One-night stand exposes Chinese anxiety
Today, China still wrestles with its cultural relationship with the foreign. How acceptable is it to admire and imbibe, say, European or Japanese influences? Or is preferring the foreign always a sign of internalised inferiority, and what's Chinese should be seen as just as good?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
‘Astonishingly good value' – the best supermarket tofu, tasted and rated
This test helped me realise just how much I truly love tofu, even cold. Like all deceptively simple products, such as wine, coffee and chocolate, tofu's character is rooted in its terroir: the soil, biodiversity, climate, plant species and production process. Most tofu is made by curdling soy milk with nigari, a coagulant made from magnesium chloride, which is naturally derived from seawater. It's an ancient method still used across Japan and south-east Asia. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. To keep things fair, I tasted each tofu cold, straight from the packet, then boiled and fried (without pressing or seasoning) each one to observe its flavour, structure and performance. Boiling showed that all the tofus held their shape, while frying brought out major differences in colouring, crust and bite: some crisped up beautifully, others stayed soft and chewy, so if you mainly fry your tofu, that's worth bearing in mind. It's also worth noting that organic tofus are GMO-free by definition. 89p for 180g at Aldi (49p/100g)★★★★★ A small, beige block with rounded edges and a sweet, familiar soya aroma. It's a super-firm tofu with a dense, satisfying bite that holds up brilliantly to cooking, especially frying. Made with 57% EU-grown organic soya, it's very high in protein (14g a serving) and astonishingly good value. A real standout. £1.34 for 300g at Sainsbury's (45p/100g)★★★★☆ A great blank canvas with a subtle aroma and gentle, sweet taste. Firm but moist, and transformed by frying to a golden-crusted, deep flavour. Made from organic, non-EU soya (34%), it's high in protein and excellent value. Though a little lower in soya content, it delivers fantastic performance in the pan and at an incredible price. £2.90 for 396g at Ocado (73p/100g)£3 for 396g at Waitrose (76p/100g)★★★★★ Distinctively marbled and off-white/grey, this has a subtle aroma and a clean, complex flavour. Very firm and reacts well to frying, forming a satisfyingly thick crust. Made with 35.8% organic soya, using a mix of EU and non-EU beans, it's high in protein and has strong sustainability credentials. A well-rounded option that's a very close runner-up to the best overall. £2.30 for 280g at Sainsbury's (82p/100g)£2.30 for 280g at Tesco (82p/100g)★★★★☆ An irregularly marbled block with a deep umami, almost smoky aroma and a lovely firm bounce. One of the densest, less traditional tofus tested, with a chewy bite. When fried, it forms a good golden crust with loads of flavour. Made in Yorkshire using organic soya from EU and non-EU farms. Great Taste Award-winning, very high in protein (16.5g per 100g) and a bold, characterful choice. £2.50 for 300g at Ocado (83p/100g)★★★★☆ A uniform block with a sweet, subtle aroma, a soft bite and a gentle soya flavour. Holding its shape and forming a delicate, uniform golden crust when fried, this has one of the best textures in the whole test group. Made from organic, non-EU soya, it has 34% soya content and a respectable protein level. Strikes a solid balance between taste and texture. Sign up to The Filter Get the best shopping advice from the Filter team straight to your inbox. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. after newsletter promotion £2 for 300g at Morrisons (67p/100g)£2.55 for 300g at Ocado (85p/100g)★★★★☆ A uniform block with a sweet, neutral aroma, a soft bite and a creamy mouthfeel. Flavourful and pleasantly sweet, it's perfectly crunchy and delicious when fried, with a consistent golden crust – perhaps the best overall for frying. Certified organic with non-EU soya, it's been handmade in Devon since 1984 and holds a Taste of the West Gold award. £1.95 for 399g at Tesco (49p/100g)★★★☆☆ A uniform, cream block with a sweet, clean smell and a gentle flavour. Its soft texture makes it satisfying to eat raw, though it doesn't crisp up easily when fried, hence the lower score (instead, it develops a chewy, caramelised edge with a spongy interior). Made from organic, non-EU soya (34%), it's a good source of protein and exceptional value for organic tofu. £1.95 for 300g at Waitrose (65p/100g)★★★☆☆ A gentle, savoury aroma and a soft bite with a slight sweetness. The texture is on the delicate side, especially when boiled, and it doesn't fry especially well (pressing first will help). Made with 34% organic, non-EU-grown soya, it's certified organic, but lacks firmness. Decent value, but there are more versatile options at a lower price point. £3 for 400g at Ocado (75p/100g)★★★☆☆ A white block with a soft bite, this has a sweet, subtle aroma and a clean soya taste. Despite being one of the softest in the test, it crisps up surprisingly well when fried, forming a light but satisfying crust. However, it's the only non-organic product tested, and made with just 16% soya – far lower than the others. Limited provenance or sustainability information, so with such strong competition, it offers less value for money. £5 for 500g at Ocado (£1/100g)£29.94 for 6 x 500g at Amazon (£1/100g)★★★☆☆ An irregular, mottled, off-white block that looks hand-shaped, and that's full of bubbles. One of the firmest to bite with a complex, soya-forward flavour. Fries very well, forming a great crust. Certified organic with non-EU soya, it's the only product tested with a fully reusable and recyclable container. Owned by Windmill Organics, a great company committed to organic farming, which earns it a bonus point.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Make di world dey eat less rice?
