UPDATE: Click here. Guess the producer no longer has a job. Or his freedom.
Street food is one of the staples of traveling. In a nutshell, street food is a reflection of the tastes and priorities of the society you’re visiting. What does this say about mainland China?
Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork and powdered seasoning, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said. Link.
Original CCTV report
Now keep in mind that this isn’t a a “western propaganda outlet” muckraking to make the motherland look bad, this report was from CCTV, the state propaganda arm! Kudos to whoever approved this story (assuming he still has a job there) and had the guts to see it through…
Really makes you think about where and what you eat and whether or not “cheap food” is such a good deal. I think it depends on where you are. I’ve usually no qualms about eating from a hawker stand in Singapore or in piss alley in Shinjuku or even one of the remaining Dai Pai Dongs in Hong Kong. Those countries make an effort to regulate food stalls and there are laws and fines that are enforced for violations. Even here in San Francisco there are regulations as such.
But obviously not mainland China. They’ve got a LOT of work ahead of them…
Here’s a Japanese story on the CCTV report…
3 Replies to “Aiyah, a public service announcement…”
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dai pai dongs are somewhat regulated…but not those hawkers selling food in the street……
my friend from HKG told me long time ago: she doesnt eat ANYTHING that’s from china……..
the news were announced FAKE….but I wouldnt doubt the announcement is FAKE too….. =X
That is one of the differences between China and most other countries.
Governments sometimes do not like the news, so the government tries to change and correct the problems.
In China, the government sometimes does not like the news, so they change the news and hide the problems. 🙂