OK. to end all of your frustration. This is a fruit called a Durian. I know they are harvested in Vietnam. Typically they are frozen when they are for sale. You buy the critters and place them OUTSIDE!!! Over the next month or so their stench increases and the spines become soft. When you can't stand the smell anymore. Then the fruit apparently tastes good. So, yes it edible and quite the sellout item in certain neighborhoods! Bsteph