Determined not to let a prized tropical fruit go to waste, a Chinese family consumed 5.5 kilograms of durian outside Chiang Mai Airport in Thailand after being told they could not take it on their flight home.
The incident occurred on Sept. 16, as Li and his family prepared to return to China following a holiday in northern Thailand. Earlier that day, Li’s father had purchased several boxes of fresh durian, often called the “king of fruits” for its creamy flesh and infamous odor.
However, airlines prohibit durian on board due to its overpowering smell—described by some as sweet and custardy, but by others as resembling rotten onions or gas. Faced with the choice of throwing it away or eating it before boarding, the family decided to tackle it together, Mothership reported.
A video posted on Douyin showed them sitting outside the airport, peeling open plastic bags stuffed with the spiky fruit. Li gagged mid-bite, while his father kept going enthusiastically.
“When you have a stubborn father who buys 5.5 kilograms of durian before a flight, your family has no choice but to finish it,” Li joked in the clip.
He later confessed that after forcing down four or five pieces, he never wanted to see durian again. When the family finally boarded the plane, they reeked of the fruit and felt compelled to apologize to other passengers.
The video has quickly gone viral, racking up more than 186,000 likes. Many commenters praised the family’s determination not to waste such an expensive delicacy, which can fetch hundreds of dollars per fruit in some markets.
Native to Southeast Asia, durian remains one of the most divisive foods in the region—beloved for its rich taste, yet banned from hotels, subways, and airlines because of its pungent aroma.