Life No Longer a Bowl of Cherries in China

Last year when Chilean cherries were on sale in China, it was "cherry freedom"

Last March I wrote about "cherry freedom", where people boasted on social media how they could afford expensive foods to show off their wealth. It started with imported cherries, and then a vegetable called xiangchun that cost 80 yuan to 100 yuan for 500 grams, which equated to a lobster, 10 abalone, or 39 crayfish.

But it looks like those "cherry freedom" days are over following the coronavirus pandemic that has made a huge dent in the Chinese economy, let alone the entire world.

Previously there was a big demand for Chilean cherries and Peruvian avocados by the Chinese middle class. But now sellers at the Jiangan wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Guangzhou are feeling the effects of battered consumer confidence due to declining job prospects and incomes.

These were the first batch of Peruvian avocados sold in China

"Demand has plummeted since the outbreak started. Retailers are very cautious about placing orders... most of us have been losing money, whether selling imported fruit or domestic fruit," said Li Xiaoqiang, a fruit importer at Jiangan market.

"We keep reducing the prices. Take Chilean grapes. The wholesale price used to be 180 yuan (US$25.37) for 8kg, and it is now just 100 yuan or even 80 yuan. Our importers' losses could be up to 800,000 yuan for a container."

Egyptian oranges used to be 100 yuan for 15kg around the same time last year, but now are only 70 yuan.

"Imported cherries are even harder to sell," Li added.

While the market's operators claim 80 percent of China's imported fruits first stop at Jiangan, these days vendors are passing the time playing games on their phones.

80 percent of China's imported fruits go to Jiangan Market

One merchant surnamed Wang said last year the market used to sell 60 to 80 containers of imported oranges a day, but now only sell 15 containers with the price slashed to 50 percent.

"Imported oranges are mainly for hotels, restaurants, clubs and karaoke lounges -- if oranges don't sell well, it means China's service industry is still in deep trouble," Wang said.

Over the past decade China's fruit imports had been steadily rising from US$1.63 billion in 2009 to US$10.3 billion last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Patricia Lin is a white-collar worker in Shanghai and had her pay cut last month, while friends were laid off due to the pandemic. "To be honest, the only thing in my head these days is how to cut spending and save enough money to pay my home mortgage.

"Fruits are good and necessary for health, but I think I won't be able to afford imported cherries or Japanese grapes for a long while. Instead I will turn to local fruits like apples and pears," she said.

How will Li steer China's economy out of the pandemic?

Imagine how many millions of other people have the same thinking as Lin and then you have a serious cascade effect on not only the fruit business, but every other sector as well, particularly luxury, fashion, and restaurants.

Beijing may have hoped people getting back to work would help get things back to normal, but it won't be like before. Wonder if this will be reflected in Premier Li Keqiang's work report later this week when the "two sessions" start on May 22, and what the country's economic road map to economic recovery will be.

Don't Take the Peanuts

Cathay Pacific has found cabin crew have pilfered a lot of stuff over the years

Cathay Pacific is trying to continue to slash costs to save HK$4 billion (despite posting a HK$2.3 billion profit in 2018), but it looks like it may have found a reason why it's spending a lot of money too.

There seems to be a lot of pilfering going on, with flight attendants freely taking items on the plane, from cutlery and wine glasses, and even bread.

One of the more popular items are Haagen-Dazs ice creams

Apparently the theft of the items amount to "untold hundreds of millions" over the years, according to sources.

One of the more popular items is the pot of Haagen-Dazs ice cream served on flights. Some cabin crew are known to have freezers stocked with these ice creams.

"In view of an increasing number of reported losses of company property, we have informed our cabin crew that random inspections will be carried out," a company spokeswoman said.

Cathay had already warned staff in January in a memo about the "unfortunately increasing trend of company property discrepancies". Does everyone know what "company property discrepancies" mean?

Bottles of unopened wine and caviar have been taken too

The cabin crew will be inspected upon disembarking the plane, and they may only take with them cabin crew-designated meals, as well as fruit, water, and plastic-wrapped sandwiches.

That means they aren't even allowed to take the wet wipes or even peanuts.

