June 17, 2004

You are on the invidual archive page of "Crack"-down. Click Simon World weblog for the main page.
"Crack"-down

Sometimes these titles just write themselves. From the SCMP:

A crackdown by the provincial drug control unit has seen more than 200 restaurants in Guizhou ordered to close after they were discovered spiking their dishes with opium poppies...Xinhua reported that police seized 3.2kg of poppy seed and 1.7kg of poppy shell. A total of 215 restaurants were ordered to shut. Warnings were issued to a further 36 restaurants.

"Local people have long been under the misconception that poppy shells can make their dishes more delicious. They are not aware of the harm they will do to their health," Mr Zhang said. Opium-poppy shells and seeds are easily accessible in Guizhou and other border areas such as Yunnan due to their proximity to the Golden Triangle.

Cooked with food, poppy shells produce an appealing aroma.

I'll bet cooking with poppy produces an "appealing aroma". I've never seen someone inject themselves with noddles, yet.

In fact the SCMP is full of funnies today. They report:

Exhibitors at one of Asia's biggest security trade fairs criticised organisers after mobile phones and a laptop computer were stolen from booths. Police suspect professional mainland thieves took them. More than 15,000 people are expected to visit the four-day Asia Securitex 2004 event at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
It's not a ringing endorsement of the security products on offer.

Finally the ongoing Asian female fascination with looking like Michael Jackson continues. Again the SCMP:

Forty-five per cent of Hong Kong women have used whitening products, second only to Philippine women (50 per cent), but ahead of their counterparts in Malaysia (41 per cent), Taiwan (37 per cent) and South Korea (28 per cent). A similar survey two years ago found 38 per cent of Hong Kong women used such products.
Much like Mrs B's thoughts on being "fat" in HK the obsession with "whitening" here in HK goes beyond any rational explanation. I also have no doubt that these elaborate and expensive lotions and potions contain a mix of moisturiser, bleach and peroxide in equal parts. It's amazing there isn't a do-it-yourself whitening cream instruction kit. It is ironic that whites are busy tanning themselves to look darker yet many Asian women are desperate to look whiter. And who knows where that might lead...

posted by Simon on 06.17.04 at 09:28 AM in the




Trackbacks:

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://blog.mu.nu/cgi/trackback.cgi/32304


Send a manual trackback ping to this post.


Comments:

THAT was a scarier than usual pictures. You could have posted a warning.

Just doing my bit for Sgt. Hook. I'll add you to my blog list but I'll use the link from Hook's site to get the credit for the shoe project.

posted by: StinKerr on 06.17.04 at 03:27 PM [permalink]

Another quarter for Sgt Hook and his merry band, please....

posted by: Julie in ABQ on 06.18.04 at 05:05 PM [permalink]




Post a Comment:

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember your info?










Disclaimer