Did the U.S. Get Some of These?

Since all I can do with chopsticks is probably poke my eye out, I am not worried about this one, but it does take the cake!


Dirty chopsticks picked up in new China scare
Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:22 AM ET

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Beijing factory recycled used chopsticks and sold up to 100,000 pairs a day without any form of disinfection, a newspaper said on Wednesday, the latest in a string of Chinese food and product safety scares.

Counterfeit, shoddy and dangerous products are widespread in China, whose exports have been rocked in recent months by a spate of safety scandals, ranging from pet food to medicine, tires, toothpaste and toys.

Officials raided the factory and seized about half a million pairs of recycled disposable bamboo chopsticks and a packaging machine, the Beijing News said.

The owner, identified only by his surname Wu, said he had sold the recycled chopsticks for 0.04 yuan a pair and made an average of about 1,000 yuan ($130) a day.

Wu, who had no license to sell the goods, said he had sold 100,000 pairs a day when business was good.

China, on track to overtake the United States this year as the world's second-largest exporter, lacks the manpower to enforce food and drug safety regulations at home or for export. Imports are generally carefully scrutinized.

A lack of business ethics and a spiritual vacuum after China embraced economic reforms in the late 1970s have been blamed for unscrupulous business practices and corruption.

In Guangzhou, capital of booming Guangdong province in south China, Mayor Zhang Guangning vowed to bankrupt serious violators of food and product safety.

The Hong Kong owner of a Guangdong manufacturer at the centre of a recall of millions of Chinese-made toys by U.S. giant Mattel had committed suicide, according to Hong Kong media.

China has said the world should have faith in the "made-in-China" label and that a spate of product recalls has been unfair, biased and politically motivated.

"No country can guarantee their food to be 100 percent safe, but if one in 100 or even in 1,000 of our products has quality problems, we will deal with it seriously," Commerce Minister Bo Xilai said on Tuesday when meeting former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

"China strongly opposes (some countries) extending individual economic and trade problems, and thus conducting trade protection," Bo said in a report on the ministry's Web site (www.mofcom.gov.cn).

In the latest in a series of tit-for-tat measures, China has accused the United States of exporting substandard soybean shipments to China and requested "effective measures" be taken.

Spring,
All it takes is a little practice and you can be proficient with traditional chopsticks that come to a point instead of a square blunt end of the inexpensive wooden types.
I used to do the same thing watching people use them while living in Japan and wonder how they could do the things they did with them.

Hey there Littlefire,

I have relatives that live in Kitchner and I have been there to visit many times, not sure how it relates to your location. I love to travel Canada any time of the year.

Cool Beans Littlefire,

I really like vacationing in Canada. It's been a while since I have been up that way though. Maybe another trip to the Rockies will be in order. I was not sure how far away you were from Kitchner, that is a good way from there. If it all goes to heck, I will be migrating your way and into the woods we will go.

:lol!:

I'm with you, Osiris, I've heard Canada is going to be the place to go!

BTM,

I have been all over Canada and I can tell you first hand that it is just beautiful. I have relatives that live there, and I have traveled it from the west coast to the east coast and loved every bit of it. When I first got my drivers licience, My Mom, Dad and I went to Canada and then off to Newfindland and Labrador. I drove the whole trip and ended up driving over 7500 miles on that vacation being only sixteen at the time, many moons ago. My parents were just nuts when I was younger and loved to travel, taking as much as 7 vacations a year. I spent most of my time on the road doing homework for school and only actually spending 38 day's in school that year. My mother "who is still a Bermuda Citizen" believed that you get a better education actually experiancing life than spending all of your time in school. My first trip to Canada took three months before returning home. I will say this, I have seen places most would not have, and the experiance, is just priceless.

Osiris, you have a wise mother... What an awesome opportunity for you! If we all end up migrating to Canada, we know who is going to drive and show us around! Thanks in advance, Osiris... lol