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  Durian-seller Guolai says that Chinese customers prefer famous durian strains.

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  In accordance with the changing times, customers have begun to take note of famous durian strains. Famous strains in Bukit Mertajam have been given nicknames such as "Dog Bathing", "Soong Ai Ling", "Narrowtail", etc.

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BUKIT MERTAJAM: These days, Malaysians prefer to select the durians they buy based on strains. Not only must estate-owners provide good quality and popular durian strains, they must also give these strains catchy nicknames. The durian-sellers of Bukit Mertajam have come up with some catchy, if odd, names for their durians, including "Dog Bathing", "Soong Ai Ling", "Narrowtail", etc.

Guolai, who has been selling durians for more than 20years, said that in the past there were only a few durian brands, and some of the most famous brands come from places like Balik Pulau. However, as time went on, durian competitions became more and more frequent occurrences. People started to take more notice of a durian's strain. Even though less famous durians were cheaper, people preferred to buy the durians from strains that had famous names.

To satisfy his customers' craving, Guolai came up with two catchy names for his best strains. He called one "Dog Bathing" and the other "Soong Ai Ling". The "Dog Bathing" brand is the tastiest, and Guolai came up with it because his dog loved to bathe under the durian tree that bears this particular strain.

"This trend started 8 years ago after durian competitions became increasingly common. When the names of certain strains spread, customers started to look specifically for them. Those strains with famous names sell easier and at higher prices."

Zheng Rongkun, another durian-seller, makes his living selling durians from the "Narrowtail" strain. He said that presently the durian prices were not standardised. In general, durians from Penang Island are cheaper than those from Prai.

He pointed out that our domestic durian season begins in May and ends in December. At the moment it is the middle of our durian season, while in the months of February to April, the market will only have imported Thai durians.