QUIRKY ASIA NEWS: TOP CHINA ATHLETE IN MAKEUP FAIL, FISHY HOSPITAL VISIT, SPIKY SNACKS
- Makeup malfunction befalls top China athlete, a fish goes to hospital and online influencers eat spiky durian skin
When it comes to delivering quirky news, Asia very rarely disappoints.
Here, the Post selects some of the most surprising stories to have emerged across the region in recent days.
Glamour glitch
China's champion hurdler Wu Yanni often courts controversy with her tattoos, opinions and the fact that she wears makeup while competing.
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She refuses to accept that athletes should remain "barefaced", believing everyone has the right to pursue beauty.
Sticking to her beliefs on looks and makeup, she did not disappoint on June 30 at the 2024 National Athletics Championships in Shandong province, eastern China.
Wu won the women's 100m hurdles, looking great to clock a stunning 12.74 seconds, the best Asian performance of the season.
However, during a post-race interview, the athlete with attitude rubbed her eyes causing her false eyelashes to fall off - a makeup malfunction she quickly tried to hide by covering one of her eyes with her hand.
The facial faux pas delighted online observers.
"Covering your eye is so funny and adorable! You are a sincere and talented female athlete," said one person on Weibo.
Wu's victory also dispelled any doubts about her athletic prowess which had taken a knock in April when, in her first outdoor competition of the year, she clocked a below par time, disappointing both her fans and herself.
Fish hospitalised
A woman raised more than a few eyebrows when she took her pet fish to hospital in China.
The small, round bodied red parrot cichlid, which is known for its friendly nature, is one of the most popular marine pet breeds in the country.
Its owner, surnamed Lin, from Guangzhou in the southeastern province of Guangdong, became worried when her pet developed tumour-like growths.
She decided the best course of action was to rush her fishy companion of five years to hospital.
The bill for treatment came to 470 yuan (US$65), almost 20 times the amount Lin had paid a street vendor for the fish.
Many people on social media decried her decision as a waste of money.
Lin, however, was unrepentant, saying that she could not put a price on the deep emotional bond she has with her pet.
"Every time I feed it, it swims up to me with its mouth puckered, almost like it is smiling. This comforts and delights me," she said.
Spiky speciality
A TikTok influencer has live-streamed people eating durian skin to create an unlikely ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) video.
ASMR videos use gentle, specific sounds or scenarios to stimulate sensations, promoting relaxation and aiding sleep.
So the spiky durian skin clips featuring two men using two dipping sauces, one creamy and the other an Indonesian chili sambal, jarred somewhat, as did the crunchy sound of them eating.
One online observer missed the point a little and tried to teach the pair the "correct" way to eat durian.
"You should open it and eat the yellow flesh inside. The mistake you made is one even a five-year-old would not make."
However, durian skin is not without value.
In traditional Chinese medicine, it is considered nutritious and medicinal and its abundance of dietary fibre means it is often used in soups with meat.
Experts also recommend drying the skin and grinding it into powder to make a nutritious drink.
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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
2024-07-05T02:41:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd