Ah, the durian — arguably the most controversial fruit within any Southeast Asian nation. Whether you love it or hate it though, one thing everyone can all agree on is that it is best/should only be eaten within the confines of your dining room (or like, maybe some sort of durian café). Where it absolutely must not be consumed is on methods of public transportation, such as, say, a public bus with the windows shut and air-con turned on.
Well, according to a post that’s going around on Facebook, at least one durian-loving woman seems to have missed the memo.
On Monday, Facebook user Pwint Oo Aung uploaded photos of a woman on her bus casually eating a bag of durians right then and there in the air-conditioned vehicle.
Along with the pictures, Pwint Oo Aung wrote: “Doesn’t she have any common sense? Or is her brain not functioning properly?”
—Eating the durians in the first place
—Eating the durians and then proceeding to just dump the seeds
—Eating the durians and then proceeding to just dump the seeds behind another passenger’s seat
Pwint Oo Aung also uploaded a sign that says ‘No durians,’ although some users have mentioned in the comments that the photo of the sign was taken from somewhere else and that it actually wasn’t on the YBS bus, as is evidenced by the fact that the fines are in dollars. However, as one person responded: “The sign might be from somewhere else, but the post’s intention is to show that you can’t even bring a durian onboard in other countries.”
The rest of the comments are flooded with outrageous citizens who basically make the very good point that this is precisely why we can’t have nice things.
One person wrote: “This is a disgrace. She should be made to clean YBS buses for a month as a punishment.”
Another who seemed to have a lot of things to say but ultimately bit their tongue (or at least tried to) commented: “If I say something, I’ll just acquire demerit for myself, so I’m not going to say anything… Tell her to change to a garbage truck”
And a lot of people felt that ‘silently’ shaming actions like this on social media isn’t enough. As one user points out: “If you see someone doing this or something similar, you need to say something so that they’ll change. If we feel bad and stay quiet, the number of people who don’t feel bad and are willing to take advantage will just increase.”
Look, guys, we don’t care how many durians you eat in the privacy of your own homes, but don’t do it in a confined public space. And for crying out loud, please definitely do not just dump your durian seeds on a public bus. Believe it or not, not everyone enjoys a durian-scented commute.
