What's delicious but smelly? Tempting but repulsive? … This sounds pretty weird. When Pen Gallery released their Sailor Limited Edition Professional Gear Durian Musang King, I was like OMGAAAAAAWD and I ordered it immediately because I am in love with Pro Gears and I love durian and I love yellow. AND. It was available with zoom nibs so there was just no other possible option but to buy it. So I did.What the heck is a durian, you ask? A fruit that is banned in some places like hotels and on Singapore's public transport because of its pungency? Ah, enter Wikipedia for the most elegant of descriptions.
The durian is the fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus Durio. Named in some regions as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, strong odour, and thorn-covered rind. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 inches) long and 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs 1 to 3 kilograms (2 to 7 pounds). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.
Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the aroma overpowering with an unpleasant odour. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as rotten onions, turpentine, and raw sewage. The persistence of its odour, which may linger for several days, has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in Southeast Asia. By contrast, the nineteenth-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet desserts in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.It's a strange looking fruit that I think is quite intriguing. Words that have been used to describe the smell range from gym sock to onions to excrement. Wow. Whatever you think of the smell, one thing is for sure: it can be smelled from some distance because it is potent. Oddly enough, it really does taste really good. I swear.
The packaging design is also really fun. I love the outer sleeve and they selected the nicer Sailor box - still simple but much better looking than the horrible blue clamshell box that I hate.
Probably one of the most adorable things about this pen, aside from the perfect creamy yellow, is the ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE WEE DURIAN on the end of the barrel. You can hate the durian in your mouth but it is just wicked cute like this.
A Haiku.
Sailor durian
Pen Gallery yellow pen
Zoom nib makes me weak
Are you for Haiku? Would you like to share one in the comments? I want to serenade my neurons with your sweet, smelly durian words. Several months later, it remains one of my favorite Sailors. The Pro Gear is one of my favorite models of fountain pen and is definitely my preferred Sailor model. It's just the right size, does not need posting, is light and comfortable and maintenance is very low. I really appreciate the very easy-to-use cartridge/converter and although the converter holds little ink, it's so easy to flush clean.
If you missed the video of it, here it is!
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