Hi Fred, I was at that party. In fact if you remember, it was one of my posts that brought up the subject of Durian, King of the Fruits in the first place. Gosh, I musta been getting nostalgic about my times in Asia. X was there too, and partook in said durian tasting. I imagine the affects are finally starting to wear off. Awful stuff, but so many of my friends over there are devotees, including one MD for National, of Scottish birth if I remember correctly. (MD thats Managing Director, kind of a god-in-the-flesh sort of position).
We can buy durian locally here in Silicon valley at any number of oriental grocery stores. There's a large chain doing tremendous business called Ranch 99. Its like stepping across the dateline, the sights and smells takes one to Anytown, Asia. All sorts of Asian food delights. Ever tried dried duck tongue ?
I'm seeing creeping downturn indications within silicon valley that reflects the negative impact of Asian customers. Some companies are reporting lowered earnings, some are even starting into the quiet layoff phase of belt-tightening. I look for Q2 earnings to confirm this trend and show it in more depth. Next 60 days should start showing serious impact over here. |
