Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The Difficulties of Staying on Message on the Poisoned Dumplings

Sankei picks up a revealing follow-up story by Kyodo Tsushin entitled Chinese Foreign Ministry Admits Domestic Dumpling Poisoning.

According to the report, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to a written question from Kyodo with the admission that “poisoning cases had occurred in China in the middle of June” and that “the Chinese government takes the case very seriously. The Security Ministry is conducting the investigation with all its power.”

Unfortunately, the message did not reach the domestics. To quote from the same article:

National Directorate-General of Quality Oversight, Inspection and Quarantine, Public Communications Division: We have learned of it for the first time from Japanese media reports. We are confirming the facts.

Hubei Province, Sanitary Agency, Sanitary Oversight Bureau: Any gyoza that had been made with the same wrapping dough were all destroyed.

Everybody of course is protecting his ass. For the Foreign Ministry, it means don’t let anything rain on the Olympics. The domestic Beijing authorities are stalling for time. The local authorities are denying any responsibility. It all makes sense. Me? Remember, this happened more than four months after the breakout in Japan; it’s a great reminder to clean out the stegosaurus filet and coelacanth tofu from the back of my freezer.

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