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Chinese celebrity chef vows to never cook egg fried rice again after nationalist backlash

Light, tasty and simple to make, egg fried rice has long been a beloved dish in China and one of most recognizable icons of Chinese cuisine around the world.

But in recent years, the popular stir-fry has become a highly sensitive subject for China’s online nationalists, especially around the months of October and November.

Emotions are running so high this week that one of the country’s most famous chefs has been forced to apologize – for making a video on how to cook the dish.

“As a chef, I will never make egg fried rice again,” Wang Gang, a celebrity chef with more than 10 million online fans, pledged in a video message on Monday.

Wang’s “solemn apology” attempted to tame a frothing torrent of criticism about the video, which was posted on Chinese social media site Weibo on November 27.

Angry nationalists accused Wang of using the video to mock the death of Mao Zedong’s eldest son, Mao Anying, who was killed in an American air strike during the Korean War on November 25, 1950.

yesman ,

There is a rumor that Mao Anying was cooking fried rice when he was killed in an airstrike and that the smoke from his cook fire betrayed his position. This is why it’s a sensitive subject.

HikingVet ,

Which is a bitch move by Winnie the pooh.

ZapBeebz_ ,

The really funny part of this whole thing is that I never knew about the rumor you mentioned until this whole thing happened. Streisand effect much?

atzanteol ,

“Streisand effect” implies they don’t want people to know about it?

narp ,

Well, they probably didn’t want me to have egg fried rice every 25. of November from now on!

KISSmyOS , (edited )

They probably do want people to remember November 25th for the rice thing and not for what happened on that date last year.

JustZ ,
@JustZ@lemmy.world avatar

Is this for real? Why is this dude’s death so important to people?

This whole article left me like “wat?”

TheAlbatross ,

Its a weird thing to publish to non-Chinese audiences in general.

To a Chinese audience, there’s cultural understanding for why this would be taboo. Someone else made the analogy of uploading a video of, say, destroying two towers around the 11th of September. It’s a culturally sensitive thing.

Why non-Chinese audiences should care what Chef Wang Gang cooks is beyond me. I’m not sure why multiple outlets are running this story.

Anyway, Wang Gang’s videos are great, check em out.

JustZ ,
@JustZ@lemmy.world avatar

So is egg fried rice (great). Staple food at my house. Thanks for the run down.

Rakonat ,

You just like saying Wang Gang, don’t you?

Cannacheques ,

No Wong gong

deegeese ,

The story got traction with non-Chinese audiences precisely because it sounds silly to an outsider.

Goronmon ,

I would argue it is silly, regardless of the explanation. Every culture has silly things, but that doesn’t make them somehow not silly.

ArumiOrnaught ,

I find this much more interesting than the big story in USA right now where a con artist is in legal trouble for being a con artist.

prole ,

Do you really not know who Mao Zedong is?

ivanafterall ,
@ivanafterall@kbin.social avatar

Fyi, if not, it's pronounced similar to "Mousy Dong," which was also his wife's nickname for him.

JustZ ,
@JustZ@lemmy.world avatar

The issue is about his son. Why does anyone care about his son?

prole ,

Because it is/was a cult of personality. He was essentially as close to “god” as you can get in a society that’s officially atheist. You don’t make fun of god’s kid I guess.

It’s fucking dumb. People do crazy shit for crazy reasons.

ivanafterall ,
@ivanafterall@kbin.social avatar

I heard he choked on the fried rice before the air strike even hit.

PrinceWith999Enemies ,

I suspect that it is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

I also suspect that they’d rather have people getting upset over fried rice than the current disease outbreak they’re having.

TheAlbatross ,

This event is from 2020, why are CNN and others only reporting on it now?

And also, why bother?

MicroWave OP ,
@MicroWave@lemmy.world avatar

Looks like the CNN article is not clear, but The Guardian explains why:

This year’s gaffe was Wang’s third offence. He released similar videos around the time of the anniversary of Mao Anying’s death in 2018 and 2020, both times prompting an outcry on social media.

theguardian.com/…/chinese-celebrity-chef-wang-gan…

FaceDeer ,
@FaceDeer@kbin.social avatar

Huh. In no way am I saying that the outrage is appropriate (it's monumentally silly and says far more about the delicate fee-fees of the nationalists than about anything else) but if this keeps happening perhaps the chef really is doing it deliberately.

