At a glance, she can identify different varieties of durian, even estimating how old the trees are.

Her first taste of durian at a vegan friend’s party in her hometown of Oregon, US led her to Penang on a journey of exploration and discovery through Asia.

“Before that, I had no clue that such a wonderfully stinky, spiky, delicious fruit even existed,” she said while laying the thorny fruit on her chest to forcefully open it.

“When people see me at durian orchards, they often ask, ‘are you lost?’.

“I have been searching for durians from Sumatera to Cambodia and then Thailand. When I arrived in Penang, I realised it was a place I could call home,” the 29-year-old lass said.

Backpacking across Asia, she sought out durian orchards, tasting and learning all she could about the fruit. This wealth of information culminated in a 327-page book, “The Durian Tourist’s Guide to Penang” which details the state’s best durian stalls on a map, with contact numbers.

“She is by far the best durian researcher I have met, she knows durians in and out, better than us sometimes,” said a durian planter during Gasik’s recent durian-tasting party at Karuna Hills in Balik Pulau.

Durian Snobs for ‘connoisseurs’ only

The event “Durian Snobs” she hosted recently, was attended by about 50 people from Penang and other parts of the world. Gasik said she specifically chose the word “Snobs” to playfully convey the meaning of “connoisseurs” such as those who attended wine-tasting events.

While durian sellers typically use mittens when handling the thorny fruit and cleavers to tear open the thick skin, Gasik uses her bare hands and a short knife to skilfully prise open a 5kg durian.

“I love the goldfish durian, it is like heaven dropped at my feet!” she said, while serving fresh pulp to enamoured “snobs”.

With her keen eye, Gasik can tell how old each fruit is. She can also spot a rip off when she sees one and offered tips on how to tell if a Musang King was being passed off as an Oo Chee, the most expensive variety costing anything from RM50 to RM100 per kg.

Mouths agape, guests listened as Gasik described each durian by its unique shape, size, smell, colour, texture, taste and tree character.

She explained that the more wrinkly the pulp, the tastier the fruit and the more likely it came from a tree 30 years old or more, as these had a lower water content that concentrated the flavours.

Awed by her in-depth knowledge was a group of 20 Indonesian durian planters, who were served 23 varieties of durians from the entry-level D11 to Oo Chee, the best which Gasik saved for last.

“Luar biasa (extraordinary),” said Kurniadi, a farm owner from Sukabumi, West Java.

“Some of the fruits served here are much better than those in Indonesia,” said Riyanto, who owns a durian orchard in Tegal, Central Java.

Love at first bite

Gasik compared her love for durians to her childhood love of roses and its vines. “The duality of roses, the symbol of love and delicacy growing on such an unfriendly plant, made them somehow more beautiful to me.

“It was easy to shift my rose obsession to durians. Durians are not only thorny and strange, they are edible and delicious,” she said.

Gasik has visited 13 countries since 2011 and published a “hunting guide” for durian-crazy fans in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Making Penang her home in 2012, Gasik has visited almost every farm in the state and even some on mainland Seberang Perai, and declared Balik Pulau as the mecca for durian lovers.

She has even tracked down orchard owners by painstakingly scanning the official government durian register, which assigns numbers to the fruit i.e. D11, etc.

She also continues to host durian-tasting parties for the equally obsessed and mildly curious.

Deputy Minister wants to make Gasik’s durian map famous

Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Sim Tze Tzin, who attended the “Durian Snobs” event, said Gasik was the best durian guide he knew and invited her to participate in the 2018 MAHA expo in Serdang, an international agricultural meet.

Sim also invited Gasik to co-develop a durian map for Penang, to improve durian tourism in the state.

“The Japanese rock melon is not allowed for export and costs over RM200 a fruit. You can only eat rock melons in Japan.

“So, my ministry could work together with Gasik to develop a Penang durian map so that our durian farmers can rely on a steady income from tourism,” the Bayan Baru MP said.

Those interested in purchasing Gasik’s “The Durian Tourist’s Guide to Penang” can contact [email protected] or visit www.yearofthedurian.com. Her book is not available in bookstores.