One of the advantages of living in Singapore or other country in Southeast Asia is the availability of amazing fruit, most of which I have been unable to find in the west. The names themselves conjure up another world.
Behold:
Salak. Called the “snake fruit” because of its scaly outer coating, it houses a delicious sweet and tangy interior. It tastes a bit like pineapple, but then not. This is a characteristic of many of the fruits of this region; they taste like something you may have had before, yet are still unique.
Durian. Durian is known is Southeast Asia as The King of Fruits. It doesn’t smell like something you would actually eat. I believe the phrase “an acquired taste” was created expressly for the durian. The spines that form the outer covering of the durian are hard and sharp, and care must be taken in opening one. And one does not “eat” durian – one “has” durian.
Mangosteen. This is my personal favorite. You peel off the purple skin 
and expose the segmented fruit inside. It looks all the world like a tangerine except the mangosteen segments are a brilliant white, a startling contrast to the purple skin. I could consume a dozen or more of these babies in a single sitting. The taste is an almost perfect balance between sweet and sour, a combination of strawberry and raspberry and peach and some elusive “other” flavor. The mangosteen is known as The Queen of Fruit in Southeast Asia.
If you happen to find your way to Singapore or Thailand or Indonesia or Malaysia, be sure to visit the open air produce markets, where you will find these and many more fruits to delight the senses.
whoisfenton 