Have you ever wondered how durian would look like without its trademark thorns?
Well, wonder no more. Here’s your answer.
If you somehow feel…disturbed, don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s almost nature to have trypophobia, which is the fear of “holes” like this. And just so you know, the fear is biological, in which our mind would associate such image with danger naturally.
Now, back to the topic: the reason for this weird durian? No, it’s not because the durian has dropped from a tree and killed someone recently, hence resulting in a new regulation that turns all durians into chao recruits; it’s all because of globalization.
Well, sort of.
Durians, usually popular in Southeast Asia, are now gaining popularity all over the world, and hence tourists have requested to remove the thorns so that it’ll be easier to carry while travelling.
The weird fad started last week, when tourists visited Por Pala-U Farm in Thailand and realized that they could buy these botak durians. The owner will remove the thorns in five minutes and make carrying (and opening) much easier, solving the age-old first-world problem.
The owner would not charge extra for removing the thorns.
However, it is unknown whether prices for durians have increased in Thailand: over here in Singapore and Malaysia, prices have been rising due to increased demand from China. The king of the “king of fruits”, Mao Shan Wang, has its price increased by about half since five years ago.
No doubt there has been mixed reactions to this. While it does make it easier to carry…why can’t they just re-package the durian meat, like how it is done in Singapore?
After all, anyone who buys a whole durian isn’t just for the meat—it’s for the experience. Right?
And aren’t they disturbed by the botak durian?