"Zero tolerance means you are not permitted to take off the aircraft any item other than what the company has authorized as per the policy," said Ed Higgs, general manager of in-flight services.

"If anyone removes company property, irrespective of the value or if you believe it will be thrown away, you will be subject to discipline which may include termination."

Don't say you haven't been warned.

But what is wrong with taking leftover food that will be binned or opened bottles of wine? Or do they donate the uneaten food to a charity, and have proper ways to re-cork the wine for later use? 

Staff shouldn't even think about taking peanuts or wet wipes

It has taken this long for Cathay to realize some cabin crew are pilfering items? There is some mismanagement here.

And what about the airline's huge mistake in 2016 when it lost a whopping HK$8.46 billion on bad fuel hedging bets? Heads rolled, but taking pots of Haagen-Dazs hardly compares to losing billions of dollars.

Nevertheless, this is the new reality for Cathay Pacific flight crew. So put down those company-branded pens, peanuts and ice cream. It's just not worth it.

Port Visit: Barcelona's La Boqueria

La Boqueria is more of a tourist spot for visitors to have a taste of local food

One last stop on our short one-day visit to Barcelona was to La Boqueria, or the market in La Rambla, a main strip where tourists walk up and down to check out mostly souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants.

There's lots of fresh fruits and vegetables...

Historically, the first mention of La Boqueria dates back to 1217, and it was basically an open market selling meat. Centuries later the authorities decided to construct a separate market for the fishmongers and butchers.

It wasn't until 1826 was the market legally recognized, and construction began in 1840 to build an official structure for the market. While the building has been modified many times, the metal roof that exists today dates back to 1914.

I remember visiting La Boqueria over 20 years ago and was astonished by the amount of produce. The tradition continues today -- there's a lot to choose from, such as stalls selling fruit salads or fruit juices, or vegetables, jamon or cured ham sold by the gram, fresh seafood such as fish, oysters, prawns and even lobsters, or empanadas with different fillings inside.

... as well as cured meats including sausages and Iberico ham

It was difficult to choose what to try, and in the end I sampled a delicious octopus salad that wasn't tough at all, seasoned with olive oil, lemon and chopped parsley, though the fresh figs aren't quite in season so they weren't very ripe.

There were also lots of baked goods from fresh baguettes to cookies and pastries, as well as small bars where you can eat tapas, though with a big group like us it was hard to even get a seat; we just bought food and shared them among ourselves.

Afterwards we continued our way down La Rambla to the Columbus Monument. It's a 60 metre-tall column with explorer Christopher Columbus on top.

It was built in 1888 for the Universal Exposition of Barcelona the same year to mark his first voyage to the Americas. The monument also serves as a reminder that Columbus served Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand V in Barcelona after his first trip to the Americas.

Christopher Columbus atop a column

The statue features Columbus with his right hand supposedly pointing west to the New World, but in reality it's pointing south south-east, which means the city of Constantine in Algeria, and not his hometown of Genoa, Italy. Aside from being trivial, a simpler explanation is that Columbus is pointing to the sea to allude to his naval expeditions.

After taking pictures of Columbus we wandered to our shuttle bus to take us back to the cruise ship; this visit more than the others made me want to go back to Barcelona to explore more of the city. It was also cheaper than Italy -- another reason to make a return visit!

Hong Kong Leader at a Loss for Words

Carrie Lam couldn't find the words to denounce Andy Chan today

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was so angry -- she was at a loss for words.

The other day, stoked from all the publicity of of speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club last week and causing a major kerfuffle in Hong Kong, Andy Chan Ho-tin decided to ratchet it up a notch. He sent a letter to American President Donald Trump, calling for China and Hong Kong to be kicked out of the World Trade Organization.

Chan called for China and HK to be kicked out of the WTO

It's laughable to say the least, but Chan actually dared to ask that the WTO membership be revoked for China and Hong Kong, citing a "rapid deterioration of freedoms" in the city and the loss of autonomy under Chinese rule.

He wrote that the US government should suspend the "differential treatment" given to the city under the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act, meaning China-targeted tariffs and trade policies would be applied to Hong Kong too.