Rice pass more dan just food. For ova half di world population, na staple of daily life – na symbol of culture, tradition, and economic survival. "Rice na di absolute heartbeat of every Filipino dish. E pass staple food, na cultural cornerstone," Adriene Bianca Villanueva, one BBC World Service listener from Manila, di capital of Philippines tok. "Most Filipinos dey chop rice three times a day – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even dessert. My favourite rice go probably be sticky rice, sake of say na every Filipino dessert, dem write sticky rice on top" she tok. But as climate pressures dey mount, one pressing question na: Make we dey chop less of rice? Global staple dish According to di UN Food and Agriculture Organization, e get ova 50,000 edible plant species, yet just 15 crops dey provide 90% of di world food energy intake. Rice, wheat, and maize na di top contributors. "Between 50 and 56 percent of di world population rely on rice as di principal staple," Dr Ivan Pinto, Director General of di International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) tok. E dey equal to nearly four billion pipo wey dey eat rice as dia primary food every day. Dem dey plant rice on large scale across South and Southeast Asia, as growing demand dey for Africa and varieties also present for Europe and Latin America. But rice dominance in global diets come wit a cost. A thirsty crop "Rice na very thirsty plant," Jean-Philippe Laborde, managing director of Tilda, one UK-based rice company wey belong to Spanish multinational Ebro Foods explain. "E dey consume between 3,000 to 5,000 litres of water per kilogram of rice grown, wey be a lot." Majority of rice production dey happun for flooded fields, particularly for South and South East Asia. Dis method dey support di crop but also dey create environment wit low oxygen, wey dey known as anaerobic conditions. "Wen fields dey flooded… microorganisms proliferate dey produce large amounts of methane," Dr Ivan Pinto tok. Methane na potent greenhouse gas, wey dey responsible for about 30% of global warming, according to di International Energy Agency. IRRI estimate say rice production account for 10% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Greener methods Tilda don dey try one water-saving method wey dey known as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). E involve to put pipe 15cm below di ground. Instead of di constantly flooding fields, farmers go irrigate only wen water no dey in di pipe. "Normally you get 25 cycles within your growth period," Laborde tok. "By applying AWD technique, you fit reduce dat to 20. So, by cutting five [flooding] cycles, you fit save methane emissions." In 2024, Tilda bin expand im trial from 50 to 1,268 farmers. Di results dey striking. "We fit reduce di water [usage] by 27%, di electricity by 28%, and fertilisers by 25%,"Laborde. E points out say yields in di meantime increased by 7%. "So, na not just to increase di revenue wit a higher cost, di increasing revenue wit lower cost," e tok. Laborde underline say methane emissions also dey drop by 45% and e believe say dis fit fall by as much as 70% if flooding cycles dey reduced even further. Climate stress While rice dey help feed billions – particularly through high-yield varieties like IR8 from di Green Revolution – climate change now dey threaten di production, as rice dey grow for regions wey dey experience intense heat, drought, heavy rainfall or floods. For India, temperature bin reach 53C during di rice-growing season for 2024. In Bangladesh, more frequent and intense floods dey spoil crops. IRRI dey turn to dia vast gene bank of 132,000 rice varieties to find solutions. One key breakthrough na gene wey dey allow rice plants to survive underwater for up to 21 days. "Dis varieties fit persist under flooded conditions long enough for di floods to recede, without affecting yield, "Pinto, add say dem dey increasingly popular in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh. Alternative staples Some govments don try to encourage populations to move away from rice. For Bangladesh, goment bin carry out one campaign 15 years ago as part of attempt to promote potatoes as alternative, as di price of rice bin dey go up steadily. "We love potatoes… but entirely to dey chop only potatoes instead of rice no be sometin pipo dey reason," Dhaka resident Shareef Shabir recall. China bin launch similar initiative to for 2015, promote potatoes as a nutritious superfood. Di kontri bin become leading producer of potatoes in di 1990s and for many parts of di kontri, pipo don dey used to eating potato as a staple food. Yet, di campaign still fail. "For south-west and north-west China, pipo there dey occasionally chop potatoes as staple," Jakob Klein, one anthropologist for SOAS University of London. But, e say, for many areas di potato dey linked wit poverty. "Pipo for di south-west of China tell me say dem grow up eating potatoes. Dat way na to say 'I grow up in poverty'. Stigma dey associated wit eating potatoes," e tok. Difficult choice Globally, rice remain deeply embedded in pipo lives. E dey tasty, easy to cook, store and transport. Di world dey consume an estimated 520 million tonnes of rice annually. In di Philippines, Adrian Bianca Villanueva admit say while she fit cut back, to give am up dey difficult. "Even if I no wan eat rice, if I go to party or different house, dem go always offer rice," she tok. "I think I go eat less rice – but not totally take am out, sake of say na part of our daily lives."
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
Plane carrying 49 people crashes in Russia's Far East
Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said search teams had found the plane's burning fuselage on a hillside south of its planned destination in the town of Tynda. Images of the reported crash site circulated by Russian state media show debris scattered among dense forest, surrounded by plumes of smoke. An initial aerial inspection of the site suggested there were no survivors, Russia's Interfax news agency said, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services. Its sources also said there were difficult weather conditions in the area. The transport prosecutor's office in the Far East reported that the site of the crash is nine miles south of Tynda. The office said the plane attempted a second approach while trying to land when contact was lost. A total of 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members were on board the An-24 passenger plane as it travelled from the city of Blagoveshchensk on the Chinese border to the town of Tynda, regional governor Vasily Orlov said. Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry reported that 48 people were on the flight, operated by Siberia-based Angara Airlines. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. Authorities have launched an investigation on suspicion of flight safety violations that resulted in multiple deaths, a standard procedure in aviation accidents.
