An “enamel fruit basket” sold on US e-commerce platform Amazon has attracted huge attention from Chinese netizens, not only because the product is tagged at a price almost 15 times its regular price in China, but also because the “Chinese traditional antique” sold for dining and fashion is actually used as a spittoon or a chamber pot in China.
The “fruit basket” went viral after a netizen posted a picture on social media that shows the $60 product on Amazon has a wide range of uses, including holding vegetables and fruits, as an ice bucket, decorating the kitchen and used as a gift for housewarming and weddings.
The post was widely circulated among Chinese netizens, who were amazed to see the value of a traditional spittoon that is also used as a chamber pot is so highly regarded on a US online marketplace.
The hashtag “the other ways a spittoon is used” received more than 50 million views of comments on Chinese social platform Sina Weibo as of press time.
“I hope no one from other countries ever buys this ‘basket’ and sends it as a gift to their Chinese friends because no Chinese people would feel happy if they see a delicately packed spittoon with fruits in it,” commented one Weibo user.
“$60? I can’t believe my childhood potty is more valuable than I am,” another netizen joked.
Made in enamel and adorned with a pair of mandarin ducks, the product is sold for a much more modest 28 yuan ($4) on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, but there it is sold as a spittoon or portable chamber pot.
It was commonly seen in Chinese households in the 1980s and 1990s.
Some comments in the “Q&A” section of the Amazon product page also pointed out the “typical” use of the container, suggesting people not “buy it for food.”
While the distinctive uses of the product seem funny to many netizens, some people see it as a cultural difference that should not be made into a big deal.
“It is actually interesting to see how things can be used differently in other cultures. As long as the buyers like it, it shouldn’t matter it is ‘originally’ used for,” said a Weibo user.
OMG! Almost every Chinese of 35 years older and up knows this is a typical portable potty, usually for children,” warned one Amazon user. “While you may say you want to use it however you like, it’s still better to know the original purpose.”
“This product is a portable toilet. Please don’t buy it for food,” wrote another user, while others called the misleading product page “disgusting” and “offensive,” and called for it to be removed.
For some Chinese users, the real scandal was the $61.96 price tag, with the Global Times reporting that the item is sold for the equivalent of just $4 in China.
Source: Global times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202102/1216094.shtml
在中国几乎绝迹的痰盂，居然在亚马逊上意外走红
近日，中国的老式痰盂在美国线上购物平台亚马逊上意外走红，售价近62美元（约合人民币390元），大批美国民众纷纷抢购。值得注意的是，亚马逊上的商家将这种痰盂描述为“餐桌用品”，称其可以用来盛装水果、蔬菜，或是葡萄酒。
上世纪的“传统水果篮”吗？
亚马逊的商家在介绍这种痰盂时称，这种器皿是20世纪60年代中国常见的传统水果篮，主要用于点缀餐桌。结合起这种痰盂上通常带有的喜庆图案，这种说法对于不明真相的美国民众而言显然十分可信。
如果真的用他来盛葡萄酒，那，那可是痰盂呀，怎么能喝得进去！
可惜，恶作剧只持续了一天。真相大白之后，许多已经购买了这款“传统水果篮”的消费者纷纷大呼上当，但也有消费者表示，自己是看中了其“艺术价值”，并不关心这款“水果篮”的真实用途，并表示自己并不介意用它们盛放食物。
Source: QQ news
https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20210222A08WWK00
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