A couple of days ago, local content creator @ivor_xianz, who previously went viral for working a 9 to 5 shift on the LRT, posted a video of her trying red durian during her trip to Sabah. In the video, she said, “I’m Malaysian and durian is our national fruit but I’ve never seen a red durian. This is my first time seeing one after being alive for more than a decade”.
While her original intention was to showcase the rare fruit variation, which is a common delicacy in the Borneo states, netizens were quick to point out an error she made in her commentary, saying that durian is not actually our country’s national fruit. Understandably so, the TikToker did not take it very well.
@ivor_xianz Replying to @H Ä N N i just found out Malaysia’s national fruit is not durian but … papaya?? 🇲🇾😭
♬ original sound – Ivor trying so u dont hve to – Ivor trying so u dont hve to
Distraught by the comments, she posted a follow-up video yesterday (Wednesday, 7th February), as seen above, of her reaction to her recent discovery. “What do you mean Malaysia’s national fruit is not durian? It’s apparently papaya? I don’t think I’m Malaysian anymore. Am I even Malaysian?” the flabbergasted influencer questioned herself. She then shared that she was embarrassed for not knowing this fact.
Curious, the TikToker proceeded to Google and discover that durian is the national fruit of Indonesia and Singapore. She tried to justify her reasons for believing that the King of Fruits is the national fruit of Malaysia, saying that it’s more famously known in our homeland compared to the neighbouring countries.
“I am not believing this Wikipedia article until there’s an official statement from the government saying Malaysia’s national fruit is papaya so someone clear this up, please,” she said. Many apparently had the same reaction as Ivor saying that they had no idea that Malaysia’s national fruit is papaya instead of durian. Those on Twitter even tagged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in hopes of bringing this to his attention.
We decided to check the Wikipedia article mentioned in the influencer’s video and saw that Malaysia’s national fruit had been changed from papaya to durian. However, a citation was not included to back up the now-edited information. If you were to Google “Malaysia’s national fruit” then the results would still be papaya.
Have you always known that durian is not the national fruit of Malaysia or is this brand new information for you as well? Watch Ivor’s previous video below:
@ivor_xianz 1st time trying Red Durian that tastes like kombucha 😭 🇲🇾 gotta love Borneo #durian
♬ original sound – Ivor trying so u dont hve to – Ivor trying so u dont hve to
