Eggs revolt: CNN Report on Century Eggs Draws Anger
By admin on 2015-02-03

Hubei Shendan Healthy Food Co, China’s largest egg producer, is furious that CNNGo, CNN’s media outlet on travel, placed century eggs on a list of what it considered the most revolting foods from around the world. The company has apparently filed an official complaint with the news organization, demanding that it apologise for calling the eggs, also known as hundred-year eggs, a “revolting” food, according to Shanghaiist Daily.

The preserved eggs are a common side dish in Chinese cuisine.

Facing outrage from the company and the Chinese public, the reporter behind the article published an apology in one of Taiwan’s newspapers. Danny Holwerda said he regrets that the article stirred up a controversy he had not expected and he hopes his letter would bring an end to the whole disturbance.

The reporter said the motivation behind his report was based on sharing tourists’ experience of eating century eggs, not to downgrade or despise foreign food. The response must have hit him like the proverbial barrage of rotten eggs however, as he was variously accused by netizens from several countries of being “absurd,” an “arrogant racist” and “a bad-eating-habit fat American with discrimination against foreigners.”

The complaint, filed on behalf of the chairman of the company and its 3,000 employees, said CNN’s report lacked respect for cultural traditions in other countries and its conclusion only proves its ignorance and arrogance.

CNNGo responded by saying, “CNNGo would like to clarify that this article was based on ‘iReport’ submissions, namely content submitted by our readers from around the world, and as such represent their personal opinions. We welcome any further suggestions for this article.”

Century eggs are preserved for a period of weeks to months until the white becomes a translucent brown color and the yolk turns gray-green. According to Wikipedia, there is a persistent myth that the eggs were formerly prepared by being stewed in horse urine, on account of their distinctive whiff of ammonia.