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Time Out likens eating Shanghai soup dumplings to popping spots and provokes outrage

"My traditional food is not here just for your next cool trend"

Rachel Hosie
Friday 31 March 2017 09:40 BST
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Time Out London has sparked outrage with its suggestion that eating Xiao Long Bao dumplings is like popping spots.

It’s enough to put anyone off their food, but that wasn't the main problem.

In a video on their Facebook page, Time Out introduces Xiao Long Bao - AKA Shanghai soup dumplings.

The short clip includes footage of people eating the dumplings.

As people squeeze and prod the Xiao Long Bao, the soupy contents pours out.

For their part, Time Out likened it to popping spots: “Love popping spots AND eating dumplings? Combine the two with exploding soup dumpling,” they wrote.

And people are not happy about it.

The video has received over 1,800 ‘angry’ reactions on Facebook - more than the number of likes - and many outraged comments.

One of the main reasons the video provoked such a strong reaction is that the dumplings aren’t meant to be “popped” before being eaten.

Time Out have now issued an apology: “After our recent video on Chinese dumplings, we’ve been politely informed that bursting these lovely little parcels of culinary joy before they reach your lips really isn’t the done thing at all.

“So, first off, apologies to anybody who was peeved by our post. Secondly, we'd like to invite the knowledgeable food-lovers of China and Asia to tell us what traditional delicacies we Londoners should try - and how to eat them properly.

“We’re an inquisitive bunch at heart you know, and while we don’t always do things the traditional way, we’re always looking to learn.”

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