National emergency in New Zealand

13 February 2023

Above:  The paler D24 and the more yellowish Musang King.

Miserable Auckland summer

I left Auckland two days after the first of three storms, the third being only yesterday.  The latest one was Cyclone Gabrielle which resulted in all flights in Auckland and the northern part of the North Island being cancelled.

This appears to be the summer that never set in.  We had a shit December with a good few days around Christmas.  Then January was largely wet with some exceptions, ending with a storm and flooding.  Then February had a storm and Cyclone. The country is now in a state of emergency.

Massages and Durians

Meanwhile in Kuching, I found a good massage therapist (trained in Perth, who is also trained as a Personal Trainer and in Commercial Cookery).  I had a couple of sessions to hopefully clear up any lingering issues with my neck.

My cousin Julia is visiting from Melbourne.  She invited us over to her parents’ for Durian night.  It was my first time tasting the air-flown varieties from Peninsular Malaysia as our family stick to the local stuff.

Tonight, I finally tasted the famous Musang King and the D24 varieties.  I started with the paler D24 as often, people say, it is wise to start with the “lesser” of the two.

The D24 was deliciously creamy and sweet.  The yellowish Musang King was even creamier and had small seeds.  It had a complex flavour including a bitter note which I do find pleasant.  I can understand why it is considered the best of all durians.

While I like them both, if I had to choose only one, it would be the D24.  It is also cheaper than the Musang King.

It’s hard to believe mother nature can put so much creaminess into a fruit while having a fat content of only 5% by weight. Both varieties were incredibly creamy.

Go top