Latest durian prices at Sogo

Musang Kings or Mao Shan Wangs are back in season.

At Sogo they have the whole durians on sale but you can also buy them already in packets. Looks good.

You can see from the picture above, a packet with just one segment will set you back HKD 170-200. Worth it?

The whole durian is HKD 42 per 100 grams, that’s 420 per kg. So according to my exchange rate calculator that’s SGD 70 per kg. That’s RM 220 per kg. Aiyo ka gui bui sai jiak (translation from Teochew: ah too expensive cannot eat la).

Unless you’re not flying to Singapore or Malaysia for Christmas break then no choice if you’re desperate for a Musang king and at Sogo.

The most fantastic durian ball gown I’ve ever seen

We’ve discussed durian attire before. Remember my durian t-shirt?

I’ve also seen some rather disturbing interpretations of durian helmets, bras and jewelley.

But this dress really does impress.. it’s quite befitting and a wonderful one piece interpretation by the designer. 👏👏👏

Not easy to design and certainly not easy to wear :). It does deserve best costume!

Check out the fantastic video and see what you think.

Singapore: No durians on the plane but how about the train?

I thought this article was particularly amusing. China embassy staff on Singapore produced a free pamphlet for chinese tourists on Do’s and Don’ts when visiting the country.

They had an official launch for the pamphlet, which in itself I find quite amusing. Apparently these pamphlets are available at Changi Airport.

The pamphlet also covers behaviour in public areas. Taking durian on a bus or train is “unofficially prohibited”, it cautions. The tropical fruit is known for its pungent smell that can be offensive to those who do not like it.

“How are we going to transport the fruit?” I hear the tourists protest..!

Sounds like a new service that an enterprising durian stall could offer. Online durian delivery services in sealed pouches of perhaps organised durian feasts for the tourists to enjoy.

Fruit Monkeys? Maybe you guys should advertise at Changi Airport 😉

The massive Malaysian durian feast: Eat durian til you drop- Members only!

I’ve been in HK for more than 3 years and my social life has been limited to the shopkeepers I meet in the market, a few friendly neighbours and other parents whom we get along with as families. Not anymore! I finally bit the bullet this year and joined the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, as a way of getting a bit more of a social life and (real reason) to get invited to events and parties that if otherwise have no access or inclination to attend.

The MOST important party in my annual calendar is not CNY, not Christmas, not mooncake festival. Although these all rank highly. The one absolute party worth every expensive dollar of the annual membership joining fee is the durian party that happens once or twice a year (depending on durian season).

The tickets to the event were sold out on the day of release. I can tell you that all the participants are hardcore durian fanatics.

So on a nice balmy evening in Wan Chai, we showed up at Malaysia building. We could smell the durian from the lobby. We followed it with our noses to the dining room on the top floor.

The durians were ALL Musang kings (no point wasting time on other types) and came packed in polystyrene boxes stacked high. It was all in about 100Kg of durians.

Two guys were there hard at work opening the durians with a tool and divying them out onto cardboard bowls.

Once everyone arrived, the Chairman made a brief speech about do’s and don’ts (e.g. Don’t drink gassy drinks while eating durian) and then it was the “go for it” moment. No one was shy.

My box had a mix of two durians, one milder and meatier, the other more flavourful and soft. It was the same for others at our table. They’d taken care to give everyone a bit of a mix so that no one ends up with a monotonous box. 👍

Everyone at the event had durian in lieu of dinner so you can imagine how much we all ate. I was very controlled and had second servings only whereas SW had thirds and fourth!

What a great party. The menu?

1) Durian

2) Water

I met two friends I hadn’t seen in at least 2 decades. That was a huge surprise and a very happy one. And I made a few new friends that we’ll definitely see at the next durian party.

Which I’m hoping will be at the end of the year.<<<<<<