Fruits of a different sort

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to try different fruits and vegetables. Some that turned out to be quite good and others well, that is a whole different story.  One day, while in the Hilo Farmers Market, I stumbled across two different fruits that were at opposite ends of the enjoyment scale.

The first was this kind of large, spiky fruit that the sales lady assured me was really good and such a treat.   Never having seen it before, I decided what the heck! I bought it to try.  I wondered why she was giggling and whispering to a coworker just she gave me my change.  There was something she neglected to tell me.



 Pop forward a couple years to a hotel room in some US city.  I do not have a television signal so when I'm traveling, I will often watch TV  shows just as a change.  I happened to turn the channel to one of those cooking shows where three or four chefs are given ingredients to create appetizers, main dishes, or desserts and their creation is judged by some famous chefs.

One of the ingredients was Durian!!!!!  You open it and eat the fleshy part in the center.

Back to the Farmers Market!  So I took the fruit back to my hotel room.  It wasn't too long before I started smelling something strange, kind of like something died.  I didn't pay too much mind to the smell but later on, when I opened the fruit, the smell got really really offensive and the guy I was with started gagging and headed to the bathroom.  I didn't actually get a chance to try the fruit because of all of His gagging made it hard to even give it a try!!!!!!

So when the contestants, the judges and the MC were all turning green while trying to not puke their guts out, I KNEW exactly what they were going through!  Ohhhhh Yeah!!!!!!  They barely made it through the round.  I was fun watching the judges force themselves to eat the creations.  It was cool.

 The second fruit I found was soooo much nicer.


The second is this fine red kind of hairy fruit that grows in a cluster on a tree.  Kind of looks like tribble with very course hair or a spider with tons of feet.
The fruits are not all that big, maybe 2 inches by one inch but once you peel them, the inner white translucent fruit is so alluring that you can't help but take a bite. It is called a rambutan and hidden in the center is a nice large seed so you have to be careful eating the fruit.

Yes, it is juicy and the juice can spill out of your mouth, down your chin.  I don't think I've actually squirted anyone when I bit into it but honestly, I was too busy enjoying the luscious flavor.  Its kind of like a lychee, sweet and exotic with a hint of mmmmmmm good in it.  If you ever get a chance to taste these, please do so.