King of Taste

Durians are commonly associated with South East Asian cuisine, especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam. Whilst only one kind is sold internationally, there are many species of the Durian tree consumed around various producing regions, and they can have different taste. Durian lovers will report flavours of cheese, almonds, garlic, caramel, sometimes all at once!!! With these particulars and its unique olfactive element, you probably don’t want to taste it. But as a local resident, most of my friends eat Durian, so I decided to give it a try. “First time, it was not so bad lah”, surprisingly not disgusted, except for the long lasting bitter taste. The second time, I was invited to a wonderful Durian tasting by my friends. There were 3 different types ; bitter, creamy, and sweet. Savouring Durian suddenly felt like a celebration, I enjoyed the full degustation, and felt blessed to have been served this delectable fruit. I did come out with a favourite which was the creamy one. So when I created my Artwork “Durian”, I vouched for the texture of the fruit using relief painting, and elected golden leaves to portray the fruit’s powerful taste. The flower brings sweetness and glamour, as I like to boast the notoriety of the fruit and all the folktale around it.