PETALING JAYA: A durian buffet in Malaysia was cut short after 17 tonnes of the fruit were devoured by enthusiastic patrons.
The event organised by the Perak Department of Agricultural Development for Larut, Matang and Selama district, offered an all-you-can-eat durian experience for just RM10 per hour.
The buffet, scheduled over four sessions across the weekend of July 13-14, saw many Malaysians flock to the event, eager to take advantage of the deal.
The sessions which were planned from 11am to 2pm and 4pm to 6pm on Saturday, and 11am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm on Sunday.
The event also allowed children under the age of five to eat for free.
The event aimed to promote durians grown in the district, with most of the fruits sourced from Batu Kurau and Terong.
With an initial expectation of distributing 10 tonnes of durians, the organisers were surprised by the overwhelming response.
The demand was so high that 17 tonnes of the King of Fruits were consumed within the first three sessions (approx 8 hours), prompting the cancellation of the final session on Sunday afternoon.
According to Oriental Daily, Liang Liping, a participant, shared her excitement: “I had previously paid as much as RM12 per kilogram for kampung durian. When I heard about this festival, I rushed down with my friends.”
She described a festive atmosphere with Malaysians of all ethnic groups enjoying the event in a picnic-like setting.
Liu Yafu appreciated not having to worry about wasting money on inferior-quality durians elsewhere and enjoyed the unique experience of eating under the shade of trees.
Wang Jiamei from Kuala Lumpur, visiting Taiping with her husband, praised the durians’ quality, estimating she consumed about 3kg, which would have cost her RM20 elsewhere.
