You Don't Know Jackfruit

Have you ever tasted a slimy, carbonated banana? No, you haven't. This is why you don't know jackfruit. Let me introduce you to Bangladesh's national fruit, also called "kathal" (in Bengali) and also called "the party fruit" (by me) because if you have one, all the neighbours can smell it and want to come over and party with you. By "party" I mean eat jackfruit, drink tea and maybe sing some Tagore songs. The old lady next door will probably not want to join you, but will instead come over in her slippers and complain about the terrible smell. It is pretty strong. My own survey indicates that 46% of Bangaldeshis actually dislike their own national fruit. The question is, then why celebrate the jackfruit? Why not pick one of the obvious crowd-pleasers, lychees or mangos? I suppose the same, baffling, logic is behind the choice of their semi-popular national fish, the hilsa fish, which is booby-trapped with approximately 7,000 bones.

Before: Just Hanging out, Being Bloated and Prickly



After: Gore-Fest 2006!