Good on him, if so. I hope he's able to continue treading whatever narrow line he's on.

ivanafterall ,
@ivanafterall@kbin.social avatar

Can't wait for next year's Kung Mao Chicken recipe.

memfree ,
@memfree@lemmy.ml avatar

The CNN article addressed that, saying the chef posts fried rice a LOT – quoted below, but emphasis is mine.

But Wang’s critics are not letting it go easily.

“It might be a coincidence the first time. But can it be a coincidence every single time?” a comment said of Wang’s egg fried rice videos.

Some called for Wang to be banned on Chinese social media, while others urged authorities to punish him for insulting national “heroes and martyrs,” citing the 2018 law.

But some have also come to Wang’s defense, noting that the chef has posted egg fried rice in other months throughout the year.

“You don’t need to apologize. It is society that should apologize to you,” a Weibo user said in support of Wang.

charonn0 ,
@charonn0@startrek.website avatar

The Streisand Effect in action.

Before reading this article I had never heard that Mao Zedong’s son got himself killed over some fried rice.

Pons_Aelius ,

I have now added Nov 25th as Mao's kid was an idiot day to my calender. Looks like meat Egg fried rice is back on the menu boys

KISSmyOS , (edited )

That’s the point of this. Make people remember November 25th for the rice thing and not for what happened on that date last year.

ExfilBravo ,

All my homies hate Mao.

Werbert ,

What about Mao-naise?

hardcoreufo ,

Anyone else really want some fried rice?

Newguy ,

Good month for it

mateomaui ,

Whatever, serve me up please.

Colour_me_triggered ,

Haiyaa! So sad!

spyd3r ,
@spyd3r@sh.itjust.works avatar

I have a sudden urge to order egg fried rice every November 25th.

KISSmyOS , (edited )

That’s the point of this. Make people remember November 25th for the rice thing and not for what happened on that date last year.

PM_ME_YOUR_ZOD_RUNES ,

Love watching Wang Gang make fried rice, he’s like a wizard. Wish I had the setup to do what he does. I want me some of that Wok Hei.

Zoboomafoo ,
@Zoboomafoo@lemmy.world avatar

I madr some egg fried rice in honor of this story

NuXCOM_90Percent ,

Da fuq? How the hell is this at all controversial?

Angry nationalists accused Wang of using the video to mock the death of Mao Zedong’s eldest son, Mao Anying, who was killed in an American air strike during the Korean War on November 25, 1950.

Well, guess I am making egg fried rice for dinner tomorrow.

Ghostwurm ,
@Ghostwurm@lemmy.ca avatar

Looking forward to the June 3rd pancake video

ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

Willy ,

Thanks for the recommendation. I just watched it and it’s so wholesome.

ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

mindlight ,

Shark fin… I have no regrets whatsoever eating meat… But shark fin is animal cruelty on a quite high level.

ChunkMcHorkle , (edited )
@ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world avatar

deleted by creator

mindlight ,

The problem with shark fin as an ingredient is that the fishermen normally catch a shark, cut off the fin and throw it back alive… and it slowly dies in agony.

If we’re going to kill to eat we could at least try to let the animal suffer as little as possible and use as much of the animal we can.

Tangent5280 ,

Why do they keep the sharks alive? I imagine its harder to cut the fins when its alive and thrashing than to kill it first. Whats up with that?

feminalpanda ,
@feminalpanda@lemmings.world avatar

Cheaper, they catch them and hang them upside down, cut the fins and drop them back in the ocean. No disposal, and quicker.

Tangent5280 ,

That make sense and paints a horrible picture. I imagine the sharks can’t swim without the fin? Just float until it starves to death? Fuck. Ruins my day.

