Eels and Gas Lines
Eels and Gas LinesThe news around here has been rather interesting this week:
- Pork sales down after a strep disease in a province nearby
- Eel has been banned after preservative found to be carcinogenic
- Lines at gas pumps have been long and slow
- Another weekend = another typhoon
I wrote last week about the new service station in Dahlingshan. Well, this week, I thought they must really be having a great Grand Opening when I saw a line of traffic for a mile and three lanes wide on Monday night. But then I noticed other stations starting to have lines too. I finally found out the reason. It seems there are limited sales to maintain prices. Or something like that. Regulations govern prices, and stations don’t want to sell too much at certain prices. So with the limitations, a fear has gripped the area and when gas is available, lines form. Reminds me of the days I lived in California and watched fear cause huge lines there.
Television has regularly highlighted the eel situation this week. It is so much fun to see slithering eel on TV while eating lunch. (TVs are always on at mealtime here.) And they do have a lot of eel in tanks in supermarkets and fish markets. It is very popular here. But they have recently realized that a preservative used in the food or water to maintain the eel in these tanks is carcinogenic. With the announcement, supermarkets cleaned out their tanks. Ironically, I’ve been served very little eel over here. I probably ate more in Japanese restaurants in the US.
A type of strep disease has been blamed for death and major sickness for many handlers of pork in a province nearby. Steps were immediately taken to isolate and pork movement has been limited dramatically. Of course, that had an immediate impact on sales of pork, regardless of where it came from. The street vendors are complaining now that folks have just quit buying pork. What a surprise!?!
And, wouldn’t you know it, it’s a weekend and another typhoon is here! It rained about as hard and steady as I’ve ever seen last night. Shandian and leisheng all night – that’s thunder and lightning (or as best as I can interpret it). In fact, my driver had a hard time finding a way to my apartment this morning, and we had to take an alternate route back that wasn’t flooded. So it looks like another golf weekend washout! My luck!
posted by A Bryson (formerly) in China @ 8:24 AM
Comments: 0
