Durian and Egyptian virility

Rue Volta in the second arrondissement is known for having several excellent Asian commerces and restaurants. We were walking down that street and I see a fruit and vegetable store and they had several boxes of cherries which were big and shiny, the first of the season. I tell my companion in Arabic منجيب قفص كريز, which translates to “let’s get a cage of cherries” which is a very Egyptian formulation. The vendor immediately started laughing, recognizing us as his compatriots even if by that time we were several meters away and invited us in. He very nicely gave us his best crate of cherries at a discount and gifted us two فص عويس mangoes, the best mango variety there is. They are tiny, no bigger than the palm of your hand and have an unbelievable flavor. Then I took a look at the shop and spotted some Durian and this where things got weird. I told my companion: “look! this is Durian in some countries it’s banned in public transport, I’ve always wondered what it tastes like” and immediately our new friend offered us some. We tried it and well, it’s an acquired taste that I have yet to acquire. Then the shopkeeper said “I’m going to say something that us men understand, Durian isn’t very nice but people buy it because it gives men certain powers, but Egyptian men don’t need those powers, Egyptian men are the strongest, the whole world knows that”. I, of course wanted to disappear under ground, far from Egyptian men and their alleged powers and cultural stereotypes.