Bus with durian fruit on rooftop along road from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City
About this photograph
- Creator
- Margery H. Freeman
- Date created
- May 1997
- Location
- Road from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City
- License
- This photograph copyright ©1997. Terms of use
Related media
Learn more
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
A bus transports dozens of large durian fruits on a rooftop rack along the road from Dalat to Ho Chi Minh City.
Durian is a greenish-brown, spiky, Southeast Asian fruit, which grows larger than a soccer ball or an American football. Inside its sharp outer husk is a soft whitish pulp surrounding tan seeds. The strong taste of the pulp can be described as a cross between a sweet egg custard and ripe soft cheese. Most people either love or hate the taste, but almost everyone agrees that the pungent smell can be overwhelming.
Durian is one of the most prized and valuable foods in Southeast Asia, but its strong odor has led to restrictions on it being carried inside public vehicles or buildings. Hotels and public trains often post signs (in local languages) which say “No Durian Allowed.”
