Siopao

A siopao made of cat meat is already considered an urban legend. Recently, luncheon meats were put in the spotlight when fake Ma-Lings (a popular brand) proliferated the market that is allegedly made up of cat and rat meat. (No follow-up report was released so the claim was neither proven or disproven) Disgusting right?

This was shown following exposes on how unsanitary and vile the manufacturing and repacking of sugar, rice, and fish crackers are.

Yesterday, deception reaches a new low when it was reported that steam buns (siopao) are partly made up of cardboard. How sad is this?

BEIJING — Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and made tasty with pork flavoring, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said.

China Central Television's undercover investigation features the shirtless, shorts-clad maker of the buns, called baozi, explaining the contents of the product sold in Beijing's sprawling Chaoyang district.

The hidden camera follows the man, whose face is not shown, into a ramshackle building where steamers are filled with the fluffy white buns, traditionally stuffed with minced pork.

The surroundings are filthy, with water puddles and piles of old furniture and cardboard on the ground.

"What's in the recipe?" the reporter asks. "Six to four," the man says.

"You mean 60 percent cardboard? What is the other 40 percent?" asks the reporter. "Fatty meat," the man replies.

The bun maker and his assistants then give a demonstration on how the product is made.

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.

Soon, steaming servings of the buns appear on-screen. The reporter takes a bite.

"This baozi filling is kind of tough. Not much taste," he says. "Can other people taste the difference?"

"Most people can't. It fools the average person," the maker says. "I don't eat them myself."

Report from www.newsvine.com
Read the complete article here.