The China Thread

[DGuller]

Having a strategic food reserve makes sense.
Though pork? That doesn't exactly keep well.

Canned pork can keep for a while.

[HVC]

The Asian fascination with spam truly is remarkable. I'll keep my maple syrup 

[Zanza]

The European Union used to have a "butter mountain" and still has a "wine lake", both due to overproduction.

[HVC]

US Had cheese hordes (MB beloved government cheese) from diary subsidies over production. Not sure if they still do.

[Josquius]

In other China news this whole messi in Hong Kong thing is amazing

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68261461.amp

Inter Miami had a friendly in HK during which Messi didn't play due to injury....
Prompting massive anger and people demanding their money back.
A little later Miami had a friendly in Japan during which Messi had recovered a little and did appear.... Which made it a severe national insult in China. 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

In other China news this whole messi in Hong Kong thing is amazing

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68261461.amp

Inter Miami had a friendly in HK during which Messi didn't play due to injury....
Prompting massive anger and people demanding their money back.
A little later Miami had a friendly in Japan during which Messi had recovered a little and did appear.... Which made it a severe national insult in China. 

Small penis syndrome: everything's an insult...

[HVC]

Didn't something similar happen in Korea with Ronaldo a few years back?

Tickets were sold on the advertising, so I get angry ticket holders. National outrage is dumb though.

[Tonitrus]

Having a strategic food reserve makes sense.
Though pork? That doesn't exactly keep well.

Canned pork can keep for a while.

SPAM!

[Jacob]

The Asian fascination with spam truly is remarkable. I'll keep my maple syrup 

I think most of those nations went through one or more periods of serious privation or straight up famine where spam ended up being "attainable and nutritionally valuable culinary luxury in the context of the time."

[DGuller]

Soviet war veterans loved Spam from lend lease.  It may not seem like a desirable food during peacetime in the West, but during the war it must've been a top delicacy. 

Even in the time of my childhood canned pork was was something you looked forward to eating.  In fact, I still have a soft spot for it and buy it occasionally during my trips to the Russian food store, even though I know it's super unhealthy and not really anything special by the Western food standards.

[Josquius]

I never really ate spam but pek is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

Spam does seem to have a big military link in Asia - in Japan okinawan restaurants always have lots of spam dishes.

[Sheilbh]

The Asian fascination with spam truly is remarkable. I'll keep my maple syrup 

I think most of those nations went through one or more periods of serious privation or straight up famine where spam ended up being "attainable and nutritionally valuable culinary luxury in the context of the time."

Also isn't it most popular in Korea, Okinawa and the Philippines, so has a lot to do with American troops, the Cold War and America's forward Pacific positions.

[Jacob]

Also isn't it most popular in Korea, Okinawa and the Philippines, so has a lot to do with American troops, the Cold War and America's forward Pacific positions.

It certainly has a pretty solid place in China also. I can't speak to how it compares, though.

[Razgovory]

Soviet war veterans loved Spam from lend lease.  It may not seem like a desirable food during peacetime in the West, but during the war it must've been a top delicacy. 

Even in the time of my childhood canned pork was was something you looked forward to eating.  In fact, I still have a soft spot for it and buy it occasionally during my trips to the Russian food store, even though I know it's super unhealthy and not really anything special by the Western food standards.

Everyone seems to have liked Spam, except US soldiers, who despised it.

[HVC]

The Asian fascination with spam truly is remarkable. I'll keep my maple syrup 

I think most of those nations went through one or more periods of serious privation or straight up famine where spam ended up being "attainable and nutritionally valuable culinary luxury in the context of the time."

Also isn't it most popular in Korea, Okinawa and the Philippines, so has a lot to do with American troops, the Cold War and America's forward Pacific positions.

That's why I stipulated Asian but yeah, I assume it's an American army thing mainly.