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Snake on a Bed: 2.5 Meter-Long Python Found in Dongguan Bedroom

Posted: 06/10/2014 10:38 am

Few people want to get out of bed in the morning and, as discovered by one Dongguan woman, neither did the 2.5 meter-long python she found nestled under her sheets.

python dongguan burmese At around 6pm on June 6 during Dragon Boat Festival, a woman surnamed Wang went to her second-story bedroom in Shanmei New Town, Dongguan to find the enormous snake in her bed underneath the covers. Without skipping a beat, Wang’s nephew, Haibo, snapped a photo of the 12.5 kilogram snake and posted it on Weibo.

During an interview with the Yangcheng Evening Report, Wang Haibo confirmed the story to be true. When the family discovered the snake, Wang took charge claiming he was taught how to capture snakes while serving with the army in Hainan Province.

Wang crept up slowly and grabbed the python by the head. The snake then began coiling around his wrist. Wang then asked for a bag to put the snake in, but there wasn’t one in the house. It wasn’t until a neighbor showed up with a cloth bag a half hour later that the python was subdued.

READ: Fearless 13-Year Old In Dongguan Sleeps with 220lbs Python,
Parents Encourage It

Unfortunately, this report doesn’t explain a few things: why a Dongguan woman would use bedcovers during this sweltering heat, why “snake capturing” is a skill taught in the army (Metal Gear Solid 3?), or what happened during the 30 minutes between the time the snake wrapped itself around Wang’s wrist and when the bag finally arrived.

However, Wang explains with artful precision the reason why you should be afraid to sleep  ever again the python was found in his aunt’s bed:

It has been raining continuously lately, and the heat during Dragon Boat Festival has been tremendously hot and stuffy. It may be that this big snake may have felt it was too hot, and crawled up from the sewers and into the house.

Up from the sewers and into a second-floor bedroom? Is there any correlation with the board game Snakes and Ladders?

Burmese pythons are indigenous to Guangdong Province and Southeast Asia, and some residents keep the snakes as pets. Last June, Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou became the new home of six albino Burmese pythons.

 Photo: Yangcheng Evening Report

Haohao

Tell the Difference Between Real and Fake Zongzi For Dragon Boat Festival

Posted: 05/29/2014 7:49 pm

zongzi real fake While I’m forced to indulge in my secret love of the universally panned mooncake in a darkened room during Mid-Autumn Festival all by myself, Dragon Boat Festival is the carefree holiday of the zongzi (粽子 zòngzi), a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in leaves. Only a summer holiday like Dragon Boat Festival can have two festive foods and encourage a playful rivalry over which is the superior one: Team Salty or Team Sweet.

However, as Chinese relive an early millennial fad of the Great Zongzi War of Salty Vs Sweet, we need to remind readers that yes, like every other food in China, there are counterfeit versions that you should avoid at all costs.

zongzi real fake

As you enjoy your short vacation, here are the ways to differentiate between a real zongzi (seen above to the right) and a fake one (left):

  • zongzi that look especially green may have had their leaves dipped in chemicals during the soaking process. The typical chemical additives used are industrial copper sulfate (CuSO4) and copper chloride
  • as seen in the picture above, the leaves of the fake zongzi look unnaturally green. It looks unrealistic in the same way people’s skin looks unrealistic in skin care commercials or on clips of old Max Headroom episodes
  • when steaming regular zongzi, the color of the leaves will darken and get yellow, and the water below will become a light yellow
  • fake zongzi will have a sulphuric smell when cooked, and the water below will turn green like its leaves

We’re sure most people can tell the difference; after all, people lose their appetite when their kitchen smells like the Eye of Sauron. But then, advertisements and pictures on the internet may lead people to have certain expectations on what a zongzi looks like. For example, would you eat this?

zongzi real fake

Happy Dragon Boat Festival, everyone. Make Qu Yuan proud.

Photos: NMG News, XDKB, Sipac

Haohao
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