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China's appetite for pork unaffected by past disease Market sales of pork dropped by between 20 and 40 percent in the province during the outbreak, which health experts said was the largest and deadliest in years. Prices plunged by up to 10 percent, according to the official, who said it was too early to give exact figures.
The central government's efforts to curb the spread of the disease _ which infected more than 200 people and spread to parts of other provinces _ was also swift and strict. Pork exports from affected areas in Sichuan were banned and tighter management of the industry was ordered. Officials who failed to enforce the measures faced punishment. Even so, experts say the threat of the pig illness, blamed on the bacteria Streptococcus suis, is unlikely to change eating habits anytime soon or have a long-term consequence. "People have experienced diseases in chickens and cows, but they are still eating chicken meat and beef," said Wang Xiaoju from the Beijing Food Industry Association. In August, the government declared the outbreak under control in Sichuan and last week, Beijing lifted its ban on pork imports from the province. "The situation is gradually getting normal," said an official from the China Animal Husbandry Association who would give only his family name, Liu. "It is not a bad thing for us to have experienced the outbreak, because through this event, our animal husbandry industry is becoming better and sanitation and quarantine work will be much improved in the future," he said. China is still sensitive after being criticized for being reluctant to release information during its outbreak of severe acute respiratory disease, which killed nearly 800 people around the globe before subsiding in 2003. It has also battled outbreaks of avian influenza, which affected poultry sales. In Beijing, the Sichuan provincial government office received faxes with information on the disease. Its restaurant suffered a small slump in business at the height of the outbreak, but has since rebounded, said Yang Min, one of the managers. Customers now line up night after night and specialties such as pork with glutinous rice and pork stuffed buns are usually sold out. Back at the Black Earth restaurant, the pig face dish remains popular. The meat is first charred, then deep fried, then boiled in soup before being braised for hours in a pressure cooker. The result is a hearty mix of fat and lean pig _ eyes, teeth and tongue intact _ in a rich gravy that can be sopped up with accompanying flour pancakes. "Very few people have mentioned the sickness," said owner Zhou Jilong. "Sichuan is so far away and the outbreak wasn't that serious. SARS and bird flu had worse effects on my business." At the Dong Jiao market in central Beijing, hunks of pink-grey pork ribs and loins are displayed on wooden blocks. Vendors are swatting flies with plastic bags tied to sticks. "There's no change in business," said one vendor who would give only her surname, Wei. "I can't keep track of customers. There are too many of them." Li Qiang, a restaurant chef who bought a loin of pork from her, said the Sichuan epidemic "made no difference to us." "It's all been inspected," Li said as he rode away on his bicycle. "It's tradition. Pork will always be in our diet."
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