Approaching the Qt 4.5 release, in order to relax the atmosphere a bit, and while I was just back from vacation in Indonesia, last week I brought nice goodies to the office. Read what I posted to our internal list:
Subject: durian, for the glorious nation of Indonesia
Date: Tuesday 24 February 2009
From: Ariya Hidayat <ariya.hidayat@trolltech.com>
Executive summary: try durian candies I brought, find them on the desk in the 5th floor, next to the stairs.
Durian [1], an arguably very nutritious and delicious fruit, my all-time favorite snack, best things before sliced bread and LISP, is unfortunately forbidden to be carried in the flight, placing it in the same category as guns and drugs. Since I am not a brave as our Chief Troll (with his cheese adventure), instead of smuggling a large quantity of durians, cowardly I fall back to a simpler solution: durian (flavored) candies. For me, they taste fantastic (albeit not as heavenly as the fresh fruit, or when made into mixed drink [2,3]), but for most people, they stink, smell horribly, and taste disgusting.
When you start the losing fight with your stomach, when you count the minutes in the toilet, when your days in Emergency Room are almost over, now think about it: how do most Asian feel about European cheese? [4]
Now I am back on completing my patent application on "Method and Apparatus of Information Extraction from Combatants Using Exotic Tropical Fruit", before someone ratifies the counterpoint as an addendum to the Geneva Convention.
Enjoy the ride!
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian
[2] http://flickr.com/photos/ariyahidayat/3293814359/
[3] http://flickr.com/photos/ariyahidayat/3294638128/
[4] Surprisingly, "durian" and "revenge" share a general theme: they are best
served cold
These candies of course can not reach the real taste of the fruit itself, especially when made into fresh drink like the picture here:
4 comments:
I'll never forget when I asked my Singaporian friend Indriana during one of my visits what those crossed over spiky balls on the subway meant, and she introduced me to durian. In the beginning it was SO strange and I didn't know if I liked it or not, but after a while I got used to it and kind of liked it. It's a unique sensation to someone used to apple and bananas for sure! I can't remember if I had the durian candy or not, but I think I did. This quote from Wikipedia is priceless:
"... its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock. It can be smelled from yards away. Despite its great local popularity, the raw fruit is forbidden from some establishments such as hotels, subways and airports, including public transportation in Southeast Asia." [1].
The folks at your office is in for a treat :)
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian#Flavour_and_odour
Yummy! Durian and ice cream = ♥
Any Trolls down already? :D
First, we curse it.
Then we love it.
Finally we hate it for the addiction and the transportation banning.
Ahh Durian and Free Software... The two great misunderstood jewels of the world, yet harbringers of such joy. :o)
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