Singapore and Malaysia have always been at odds when it comes to food, but imagine Malaysia’s disappointment when the Singaporean government banned durians from their 4-day Malaysia Fest 2019 that happened in the Expo Building.
Singaporean citizens echoed Malaysia’s sadness towards the dismissal of what is Asia’s most popular and sought after fruit, but the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) had a plan up their sleeves.
Upon receiving the ban notice, FAMA immediately replaced the smelly fruit with an equally smelly Malaysian vegetable, petai!
Source: The Malaysian Insight
“Two dollar (RM6) for five strands! Two dollars for five strands!” could be heard the moment people entered Hall 6. They had initially only wanted to ship in 4,000 strands, but due to the overwhelming response from Singaporeans, the shipment order was changed to over 10,000 strands!
FAMA had apparently tried very hard to bring in the popular Musang King durian along with other home-grown variations of the fruit, but the ban was imposed due to the pungent aromatic smell. Some Singaporeans even approached the petai booth, inquiring, “Are the durians finished? Can you bring in more for tomorrow?”
Can you imagine their disappointment when they found out that there were no durians at all?
The 4-day event consisted of over 233 booths revolving around Malaysian food, fruits, beauty products and fashion, celebrity brands, tourism, and services.
But what’s the whole point of having a Malaysian Festival without the king of Malaysian fruits, durians?
Also read: Thieves Poison Watchdogs to Death and Then Steal Durians at Perak Durian Farm
