[quote=“headhonchoII”]The thing about Taiwan.
The really interesting thing.
Is the ability of people to ignore shit literally staring them in the face.
Then someday the Apple daily runs a story and people run around like headless chickens.
(1 month later)
See that shit over there!
Where?[/quote]
You mustn’t be the one to break social harmony, let someone else do it. People here seem to need to told what to pay attention to.
[quote=“nonredneck”][quote=“headhonchoII”]The thing about Taiwan.
The really interesting thing.
Is the ability of people to ignore shit literally staring them in the face.
Then someday the Apple daily runs a story and people run around like headless chickens.
(1 month later)
See that shit over there!
Where?[/quote]
You mustn’t be the one to break social harmony, let someone else do it. People here seem to need to told what to pay attention to.[/quote]
Like a big inflatable duck, for example?
http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=2376501
Now the premium Taiwanese rice mixed up with the cheaper Vietnamese one.
Maybe we should start listing on this thread any new contaminated stuff or fake product. 
[quote=“brobronek”]http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=2376501
Now the premium Taiwanese rice mixed up with the cheaper Vietnamese one.
Maybe we should start listing on this thread any new contaminated stuff or fake product. [/quote]
I totally agree. I’d be very happy to have a list of unreliable and deliberately fake products.
Only tangentially related, but I thought this article brings home the sheer scale of the misuse of agricultural chemicals in Taiwan:
taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_c … id=2423396
"…the Miaoli District Prosecutors’ Office charged the 39-year-old suspect, surnamed Wu, with violating the Agro-pesticides Management Act by bringing 147 metric tons of more than 20 different controlled agricultural chemicals into Taiwan at low prices since November 2012. He is accused of making illegal gains estimated at NT$13.75 million (US$454,200) as of the end of last year. "
147 f-ing tonnes of pesticides. And that’s just one guy, operating under the radar, supplying (presumably) just the local area. The total amount being sprayed around Taiwan must run into thousands of tonnes. Many pesticides are known to be persistent pollutants, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and the like: they are, after all, designed to be poisonous. This shit is in your food, your water, and probably the air you breathe if you happen to be in the vicinity of a spraying spree.
What makes me sick is that none of this is even necessary. Yet again, technology being used to paper over the cracks in a failed industry. What makes me doubly sick is that the authorities weren’t concerned about Wu’s toxic stash per se, just the fact that he made some money out of it.
Ever try to sell organic produce that isn’t 100% perfect? Yeah, about that, change the consumer and you can change the farmer. He isn’t making money because farmers are dumb and stupid, he’s making money because people want the best they can get for as little as they can part with while lying to themselves or being ignorant of what it would take to actually meet their standard.
While I don’t agree with what he did. I know he isn’t the bad guy, just filling a market niche. All the ag extension people and farmers grow their own stuff organically. They’re not afraid of a few chewed leaves. Your average city A-ma, cook, or mom cares very much about chewed leaves, not so much about pesticides. Look at what people do and not what they say.
taipeitimes.com/News/front/a … 2003584441
Of course nothing will happen as the right people will get paid off.
More worrying is this part though; they basically want to sue the press into silence:
Wow. Just wow. 10/10 for sheer brass neck.
Mind you, I’d quite like to be called “tripod king”. 
The guys at the farmers’ markets seem to do just fine. 
Anyway, pesticides are not used to make the produce look shapely: that’s achieved by the simple expedient of throwing half of it away, and/or polishing it, dipping it in wax, etc. Organic and chemical-fed crops all look much the same when they’re growing; the idea of pesticide-free crops being devoured by a cloud of uncontrolled pests is make-believe nonsense put around by the pesticide companies.
Pesticides are used in monocultures for the exact same reason antibiotics are used on feedlots: the design itself is inherently vulnerable to pests/disease. They don’t eliminate pest damage, but they reduce it to a manageable level - which is, in fact, approximately the same level of damage you get on a properly-managed chemical-free farm. The research is quite clear on that subject. Organic growers simply arrange things so that pest epidemics don’t occur in the first place. What tends to happen in a pesticide-free environment is that 80% of your produce will be absolutely pristine; a few varieties will get nibbled; and one or two will be devastated. It’s impossible to predict which ones will be affected, but it’s of no concern to the typical organic farmer who aims for a diverse output. The (high) profits he makes on the successful crops offset the losses.
There’s probably a healthy market niche for sawn-off shotguns and crystal meth, but I assume you wouldn’t defend that particular form of enterprise?
He is a bad guy. He has a choice in life. Nobody’s forcing him to sell pesticides; he could sell mobile phones, or party balloons, or lobsters. By doing what he does (I assume he got away with it for a good while) he is one of those people who is directly responsible for human and animal deaths and disease, and environmental disruption. All for no purpose. The products he is peddling have no useful function except to keep farmers hooked on dysfunctional ways of doing things. Having said that, it is partly or mostly the fault of government for permitting such things in the first place. The chemicals are, essentially, legal, even if they’re ( :roflmao: ) “controlled”.
As for consumer behaviour, I agree that most people don’t give a shit. There are many reasons for that, but the “we give the people what they want” argument doesn’t hold water. People want what they are told to want. The food industry has an enormous influence on the way people think about food.
Yep. I worked picking apples once and the bad ones simply were tossed into another crate to be used for juice.
I am the only one who suffers from stomach diarrhea? I been living in Taiwan for the past 10 years and I suffer from stomach diarrhea in average once a week.
There is a huge lack of Food control and food safety in Taiwan. I know this is Taiwan, but back home all those small food stands would be closed down by the police within 5 minutes, due to food safety! I never buy any food from any of these small food stands. I been food poisoned 3 times already.
What are you getting sick from? Normal restaurant food? I would suggest doing all of your own food preparation if you consistently have stomach problems.
I think you may have IBS related disease, do a full check up with a doctor.
Coincidentally I just had a bout and it seems I am allergic to chrysanthemum tea! Weird.
Yeah, the sanitation at many food stands is questionable. Even restaurants have problems. But at the same time, everyone here eats from them and does pretty well. Average life expectancy is longer than in the US, I believe. I don’t really have a viewpoint, just throwing out my observations.
You haven’t provided enough info about your dietary, drinking and hygiene habits to narrow anything down. There are all sorts of possible reasons, from IBS to caffeine and/or alcohol intake to stress, not washing hands, eating food prepared outside (hygiene is often substandard at restaurants, not just the street stalls), and so on. I’d suggest cutting back a little on caffeine and alcohol and the greasiest and spiciest foods in your diet, and seeing if the problem goes away, as a first step.
Extra paraben means extra yum! 
The best part?
The company reportedly told investigators that it had been using industrial dyes for the past 10 years because they gave a more vibrant and longer-lasting color.
The problem is with
winter melon-punch cubes (冬瓜糖磚) and sugar products
such as this:
What!!!
it is normal here -
so tasty