Currently Hong Kong is benefiting from the trade dispute between China and the US, as many American fruits meant for the mainland are landing in the city at cheaper prices. 

Today before meeting with her advisers in the Executive Council, reporters asked Lam if she thought Chan's letter was appropriate.

"Of course such action is not appropriate," she said. "And just describing it as inappropriate perhaps has not reflected the public outcry and anger with that sort of action. I can only say that this is deeply regretted."

Chan wrote a letter to Trump, but there was no response

That's it? "Deeply regretted"?

How about absolutely abominable, or completely outrageous, totally despicable, utterly reprehensible, downright repugnant, terribly obnoxious...

Mrs Lam! There are so many adjectives you could have used!

In the end a spokesman from the US consulate in Hong Kong said Hong Kong was treated as "a special administrative region distinct from China for purposes of US domestic law".

"We judge that Hong Kong retains a sufficient level of autonomy to justify continued special treatment by the United States for bilateral agreements and programs."

Chan's request won't be entertained anytime soon. In the meantime we hope Lam will be brushing up on her vocabulary when it comes to adjectives. The more fiery the better.

A Very Chunky Monkey

Uncle Fat needs to lose weight, as he weighs three times the average monkey

Meet Uncle Fat.

He's a chunky monkey who was found on the side of the road in Thailand and is morbidly obese.

A video shows him walking on the road and practically dragging his stomach, and when he sits up, well, it's not a pretty sight.

His stomach is so large that it practically drags on the ground

Nicknamed "Uncle Fat" by locals, the monkey had been feasting on junk food and soft drinks that tourists gave him and others on the roadside. Most of the monkeys are macques who usually weigh 9kg, but Uncle Fat is triple that number, tipping the scales at around 26kg.

He was caught by wildlife officials when pictures of him circulated on social media.

"It was not easy to catch him," says Kacha Phukem, the wildlife official who orchestrated Fat Uncle's capture late last month. "He was the leader of the pack and when I tried to go in, I had to fight off a flock of them with sticks."

As the leader who was not only protected, Uncle Fat was also well fed.

"He had minions and other monkeys bringing food for him, but he would also redistribute it to younger monkeys," says Supakarn Kaewchot, a veterinarian in charge of the monkey's diet. "He's now in a critical condition where there is a high-risk of heart disease and diabetes."

Vet Supakarn prepares his meals of fruits and vegetables

Currently he's on a very strict diet that limits him to 400g of lean protein, fruits and vegetables twice a day. Supakam hopes that in a few months he'll be trim enough to be released back into the wild.

"I understand that people feel sorry for the monkeys and want to feed them when they see them," says Supakam. "But please don't feed them food that people like to eat like snacks and soda. It is very bad for their health and the problem is entirely man-made."

Poor Uncle Fat. But we hope he'll get better soon.

A Fruitless Shipment

One South American dragon fruit that had liquid cocaine in its centre

Some drug traffickers are really creative these days, and after this case, Hong Kong customs officers might check fruit shipments even more carefully from now on.

That's because they found liquid cocaine with an estimated street value of HK$15.7 million (US$2 million) concealed in the hollow centres of 98 dragon fruit that arrived by air from Colombia.

It was apparently the first time such a method of drug concealment was discovered in Hong Kong in about 20 years.

The shipment was chosen for inspection because fresh fruit arriving from overseas by air is usually picked up on the day of arrival, but in this case it was sitting there for two days.

Customs officers inspected each fruit to see if they had drugs

Customs officers spent more than four hours opening 160 boxes and checking nearly 2,000 dragon fruits -- also known as pitayas -- one by one on Tuesday, two days after the shipment arrived from Colombia via Britain.

The concealment method was described as "sophisticated" and "innovative". "Part of the fruit layer was peeled off and pulp was removed before liquid cocaine was injected into the hollow centre and the layer was glued back on," said a source.

"From appearance, it was hard to distinguish the ones concealing illegal drugs. Officers had to inspect them one by one."

In the end 98 dragon fruits contained the drug within 50 boxes among other fruits that had not been compromised.

