Asians like it stinky.

Over the years, I have eaten around the world and cooked countless recipes from around the globe, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Malaysian, you name it. At the end of the day, the flavours that I cannot resist are those pungent and borderline stinky. As a matter of fact, observations and research I have carried out over the years can only point to one simple yet obvious conclusion: Asians like it stinky. Question: what is the one thing the following Asian ingredients have in common? Korean kimchi, Chinese fermented tofu, century-year-old egg, Korean fermented bean paste, Malaysian shrimp paste ('Belacan'), durian and Vietnamese fish sauce. See a pattern here? Yes, the answer is: they all STINK!! I would have to take my hat off to the 'culinary pioneer' who discovered durian, which is a large south-east Asian fruit (dubbed the king of fruits’), with a thorn-covered husk. Inside the evil-looking husk are segments of cream-coloured pulp with a texture that resembles sticky custard, and odour that resembles what comes out after a bad night out at the local Indian restaurant. I wonder what had possessed the person who first discovered the fruit to open up the thick thorny husk, take a whip of that indescribably-foul-smelling flesh, and go: "hmm, I am going to stick it in my mouth"!!!! I have over the years come up with various theories (such as maybe the Malays had seen monkeys eat durian, hence decided to give it a crack themselves, or starving Malays stuck in the jungle with nothing but durians to eat, etc), but how durian became a regional favourite remains a mystery to me. When it comes to stinky Asian foods, you either LOVE them so dearly you have to have them all the time, or HATE them so passionately you cannot stay from them far enough. Like durian, Korean kimchi is also one of those things that you either love or hate. The most common Kimchi is Chinese cabbage fermented in fish sauce, salt, chilli and garlic. If you wish to understand Koreans' love affair with garlic and chilli, there is no better way to start your Korean food education than eating Kimchi. It is refreshing, tangy, spicy, salty and most importantly, STINKY. Its iconic role in the Korean cuisine is undeniable, as Koreans eat it as an essential condiment to every meal (breakfast included). You can smell a Korean coming before you can see them in flesh and blood, as the garlic breath travels far and fast. Like other fermented and pickled foods, Kimchi was invented for practical reasons-to preserve vegetables for the cold harsh winter when nothing grows, but I believe Kimchi serves other practical benefits, such as preventing the spreading of flu viruses. The reason is simple: nobody would want to go anywhere near you after you eat Kimchi!

I can go on for days about the wonderfully-addictive stinky foods of Asia. I guess those stinky foods were invented/discovered because it makes sense-stinky foods are pungent and flavoursome, and we like strong flavours. For those adventurous people out there who have never tried any of the stinky Asian foods, it is time to step out of your comfort zone and try something new and exciting. You may end up picking up a few new food addictions, like the Kimchi-loving Italian I met last week!