Trying Durian & Longans tropical fruit for the first time

Often when I go to the city, I scope out tropical, rare, exotic fruits. I look for those that I haven't tried before. In the last couple of years I have tried for the first time: kumquats, cape gooseberries, guavas, fresh (homegrown) figs, red bananas, tamarind, Japanese eggplant, and jackfruit. It's a delight, a treat, and a privilege to eat these foods that are shipped from around the world to get to me in Kentucky.

Today when I went to the city, I stopped at an Asian market; and to my surprise, I found Durian and Longans. I highly recommend the Durian, but many have said it stinks and completely will stink up an entire area for days like onions or sewage. I definitely tasted the "onion" flavor of the Durian, but really started to enjoy the Durian. I did not eat the Durian all at once because of the fat content, the Durian will give you that coma feeling that you get from eating too much or love or sex (haha!)

Because I bought the Durian frozen, I soaked the Durian in hot water for a couple of hours. I think it needed more time to thaw, which is why I only ate a small portion of the Durian and immediately put the rest in a container the fridge. I removed all the fruit (which is like pods, as you can see in the photos); and composted the Durian skins outside due to the pungent smell. My family that was in the house with me as I cut it up said it smelled terrible.

As for the longans, my partner enjoyed them, but I really did not it. I really cannot describe the foul taste except that it's a weird combination of fish, grapes, and something else I can't quite interpret. Food is funny like that which creates such a preponderance of our senses.