INDONESIA - Jun 18, 2003 An AIDS organization in Indonesia is offering condoms that smell like durian fruit, a large, spiky tropical fruit that people seem to either love or hate with a passion. The fruit is so stinky, with a scent somewhere between stale urine and skunk, that it is banned from railway cars and airplanes across Asia. Never-the-less, durian fans are mad for the fruit's super-rich, custardy insides.A spokesman for DKT Indonesia reported that 130,000 durian condoms were snatched up in the first week of sales, indicating that many Indonesians were intrigued enough to give them a try. A similar introduction of durian condoms in Thailand in the 1980s failed to sustain consumer interest. HIV infections in Indonesia have doubled in the past five years, so hopes are high that the durian condoms will raise awareness along with appetites. |