>How is your instincto paper coming a long?

Should be done by end of Oct. if I quit spending so much time online :)
Will be looking for a publisher the, which promises to be more work than
writing it...

>You should order issue #23
>& #24 of the NH M2M, as they are the most exiciting instincto-wise. I
>hope you join in and become an active participant.

I had heard that there was some funky debate happening regarding instincto.
Thanks for the specifics! I'll get hold of them.

>>>OK, here's a subject: Miracle fruit. I just planted one of these
>>>shrubs and according to the guy at Exotica (rare fruits nursery in
>>>Vista) the fruits are boring enough but after eating some, lemons
>>>will taste sweeter.

>Never heard of the phenomenon, but it sure sounds exciting. I will have
>to keep a lookout for miracle fruits.

I would be surprised if they are available commercially, but who knows? If
ours ever fruit I'll send some to you.

>Maybe they can make durians taste
>better too :-). A couple of months ago I tasted some fresh & ripe,
>prime quality durian I had bought in Chinatown in Los Angeles. And the
>durian tasted many times worse, than it smelled, which according to
>instincto lore means that I need it badly, but that I am not quite
>ready for it yet. A fruitarian acquaintance of mine was. He devoured
>the whole thing and thought it was one of the tastiest foods, he had
>ever had.

Primo durian in LA? Details details por favor...price, location, season
etc. Were they from Thailand or elsewhere? I was under the impression that
only frozen durian were available. But my impression are often off-base
lately. (More culture shock in coming back to the US than there ever was
overseas.)

First time I encountered durian was in Paris, actually at ORKOS near
Burger's Chateau. It smelled spicy, like onions in a way. Tasted great with
a strange oniony cheese flavor! After a time eating it in Thailand it
simply became pastry. I figure we've eaten well over a thousand durian
looking back on it.

I've heard of people being blocked for it (poor souls!). I've also heard
that one "unblocking technique" was to eat some mildly cooked a couple
times and then try it raw! Go figure, eh? If you really wanted to get on
top of it you might go a couple days on water and cassia and then try some
durian. Then again, who the hell knows?

"Instincto lore" --I like that phrase. Besides the taste change
_experience_ it is all made up, ain't it? It is truly "lore".

Has there ever been any chatter about champedak? Even the (urban) Thai's
wouldn't eat that! It looks like a small jackfruit (jackfruit's little
brother) and is something of a cross between durian and jackfruit. Even
more of a trip than durian to my mind. I quess those wild orangutans (sp?)
in Sumatra and Borneo pretty much live on wild durian and champedak. What a
life, eh?

When I get some time I'll write up a fruit lover's guide to Thailand and
post it on JR's page. Don't hold your breath...

Cheers and figs,
Kirt