Malaysian politician floored by stinky fruit

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7889068/Malaysian-politician-floored-by-stinky-fruit.html
Malaysian politician floored by stinky fruit
A Malaysian politician has been hospitalised after gorging himself on durian, a south east Asian fruit that is widely-banned in public places because of its pungent smell.
By Malcolm Moore in Kuala Lumpur
Published: 7:00AM BST 14 Jul 2010

Durian, which is revered as the "king of fruits" in south east Asia, has a particularly rich and creamy flesh that is high in fat and sugar.

The 19th-century British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, described it as similar to "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, sherry wine and other incongruous dishes".

More recently, Anthony Burgess, the novelist, said eating durian was "like eating raspberry blancmange in the lavatory". The odour of the durian is so strong that the fruit is forbidden on public transport, aeroplanes and in hotels.

Ahmad Lai Bujang, a 61-year-old member of the Malaysian parliament for the Sibuti region was rushed to hospital complaining of breathlessness and dizziness after a durian and mutton banquet last week.

"Ahmad loosened his tie and we noticed that he stopped laughing with us and his eyes rolled back. The other people at the dinner immediately started to rub his forehead and ask if he was all right," said Datuk Idris Haron, another politician present.

Mr Ahmad has since been discharged from Kuala Lumpur hospital. "I ate too many durians that day. There were four different varieties and all were very tasty. The doctors warned me against it in the future, so I will stay away from the fruit for a month," he said.

"People eating durian experience a bloated feeling which lasts for hours because of the high calorific content," said Dr Lee Boon Chye, a cardiologist.