
Glico's latest durian-flavoured Pocky, now available in Singapore, sparks thorny discussion
The flavour? Durian.
The creamy fruit with its spiky exterior is native to South-east Asia and is well-loved in the region, earning it the title of 'The King of Fruits'. However, not all are fond of the fruit - the durian-averse have described it as tasting like puke or expired custard.
The durian-flavoured Pocky snack was reportedly launched in Thailand late last year and can now be found in local stores. According to the NTUC FairPrice website, the snack costs $13.90 for a bundle of 10 boxes weighing 25g each while the usual flavours like chocolate and strawberry cost about $1.40 for an individual 45g box.
The snack can also be purchased online via Shopee, with listings pricing it at up to $4.90 per box and $20.60 for a bundle.
The durian Pocky flavour has seen a mixed bag of reactions. Some have said they cannot get enough of it, while others have expressed an intense dislike.
Several foodies, taking their first bite of the snack, shared their unfiltered and immediate thoughts on TikTok.
"It's not too sweet, and it really tastes like durian," said one person. Praising the taste, another said: "I wish I'd bought more."
Another netizen on Threads described the durian-flavoured Pocky sticks as tasting "heavenly".
But others were not convinced.
"They managed to make it taste like durian smells, rather than how it tastes," said one Reddit user.
Another, admitting that they have never actually tried durian, said the snack tasted cheesy and had a garlic aftertaste.
Glico has in the past introduced other unique flavours of its Pocky snack such as the limited-edition Baked Cheesecake flavour, the US-exclusive peppermint flavour and the Sakura flavour.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Style News: Aupen x Fullerton Hotel couture bag, Jo Malone pop-up at Paragon
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (Clockwise from left) Jo Malone's limited edition scent, Raspeberry Ripple, complimented with Orange Marmalade, Aupen's latest bag from its private couture series Haute Maroquinerie and OWNDAYS' glasses inspired by Squid Game. New Aupen bag flaunts Singapore symbol Old and new Singapore icons collide in Aupen's latest creation from its private couture series Haute Maroquinerie: A black handbag featuring the hand-painted facade of The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. Seventy-year-old tannery Heng Long supplies the crocodile leather for the purse. The bag brand, founded by Singaporean Nicholas Tan from his grandmother's home in 2022, might be headquartered in Paris, but in this one-of-one piece, it wears its colours proudly – if not, a little subtly. At a corner of the bag's asymmetrical body, an Aupen signature, peeks the profile of the hotel's neoclassical pillars, as if glimpsed sidelong. The 'fractured' appearance of the edifice is meant to provoke a 'more abstract contemplation of heritage', Aupen said in a statement. The bag will be on show at a private event at The Fullerton Hotel from July 5 to 6. It is the second release in Aupen's Haute Maroquinerie, in its partnership with French luxury conglomerate LVMH's artisanal arm Metiers d'Art. The first was carried by American pop star Madonna, who showed it off on her Instagram Story in mid-June. Squid Game glasses hit town Fans of South Korean dystopian series Squid Game (2021 to 2025) can get their hands on glasses inspired by the show at Owndays stores. The Japanese eyewear brand's collaboration with the Netflix hit features six designs in two colours each. Prices start at $178. Those fond of the much-memed Red Light, Green Light killer doll might like the Boston-shaped frames of the Young-hee model. The pair comes with 3D touches taken from the robot's laser-beam shooting hairband and pigtails. The Japanese eyewear brand OWNDAYS collaboration with the Netflix hit features six designs, in two colours each. PHOTO: OWNDAYS The Stair model is a more surreal choice, with clear Boston frames that recall the dalgona candy from one of the show's iconic challenges. The temple tips of the frames trace the pastel maze of stairs in the Squid Game building where players fight to the death. For a more obvious reference, look to the OX model, with sharp, square frames marked with the 'yes' or 'no' O and X symbols of the game's ultimate vote. Info: Available at all Owndays stores and online at Paragon celebrates summer in style with scents and sounds Jo Malone brings it newest and limited edition scent - Raspeberry Ripple, complimented with Orange Marmalade - to the Paragon pop up. PHOTO: PARAGON Jo Malone brings a seaside-themed pop-up to Paragon, as part of the mall's Hello Summer events running from now until Aug 10. The London perfume brand has brought in its newest – and limited-edition – scent, Raspberry Ripple, with scent notes of redcurrant, raspberry and white musk, and is serving edible themed treats on site until July 13. Other than photo-friendly spots and personalisation stations, visitors can also discover their signature scent at Jo Malone's Scent For You Workshop, taking place at the installation on July 4 and 5. Soundtracking Paragon's activities at the main atrium until July 12 are daily performances from local music acts such as Mandopop songwriter Elizabeth Saw, jazz vocal improvisor Yvette Atienza and a trio led by singer-songwriter Charlene Su.

Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Straits Times
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs convicted on prostitution counts, but cleared of more serious charges
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Prosecutors say Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty after a criminal trial in which two former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. NEW YORK - Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty on July 2 of prostitution-related offences, but cleared of more serious charges after a criminal trial in which two of the music mogul's former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them. Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, a partial win for the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture. Prosecutors say Combs for two decades used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fuelled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as 'Freak Offs' with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed. During raids of Combs' homes, authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant that he would use in the performances, prosecutors said. Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts. His lawyers acknowledged that the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships. But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual. The seven-week trial in Manhattan federal court exposed the inner workings of Combs' business empire and gave the 12-member jury an intimate look into his volatile romantic relationships with the rhythm and blues singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane. Ms Ventura sued Combs in November 2023 for sex trafficking, the first of dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse. Combs, also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy and once feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, settled with Ms Ventura for US$20 million (S$25 million). He has denied all wrongdoing. At the trial, jurors saw surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs kicking and dragging Ms Ventura in the hallway of an InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, where she said she was trying to leave a 'Freak Off'. Jane later testified that Combs in June 2024 attacked her and directed her to perform oral sex on a male entertainer, even though she told him she did not want to. That alleged attack took place a month after Combs apologised on social media for his 2016 attack of Ms Ventura, footage of which had been broadcast on CNN. According to prosecutors, physical violence was just one way Combs compelled Ms Ventura and Jane to take part in the performances - an act of coercion they say amounts to sex trafficking because the male escorts were paid. Both women testified that he threatened to withhold financial support and to leak sexually explicit images of them if they refused to comply. 'The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,' prosecutor Christy Slavik said in her closing argument on June 26. 'He doesn't take no for an answer.' Combs' defence lawyers argued that while Combs may have committed domestic violence in the context of volatile romantic partnerships, his conduct did not amount to sex trafficking. They argued that Ms Ventura and Jane were strong, independent women who voluntarily took part in the sexual performances because they wanted to please Combs. Both women testified they spent time with Combs and took part in sexual performances after he beat them. Defence lawyers argued that Ms Ventura and Jane were retrospectively accusing Combs of forcing their participation in the performances because they were jealous he was seeing other women. 'If he was charged with domestic violence, we wouldn't all be here,' Combs' defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in his closing argument on June 27. 'He did not do the things he's charged with.' Racketeering conspiracy Besides Ms Ventura and Jane, jurors also heard testimony from Combs' former personal assistants who said their jobs included setting up hotel rooms for 'Freak Offs' and buying their boss drugs. An InterContinental security guard testified that Combs, in the presence of his chief of staff, paid him US$100,000 to hand over what he thought was the only copy of the surveillance tape of his attack on Ms Ventura. And Mr Scott Mescudi, the rapper known as Kid Cudi, told jurors Combs was likely involved in an arson on his car after Combs found out he was romantically involved with Ms Ventura. According to prosecutors, those were all acts Combs and his associates undertook in furtherance of a racketeering conspiracy whose aim was, in part, to facilitate his abuse and keep evidence of his wrongdoing under wraps. The defence argued Combs was a successful entrepreneur who used drugs recreationally, but kept his professional and personal lives separate. Combs has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. REUTERS


International Business Times
20 hours ago
- International Business Times
Will Great Disaster Strike Japan on July 15? Manga Artist Predicts Mega Earthquake
Japan is now a topic of discussion worldwide due to a grim prediction by manga artist Ryo Tatsuki. The Japanese graphic novel artist and psychic predicted a great disaster for the East Asian country on July 15. In her best-selling comic, The Future I Saw, she predicted that a mega earthquake would strike Japan in July. The complete version of her book Watashi ga Mita Mirai, Kanzenban (The Future That I Saw) contains her new prophecy about a major natural disaster. The cult work, published in 2021, mentioned a dream she had while travelling in India in July 2021. In her dream, the manga artist saw "a crack opening up under the seabed between Japan and the Philippines, sending ashore waves three times as tall as those from the Tōhoku earthquake". According to her, she saw the seas boil as if she were looking at the earth as if it were on Google Earth. She had the dream again at 4.18 am on July 5, 2021. "The disaster will occur in July 2025. If the day you have a dream is the day it becomes reality, then the next great disaster will be July 5, 2025," Tatsuki wrote. The Impact The grim prediction by Ryo Tatsuki led to a dramatic fall in the bookings to Japan this summer. The prophecy gained massive traction online, resulting in a 50 percent dip in bookings to the country. Flight reservations to this East Asian country from Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Hong Kong declined due to this prediction. "The earthquake prophecy has caused a big change to our customers' preferences," Frankie Chow, head of Hong Kong travel agency CLS Holiday, told AFP. Will Great Disaster Strike Japan on July 15? Here is the truth about the grim prediction by Ryo Tatsuki about a great disaster in Japan on July 15. The manga artist, 70, said in her new autobiography, The Testament of an Angel, that the prediction about a disaster next week would have been a misprint from the publisher's side. She stressed that July 15 was the day she had this dream in 2021. The editorial staff could have misinterpreted her words. "I was unhappy that it was published primarily based on the publisher's wishes. I vaguely remember mentioning it, but it appears to have been hurriedly written during a rush of work. The day I had the dream does not equal the day something happens," she told the Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun. The Japanese graphic novel artist and psychic shared her happiness watching people show interest in The Future I Know. Over 1.06 million copies of the book have been sold, with a renewed interest in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia. "It is evidence of growing awareness of disaster prevention, and we view this as a positive thing. We would like to help in the event of a disaster, and hope that this interest will lead to safety measures and preparations. I have to be especially careful when I go out, and I also try to stock up on supplies in case of a disaster," she shared. Meanwhile, seismologists said that it is impossible to predict the exact date, time, and location of an earthquake. An earthquake can occur at any time. It is important to make preparations. "With current scientific knowledge, it is difficult to predict an earthquake by specifying its date, time, and location, so please be aware that earthquakes can occur at any time and make preparations on an ongoing basis," the Cabinet Office Disaster Prevention Division in Japan mentioned on X/Twitter. What is The Future I Saw? The cult work contains 15 dreams that the manga artist had in 1985. She wrote them in a notebook that her mother gifted her. The book gained traction after 13 of her dreams came true. Some of her dreams were about the deaths of Diana and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, a pandemic in 2020 – the coronavirus, and the Tōhoku earthquake in March 2011.