Scott Bush

We’ve all been known to exclaim “Geeze, this pizza tastes like cardboard!” after biting into a slice of cheap ‘za. Or perhaps complained about some overcooked, sinewy flank steak (well, not me of course). That’s all hyperbole of course… unless you’re in Beijing eating a particular of steam bun:

Squares of cardboard picked from the ground are first soaked to a pulp in a plastic basin of caustic soda—a chemical base commonly used in manufacturing paper and soap—then chopped into tiny morsels with a cleaver. Fatty pork and powdered seasoning are stirred in.

First it was melanine-tainted dog food , then poisoned toothpaste, and now pulpy steamed buns. Ouch. If China were a brand, they would definitely be experiencing damage like Jack in the Box’s e-coli hamburgers (1993), Exxon’s Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound (1989), or Firestone’s exploding tires (2000). With the 2008 Olympic Games coming up next year in Beijing, let’s hope they can turn their public image around—not to mention putting something edible in their steam buns.

UPDATE!

Tara Kolden, an eagle-eyed and socially responsible reader of this blog, informed me that the cardboard-filled steamed buns are a hoax! But at least I am in good company—this story was all over the AP wire. Now it’ll be relegated to Snopes.com. Oh, and the Seattle Times. Thanks Tara. I’d go eat one, except they’re still filled with pork.