Buff fruit seller in Terengganu has Malaysians craving for more than just durian

The king of fruit, with its aggressive look and smell, is usually the centre of attention. But a beefy durian seller from Malaysia might soon dethrone its position on TikTok. 

Mr Ery Syarif, from the state of Terengganu, has been gaining attention on the social media platform for showing off his pumped-up physique while selling the fruit.

A 12-second clip of him shirtless went viral on TikTok, with his most-viewed video garnering over 600,000 views and 21,000 likes last Friday. His other video had more than 240,000 views.

In videos uploaded by him under the username @erysyarif247, he can be seen manning his durian store clad in trousers, slippers, shades and not much else.

He said that it was his first time doing durian business. He usually sells the fruit near Kuala Terengganu Drawbridge.

He makes between RM1,000 (S$292) and RM1,500 ($439) a month doing this on a part-time basis.

Besides selling durians, he also manages his family’s keropok lekor (a traditional Malay fish cracker snack) business.

@erysyarif247 restoran ta kir pun ade boh musang king... ore klate boleh mari beli deh.. #klate #musangkingdurian #jgnfyp ♬ original sound - erysyarif247

Some Malaysian netizens could not contain their enthusiasm for durians after seeing Mr Ery. One joked that the clip had her craving durians.

Another said she was hungry for the fruit but has to go alone to buy it instead of asking her husband to accompany her.

But there were a few prudish ones who were left with a bad taste in the mouth and wanted him to change his selling strategy, according to mStar.

They left less-than-flattering comments on his video and urged others to buy durians from someone who dressed more modestly. 

But Mr Ery, a single father to three children, was not bothered by these prickly reactions.

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