Every time I go the asian market I can't help but pick up some exotic items to try out. Also I feel sort of guilty going up to the register with my gringo coconut milk and sriracha. So I always grab a can of fried wheat gluten in fermented sauce or whatever. A few weeks ago I decided I was going to eat healthier and picked up these vegetarian meatballs for $1.50.
The label proudly says "No Borax" and I cooked them in some broth with noodles.. the broth was great but these meatballs literally smelled like canned dog food and tasted even worse. The texture was like chewing on a rubber ball and they messed up my stomach for three days. Anyway if you want to make Pho broth at home they have these bags of mixed Pho spices for 75 cents full of cinnamon, star anise and crazy ass hunks of tree bark.
Fortunately these $2 Durian popsicles were awesome. Highly recommended if you aren't ready for the real thing, you still get the durian funk taste but not so much of the weird ammonia aftertaste. I haven't actually had straight durian fruit yet but they've got em and it's only a matter of time.