I’d rather they cut an artery or something before dropping them so it can atleast die quicker.

boomzilla ,

If I would write about this topic as I feel about it this would end in extreme hate-speech about the demographics who eat them and those who do those unbelievable deeds. It’s a beyond vile, absolute devoid of any value, twisted & sick industry. Just read the wikipedia entry for shark-finning.

In addition to causing immeasurable suffering and death to a mindboggling number of sharks, with up to 70-80% reduction within a lot of shark-species, they’re setting the fate of other marine ecosystems too…

The main task of sharks is to balance out those systems by hunting too numerous species. A Sea-Wolf. Now there’s a constant flow of rotting shark carcasses which will possibly let the wrong species thrive which won’t be regulated anymore. But those 400 million years old species time has come anyway in the very near future because it won’t have anything to regulate anymore.

Look up what happened in Yellowstone with the reintroduction of the wolf (that was killed off previously in 1930) and the resulting self-regulating system. In the adjacent Montana they shoot up to half of the wolf population and in surrounding states the “game” is coyotes and foxes. With cruel traps like sadistic trappers do. Now they have to mow down super-boar herds with MGs. Instead of finding better ways to co-exist with natures ranger-creatures which are doing a way better job in Yellowstone than hunters.

It’s the wolfs merit that beavers, foxes, songbirds and willows came back just by regulating elk and deer populations. But in a completely different way than hunters. Disclaimer: I’m from Europe and only read up on that so I may have recited a few things incorrect.

Don’t wanted to discuss this topic and I don’t expect an answer. Just wanted to vent.

I can’t answer your question and wikipedia doesn’t as well. I guess it has something to do with speed. Would fit those pieces of walking excrements who run that industry.

Sorgan71 ,

its a shark. Who cares?

mindlight ,

Well, someone who takes time somehow engage in the discussion would be a sign of them caring.

So I guess the answer to your question is you…

pan_troglodytes ,

right, sure he wont. totally believable.

newthrowaway20 ,

Angry nationalists accused Wang of using the video to mock the death of Mao Zedong’s eldest son, Mao Anying, who was killed in an American air strike during the Korean War on November 25, 1950.

Can someone explain to me what that has to do with egg fried rice?

Mango ,

No.

Tangent5280 ,

Mao Anying was killed in a bombing run on 25 November 1950. He was assigned to a place that the then PVA commander felt would be safe from UN air raids. He was supposedly in a makeshift shelter near some caves when the bombs struck. Some rebel groups or anti-government people say that the man was cooking food in daylight, which was against Army regulations, and that gave away their position to the enemy.

Some Chinese citizens and groups who oppose Mao Zedong commemorate the anniversary of Mao Anying’s death by eating egg fried rice. According to some sources, on the morning of 25 November 1950, Mao Anying, alongside staff officers Gao Ruixun and Cheng Pu, cooked egg fried rice for breakfast in the office of Peng Dehuai, despite orders only to cook at night for fear of American air raids. It is alleged that their preparation of that meal drew the attention of American bombers, contributing to the deaths of Mao and Gao. Taken from Wikipedia.

interceder270 , (edited )

Yeah… it’s almost like getting upset about this reinforces people’s stereotypes.

The vast majority of people would have no idea this was a thing if there wasn’t ‘backlash.’

This generation loves getting mad over bullshit I swear. Prolly cause we have so much excess we need to make up things to worry about instead of helping those who have less than us.

JayleneSlide ,

I call it “Not Enough Tigers.” We humans have a dynamic response range of “sitting around the campfire with friends and eating great food” to “OMFG! TIGERS!” Unfortunately, most of our daily lives have compressed the dynamic range of experience into a gamut of watching Netflix to “someone said something I don’t like.”

Most people lack true existential threats in their day-to-day lives, and we humans come unglued without a proper dynamic range of experiences. I think this is why people who do dangerous things, such as urban bicyclists, rock climbers, SAR, and open ocean sailors, tend to be so laid back.

It also doesn’t help that those with power have had millennia to dial in propaganda to keep the hoi polloi divided against each other.

Cannacheques ,

Agreed, you made me want to get back into skating.

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