::: NOTHING TO REPORT, EXCEPT BREAD POISONING :::

Well, it's been almost a week and a half since returning back from the Christmas holiday.

I was walking from the minibus to the MTR station on my way to work and as I thought about how long it had been since my last real posting, I thought, nothing seems too out of the ordinary here anymore. Nothing to report really. I get up in the morning and I go through my routine. I see the same people, do the same things and expect the same things...

Then, I read the paper.

This article was in the South China Morning Post a few days ago. I read it while eating a Krispy Kreme and enjoying a cup of coffee as a mini-treat for not running Cheryl off these past 6 months. Yay for me.

150 years ago in Hong Kong, the colonial British were just really setting into Hong Kong and were on the verge of losing her to the enemy who was encroaching on all sides. During this time the people of Hong Kong ate very little bread and the need for a bakery was purely for the Colonials. Well, if you do not like Colonials, that would be a great way to get rid of them. And thus, someone tried. The largest and most famous bakery provided just about all of the breads to the Westerners and was owned by a locally-famous, um, local.

Poison was added to the dough and the bread was baked as normal. Unsuspecting Colonials went about their days picking up their breads and taking them home for dining throughout the day. But, the taste was not as invisible as the smell was and as soon as many took it into their mouths, they spit it out, thus rendering the poisons not fatal. Many did fall ill though and even the Governor's wife fell ill. Justice was pursued and arrests were made. Trials were had and the baker was called before the bench. In the end the poisoning was the end of this man's career in Hong Kong, and there was not enough evidence that he had knowledge of such a scheme. Turns out that two of his employees skipped town right after their shifts. But, even still the baker was run out of town. He did manage to rebuild his reputation outside of Hong Kong and regain his businesses albeit not in his hometown.

The Governor's wife never did fully recover and would be dead within and year and a half.

This place is fascinating to me!