Hot and thorny: Shirtless durian seller in Malaysia has netizens going bananas

The smell of durian is not for everyone.

Those who find the tropical king of fruits repulsive might even choose to flee from the scene entirely.

But you might want to think twice if you're in Terengganu, Malaysia.

That's because you'd be missing out on some delectable delights (and we're not even talking about the durians).

Durian seller Ery Syarif is gaining popularity after a 12-second clip of himself selling durians while shirtless went viral on TikTok.

Posted last Friday (June 2), the short clip has 240,000 views at the time of writing.

@erysyarif247

musang king!!!!!!!

♬ original sound - 𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓪 🦖💫 - 𝙰𝚍𝚒𝚔 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚜 ツ

Shirtless and ripped, Ery had a durian in one hand and a knife in the other. This isn't your regular durian seller.

Describing his physique as simply eye-catching might be doing him a disservice even.

It's no wonder he chose to do his job shirtless. If you got it, flaunt it, right?

To be fair, taking his top off at work might not be a decision that's solely based on aesthetics.

Durian sellers work outdoors and the weather can be unforgivingly hot. Add a shirtless hunk to the mix and watch the temperature rise even higher.

In the comments section, tongues were wagging as netizens giggled and blushed in response to seeing Ery.

A netizen joked that the clip had them craving durians but was unable to convince their husband to buy some with them. 

Shyness was a common reaction among netizens.

"Like this, I want to visit also shy," one TikTok user said.

Another commented: "Want to buy but too shy."

That said, at the other end of the spectrum, there were netizens who did not like that Ery took his top off.

One comment read: "If you can, try to buy from sellers who cover up, no matter if they're a man or woman."

A netizen seemed oblivious to the commotion entirely and just wanted to know how much his durians cost.

Ery replied that his Musang King durians are priced at RM45 (S$13) per kilogramme (kg).

The single dad, who's also a father of three, told the Malaysian publication mStar that he had not expected the video to go viral.

As for the negative comments, Ery chose to turn a blind eye to them.

"I'm not selling my dignity. I still have my pants on and [I'm] not just wearing my underwear. It's just that you can see a bit of my belly button," he said.

Ery revealed that selling durians is his side gig and he's able to earn between RM1,000 and RM1,500 a month.

His full-time job is to manage the family's keropok lekor store.

In a separate TikTok video, Ery is seen posing with his durians.

That 14-second clip garnered more than 600,000 views at the time of writing.  

'Tis the durian season

While there's yet to be an Ery equivalent in Singapore, durian lovers here can rejoice nonetheless.

The durian season is off with a bang with vendors selling premium Mao Shan Wang durians at never-before-seen low prices.

This price war has led to some stallholders selling the king of fruits for $8 per kg.

Chen, the boss of Wang Sheng Li Durian Station, mentioned that the bountiful season is likely to continue for the next few months.

"This year's prices are the cheapest, and it's just the start with mostly Johor durians. In June and July, there'll be durians from Pahang," he added. 

ALSO READ: Too hot to handle? Public calls police on shirtless hunks serving drinks at BBQ restaurant in Bugis

amierul@asiaone.com

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