Shortly after arriving in Thailand I was told about the gawd awful smelling, but tasty, durian fruit.  I was also warned not to eat it before, during or after the consumption of alcohol, as the combination was lethal.  So many people (farang and Thai) told me of this danger I had no reason to believe otherwise…until now.

A few weeks ago I was out shopping with a couple of Thai boys.  Just before grabbing a taxi home they spotted a durian stand and decided to buy some.  Knowing we were going out drinking a little later, I questioned the wisdom of consuming the infamous fruit.  They informed me there was no problem with eating durian before drinking, but it was not a good idea to mix during or after.

When we got to the room, both consumed most of the durian and put the rest in the refrigerator, a move I later regretted allowing, as it took days to get the smell out.  The odor from durian is so foul it’s banned form all forms of public and commercial transportation, hotels, and hospitals, to name a few.  Anyway, the boys went out with me that night and drank large quantities of whiskey with no ill effects.

Later I got to thinking this concern over mixing the fruit with alcohol was nothing more than a widely believed myth, something we tend to see a lot of in Thailand.  So, I decided to get on the Internet and do some research.  What I discovered was Thais follow a Chinese medical belief that foods and drinks fall into the categories of hot and cold, and it is a bad idea to mix two or more from the same group.  Both durian and alcohol are considered hot, and this is at the root of the belief mixing the two can be fatal.  I also learned the risk is in consuming large quantities of durian while drinking, something most apparently don’t do anyway.

Then I discovered durian is gaining popularity as an export, and has even found its way into stores in America.  I took a leap of faith and reasoned the American government was not going to allow a fruit on the market with the potential to kill people if consumed with alcohol.

My conclusion is there’s probably some truth to this belief, in that it may contribute to an already existing problem.  As an example, I read on Wikipedia people with high blood pressure or pregnant women are traditionally advised not to consume durian.   Wikipedia also talks about Discover magazine reporting an incident where a woman with preexisting renal failure ate a durian and ended up critically ill from potassium overdose.

I think this belief stems from an ancient need to keep the uneducated people safe by giving them an overly simplified rule to follow.  While the Thai people are certainly more educated and sophisticated than in earlier times, they still like to hold onto traditional beliefs, particularly when they have some merit.