给榴莲的情书

给榴莲的情书

文/Thomas Fuller绘/马豆子

When my friend Bob Halliday thinks about durians①durian 英 ［'dʊəriən］ 美 ［'dʊriən］ n.榴莲；榴莲树， the tropical②tropical 英 ［'trɒpɪk（ə）l］ 美 ［'trɑpɪkl］ adj. 热带的；热情的；酷热的fruit that some say smells like garbage， he not only salivates with delighted anticipation， but he also "foams like a geyser."

I confess to the same passion with what must be the world's smelliest fruit.

What is it about the durian？Shaped like a rugby ball with large thorns that can pierce even the most callused③callused 英 ［'kæləs］ 美 ［'kæləs］ adj. 结茧的hands， durian stinks so badly that it's banned from airplanes，hotels and mass transit in most Southeast Asian cities.

Yet aficionados like Bob and I will travel terrible distances， cancel important appointments—do anything—to scarf down globs of custardy flesh from a durian.

It goes without saying that durian is a polarizing and controversial fruit. There is a long tradition of durian haters who cannot get past the smell and gooey-ness of durian， especially among Western visitors to Southeast Asia. Simon de La Loubère， a French diplomat who came here in the 17th century and wrote with unusual empathy about the Kingdom of Siam， drew the line at durian， describing it as "unbearable" because of its smell.

Yes， I freely admit that when ripe it can smell like a dead animal. Yes， the fruit is difficult to handle， bearing likeness to a medieval weapon. But get down to the pale yellow， creamy flesh， and you'll experience overtones of hazelnut， apricot④apricot 英 ［'eɪprɪkɒt］ 美［'æprɪkɑːt］ n. 杏，杏子；［园艺］ 杏树；杏黄色 adj. 杏黄色的，caramelized banana and egg custard. That's my attempt at describing durian. But words fail； there is no other fruit like it. Bob compares it to the works of Olivier Messiaen， the 20thcentury French composer: complex， dissonant⑤dissonant 英 ［'dɪs（ə）nənt］ 美 ［'dɪsənənt］ adj. 刺耳的；不和谐的；不调和的， but with an overall impression of sweetness.

What I love about durians is that there is no laboratory needed to achieve the depth and range of tastes they offer. It's one of nature's masterpieces，dangling tantalizingly⑥tantalizingly 英 ［'tæntəlaɪzɪŋli］ 美 ［'tæntəlaɪzɪŋli］ adv.令人着急地；撩人地in the jungle. Durians， even those harvested from the same branch，can be so nuanced and dissimilar that tasting them is something akin to sampling fine wine.

With every durian season comes stories about people who have collapsed—or worse—when they've had large quantities of durian and alcohol. I have never read or heard of a scientific explanation for this， if there is one. But it is widely recognized that durian season can be deleterious to your health. A few years ago， after a routine physical checkup， I was told by my doctor that my triglycerides⑦triglyceride 英 ［traɪ'ɡlɪsəraɪd］ 美 ［traɪ'ɡlɪsərɪd］ n. ［有化］甘油三酯，a type of fat in the blood， were above normal. She gave me a pamphlet⑧pamphlet 英 ［'pæmflət］ 美 ［'pæmflət］ n.小册子in which the first piece of advice was to cut down on durian or avoid it altogether.

But many of my fellow durianloving friends are getting along in age， and it reassures me that，well， they are still alive. There are，after all， much more dangerous foods to consume than durian.

当我的朋友鲍勃•霍里德想起榴莲——那种被某些人形容为闻起来一股垃圾臭味的热带水果，他不光会满心欢喜，口水直冒，他简直就是“垂涎三尺”。

我承认，对于这种绝对是世界上最臭的水果，我有着和鲍勃一样的热情。

榴莲到底长什么样儿？它的形状像一个插满粗刺的英式橄榄球，手上最厚的老茧也能被它刺穿。由于榴莲恶臭非常，大多数东南亚城市都禁止携带榴莲上飞机、进酒店以及搭乘公共交通工具。

然而，像鲍勃和我这样的榴莲“发烧友”，会不远万里，取消重要的约定——做任何事——只为了能狼吞虎咽地吃下一团团软嫩香滑的榴莲果肉。

不用说，榴莲是一种两极分化、富于争议的水果。讨厌榴莲的人有一个悠久的传统，他们无法忍受榴莲的臭味和黏糊糊的口感，这种情况在到东南亚造访的西方游客中尤为严重。17世纪来到此地的一名法国外交官西蒙•德•拉•卢贝尔，曾带着不同寻常的同理心来描写暹罗王国，却也对榴莲划清界线，称这种难闻的水果“让人无法忍受”。

不错，我坦率地承认，榴莲成熟时，闻起来可能像是动物的死尸。不错，这种水果的外形像一件中世纪武器一样，棘手得很。但当你尝到了那淡黄色的、奶油状的果肉，你会体验到榛果、杏仁、焦糖香蕉和鸡蛋奶油冻的混合滋味。我尝试如此形容榴莲，不过还是难以言表；没有其他哪种水果能与榴莲媲美了。鲍勃将其比作20世纪法国作曲家奥利弗•梅西安的作品：复杂、刺耳，但整体感受却很甜蜜。

我之所以喜欢榴莲就在于，它们所展现的味道的深度和广度无须经过化学实验就能达到。这是一种自然的杰作，就那么撩人地挂在丛林的枝头上。即使是出自同一个树枝上的榴莲，味道也会有些微妙的不同，品尝它们就像品尝好酒一样。

榴莲是一种社交性很强的水果，通常是和朋友一起分享的。不过我承认我有时会独自一人吃榴莲。就像是自己一个人吃生日蛋糕，或者一个人在公园里偷偷从纸袋里拿一罐高罐啤酒出来喝一样，显得有点既伤感又偷偷摸摸。这让我想起另一件事。每一个榴莲爱好者都会告诫你，吃榴莲时别喝酒。

每个榴莲季都会传出关于有人吃下大量榴莲又喝了太多酒而病倒的故事——甚至还有更严重的后果。我确实从没读到或听说过关于这种说法的科学解释。不过有件事已被广泛认同：榴莲季可能对你的健康造成伤害。几年前，在一次常规体检后，医生告诉我，我的甘油三酯——血液中的一种脂肪——超标了。她给了我一本医嘱小册子，上面的第一条建议就是：少吃榴莲或者不吃榴莲。

但是我那些同样爱吃榴莲的朋友们都一年年安然度岁。嗯，他们都还活着，这让我重拾信心。毕竟，世上还有比榴莲要危险得多的食物呢。

A Love Letter to Durians