"Each dragon fruit carried about 130 grams of liquid cocaine. A total of 15kg of liquid cocaine was seized with an estimated street value of HK$15.7 million."

A 36-year-old truck driver was arrested when he tried to pick up the shipment.

The authorities are investigating whether the shipment was for Hong Kong or another destination.

In the meantime drug traffickers will have to think of a more fruitful way to get their illicit products to their destination.

Hong Kong's Love of Processed Meat

A typical non-healthy dish in a cha chaan teng always includes panfried spam

There was some surprise today from Hong Kong people reading the news about the World Health Organization saying processed meats are carcinogenic and as dangerous as tobacco and asbestos.

As expected those in the food industry were quick to denounce the findings as "harsh", while others said the study was based on western eating habits, not Asian.

However, look at what a large number of people eat at cha chaan tengs -- panfried spam, sausages, some bacon. Many also eat sandwich meats thinking they're just as good as natural meat. And then there's lap cheong or Chinese sausages...

Some wonder if Chinese sausage is not as healthy as it looks

The study found Hong Kong people eat an average of three-and-half sausages and nearly two slices of ham per week, which is considered to pose a significant cancer risk.

Local demand for processed meats, such as sausages and ham has grown in recent years. Figures show that 23.1 million kg of sausages were imported last year, up 3.9 percent from the previous year, and up 17 percent from the year before that. Some 18 million kg of ham was brought in last year.

That's how WHO came up with an average consumption of 7.9g of sausage, or half a piece, and 6.1g of ham or a quarter slice. This doesn't include other processed meats and red meats

In general Hong Kong people are not knowledgeable about nutrition and think they are eating a balanced diet when they aren't at all. Perusing through supermarkets these days, the vast majority of food for sale are processed one way or another -- in a box.

Many shoppers buy bags and bags of instant noodles, chips, chocolate, and processed meats, and not often fresh meat, vegetables and fruits. I know this because every week when I hit the supermarket, I look at what people are buying and also what's on the shelves and I'm shivering with fear.

Should we be surprised more people in the city are obese, or have high blood pressure or are diabetic?

More markets with fresh vegetables and products are available

The WHO said eating processed meat could lead to bowl cancer, which claims the second most lives in Hong Kong, with lung cancer the number one cancer killer.

Will this report make people change their dietary habits? Probably a small percentage, while the rest will carry on eating processed meats because they don't feel ill from eating them.

But by the same token, vegetarianism or some say "part-time vegetarianism" is starting to gain more interest. There are more vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong, and more plant-based food products are available.

The government should really be stepping up disseminating important information about what people should be eating. Enough with the "rich man's diet" and eating more vegetables and fruits. At least it would be easier on our wallets too...

Picture of the Day: Prickly Fruit

A prickly-looking fruit that has lime green juice inside with edible seeds

Last night after dinner, we wandered into a Taiwanese grocery store and one of the first things we spotted in the fruit section was this yellow prickly thing that has spikes but aren't sharp. We asked one of the staff what it was and they said it was huo shen guo (火参果).

He said that we could slice the top off, add a bit of honey that was in a small packet and then sip the juice through a thick straw that it also came with. We were so curious how it tasted that we bought one to try at about 35 yuan.

In our hotel room we used the small blade on the wine opener to cut the top off and then poked the straw in. Sucking up the juice this way was very tough and at one point the stuff went straight down my throat!

So I cut open the top a bit bigger and got a teaspoon to spoon the fruit juice out.

It smelled like a banana, and inside it was lime green with seeds, kind of like a cucumber. It didn't have much taste, hence the packet of honey, but we didn't add any in to adulterate the natural flavour.

This fruit is apparently good for those who have persistent coughs, and digestion, has lots of vitamins, fibre, and while it can be eaten raw, the promotional material suggests double boiling it with crystal sugar, and that it is good for losing weight because people feel full after eating it.

It really is a dense fruit -- I kept spooning out more and more of this bright green stuff with beige-coloured soft seeds.

In the end it was interesting to try, but not something I'll be desperate to add to my healthy diet regime...