right to the edge of rotting. (The parallels to cheese are quite clear.)
peteretep 6y ago
Perhaps, but Thai people are _well_ aware of how bad it smells, just like the French are well aware of how bad a tasty cheese can smell. It’s eaten here despite the smell, not because they can’t smell it.
Chathamization 6y ago
I've wondered that as well. I've always liked the smell of durian (as well as its taste), and have met others that do as well. Others seem to really hate it. I've always assumed that the vast majority of people hate the smell, but I'm actually not so sure now that I think about it. It might just be that the people who hate it are very vocal about it.

teruakohatu 6y ago

After reading the article I thought the same thing. People who hate cilantro tend to absolutely hate even the thought of it.

fiblye 6y ago
I sometimes wonder if there's a genetic component affecting how people smell and taste durian, just like with cilantro. To me it's just a little stinky, like someone fried onions a couple hours ago and the smell is mostly faded, but the flavor is pure sweet creaminess. As an example, once made a cup of durian coffee in a different room on a different floor entirely and someone stormed out of the building because of the odor. I didn't mention that I made it before that happened, so it wasn't just an exaggerated response. Nobody else could smell it. Not even I could smell anything beyond just plain old coffee.
sg47 6y ago
I'm in this boat and my wife thinks I'm being fussy. The thought of cilantro wants to make me puke but no one ever seems to relate to it. The worst part is my native cuisine uses cilantro extensively.
- thaumasiotes 6y ago
  > I'm in this boat and my wife thinks I'm being fussy. I'm curious about the phrasing here; as far as I can see, that's what "being fussy" means.
  - sg47 6y ago
    She thinks it's a choice. For me, when I eat cilantro I really do feel like puking. There was a study that said cilantro tastes like soap to 10% of the population.

martythemaniak 6y ago

I think Durian hate is mostly memetic. Still, it is a very strong flavour, so even if you like it, it's easy to get overwhelmed by it. It doesn't have the easy eatability of mangosteen or lychee. And lord help you if you let out even a small burp hours after eating it...

Nursie 6y ago
Seriously no, I have been repulsed by the stink of durian stalls before even knowing they were there. This is not a memetic reaction.

Nursie 6y ago

Nope, not in my case at least, fresh and on-location it utterly stinks to my nose. This can't be uncommon, given the prevalence of rules against Durian consumption in enclosed public spaces in many places in the far east. Love me some mangostein, lychie, rambutan or snake-fruit though.

grawprog 6y ago

I've got a friend in the Philippines who loves durian. It's her favourite fruit. she goes nuts for it. She'll eat a whole bag at once and still want more. Even there though, there's people who can't stand it. A lot of her friends and coworkers dislike it and complain when she eats it around them.

sg47 6y ago

I liked durian icecream when I was there but I can't remember if I ate actual durian. I didn't mind the durian icecream but it did taste a bit like garlic icecream (which I have eaten in Gilroy) and jackfruit icecream mixed together.

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
That’s it! Durian, to me, tastes like garlic soaked in petrol (“gas” for the Yanks).
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

tyingq 6y ago

I guess it could be, but durian smells like a dumpster on a sunny day to me. That's much more pronounced than cilantro tasting a bit like soap.

no_carrier 6y ago

It's actually the other way around. The pre-sliced or non-fresh durian tends to have lost a lot of the odour. Hotels and public transport in Thailand don't ban it for no reason.

ValentineC 6y ago
Durian in Singapore is often sold packed in styrofoam containers, then wrapped with lots of cling wrap. The smell still gets everywhere, and lingers for a bit.

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago

I wasn’t aware that broccoli aversion may be genetic, thanks! https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/aversion-to-broccoli-may-have-genetic-roots/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/aversion-...

arcsin 6y ago

No one has mentioned so far that there are many variety of durian, which has different smells. Another factor is how ripe the durian is. For example, probably anyone could eat a montong durian that's not too ripe. The kind and ripeness that is most popular seems to vary by country as well.

9nGQluzmnq3M 6y ago
Yup. Thais tend to like their durians fairly fresh and not so stinky, while some Malaysians push them right to the edge of rotting. (The parallels to cheese are quite clear.)

peteretep 6y ago

Perhaps, but Thai people are _well_ aware of how bad it smells, just like the French are well aware of how bad a tasty cheese can smell. It’s eaten here despite the smell, not because they can’t smell it.

Chathamization 6y ago

I've wondered that as well. I've always liked the smell of durian (as well as its taste), and have met others that do as well. Others seem to really hate it. I've always assumed that the vast majority of people hate the smell, but I'm actually not so sure now that I think about it. It might just be that the people who hate it are very vocal about it.