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  • Wow, how do make such great noodles?

  • Shh...Ancient Chinese secret.

  • My sister.

  • Some hotshot!

  • Here's her ancient Chinese secret.

  • Opium poppy powder.

  • Opium poppy powder contains traces of morphine and codeine,

  • for that satisfied post-hotpot feeling.

  • It’s guaranteed to keep you coming back for more.

  • Ancient Chinese secret, huh?

  • Well, ok.

  • Ancient British secret.

  • Hi, welcome to China Uncensored,

  • I'm your host Chris Chappell.

  • You know, it was the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates who famously said,

  • "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

  • Well, that's actually the way traditional Chinese medicine looks at food, too.

  • But I don't think they had this in mind.

  • "35 restaurants are in trouble with the Chinese government

  • after adding that special something to their dishes.

  • The secret ingredient was ground poppy powder."

  • Poppy powder.

  • You know,

  • the stuff that's used to make morphine, opium and heroin.

  • Now I know why Kung Fu Panda

  • couldn't stop eating.

  • Suddenly MSG doesn't seem so bad.

  • Five of these restaurants in China are already being prosecuted,

  • while the other 30 are still under investigation.

  • The restaurants range from noodle shops and dumpling joints,

  • to one of the most popular Beijing hotpot chains.

  • Now it's unclear how effective it is in these doses,

  • but some cooks believe adding ground poppy powder can get customers hooked on their food.

  • Cooks? More like crooks.

  • I mean, can you imagine adding a potent narcotic just to sell your product?

  • Anyway, I believe we have footage from inside one of these restaurants in Chongqing.

  • Something with poison in it I think.

  • Poppies. Poppies."

  • Now this isn't the first time this has happened.

  • According to the Guardian,

  • a noodle seller was busted for this in 2014,

  • seven restaurants were closed in 2012,

  • and 215 restaurants were shutdown in 2004.

  • C'mon, people.

  • Don't you know that China's Food Safety Law forbids businesses

  • from selling food made with "nonfood materials or chemicals"?

  • Like melamine in milk.

  • Or heavy metals in rice.

  • The problem is,

  • according to a professor from China Agricultural University,

  • "There are so many restaurants in China,

  • and it is very difficult to effectively inspect every one of them

  • to ensure they all follow the law."

  • That's the funny thing,

  • in a country without the rule of law,

  • you have a hard time getting people to follow the law.

  • Plus, all the government's inspection resources

  • are busy spying on China's 700 million Internet users.

  • Now, China seems to frequently suffer from horrendous food scandals.

  • Ground poppy seeds that may or may not do anything

  • are really the least of the country's worries.

  • Toxic bean-sprouts.

  • Glow-in-the-dark meat.

  • Exploding watermelons.

  • Well the list really goes on.

  • And on.

  • It's even affected Western companies operating in China.

  • A Shanghai-based supplier was giving unsanitary expired chicken meat to,

  • among others, Starbucks, KFC, and McDonalds.

  • Many China social commentators say it comes from a society pushing to get rich quick,

  • without really thinking of the long-term consequences.

  • Case in point,

  • basing your country's energy resources around coal.

  • So what do you think?

  • And if you've been to China,

  • go to the China Uncensored Facebook page now and leave a comment

  • or post a video

  • about the craziest food experience you've had in mainland China.

  • I may even feature the best stories in one of my videos.

  • Once again I'm Chris Chappell, see you next time.

Wow, how do make such great noodles?

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