# Mmm...Buns Made Out Of Cardboard, Yummy... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 12, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531 "2007-07-12T19:26:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/21 "2007-07-13T14:01:56Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] should we swear off pepper? [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t expect **CalMeacham** to. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/22 "2007-07-13T14:20:58Z")
Considering how hard it can be sometimes to get good results using the correct ingredients, I’m amazed that they can get cardboard to give such a decent-looking end product that people are fooled. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/23 "2007-07-13T15:31:44Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] I wouldn’t expect **CalMeacham** to. [/QUOTE] Hahaha! But his is fresh from the **PepperMill**. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/24 "2007-07-13T15:35:24Z")
How would regulations have prevented this? Not punished the guilty after the fact, but _prevented_. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/25 "2007-07-13T16:07:14Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] How would regulations have prevented this? Not punished the guilty after the fact, but _prevented_. [/QUOTE] Well, if there was some government agency responsible for inspecting the places where food is made (much like we have in this country) and it was properly funded, then they would go in and see what was happening with surprise inspections and close it down when they found out the main ingredient was cardboard. And there would be these pieces of paper hung in plain view at all food selling establishments that would indicate that the place had been inspected, and when, and to what degree they complied with the regulations. :rolleyes: Have you ever eaten out? Are you familiar with the health inspectors? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/26 "2007-07-13T16:19:15Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] How would regulations have prevented this? Not punished the guilty after the fact, but _prevented_. [/QUOTE] The theory is that if people could get caught and punished doing something, they are less likely to do it. In the U.S. there are lots of tax cheats. But very few of us would pay taxes if there weren’t regulations (laws) that say “pay your taxes” - and if those laws had no teeth, we probably wouldn’t bother either. Most people pay taxes because they have to and/or because if they don’t the U.S. Government will make their lives hell. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/27 "2007-07-13T16:25:19Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] How would regulations have prevented this? Not punished the guilty after the fact, but _prevented_. [/QUOTE] Put his kitchen on cable TV. Paper view. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/28 "2007-07-13T16:40:27Z")
What’s next? Chinese “Soylent Green”? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/29 "2007-07-13T16:43:47Z")
[QUOTE=miss elizabeth] Are you familiar with the health inspectors? [/QUOTE] The Chinese Checkers? ---
**Author:** ![Mouse\_Maven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@Mouse\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mouse_Maven)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/30 "2007-07-13T17:38:28Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] Maybe we should be having the kids read Upton Sinclair again. [/QUOTE] It may also treat childhood obesity! Two for one, everybody loves a deal! (I read _The Jungle_ in High School. ::shudder:🙂 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/31 "2007-07-13T17:41:56Z")
So, how long until some Beijing government hack (sorry) loses his head over this scandal? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/32 "2007-07-13T18:34:14Z")
[QUOTE=The Scrivener] What’s next? Chinese “Soylent Green”? [/QUOTE] “Soylent Green is cardboard cutouts of people! It’s cardboard cutouts of people!” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/33 "2007-07-13T18:44:27Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > So, how long until some Beijing government hack (sorry) loses his head over this scandal? > [@Captain Amazing](#): > > “Soylent Green is cardboard cutouts of people! It’s cardboard cutouts of people!” I think we’ve just come up with a new use for the Chinese harvesting of organs from the executed. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/34 "2007-07-13T18:55:26Z")
[QUOTE=The Scrivener] What’s next? Chinese “Soylent Green”? [/QUOTE] SOYLENT GREEN IS MADE FROM PAPER! _And you’re hungry again in an hour._ It wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t put so much MSG in their cardboard. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/35 "2007-07-14T07:16:49Z")
[QUOTE=miss elizabeth] Well, if there was some government agency responsible for inspecting the places where food is made [snip] [/QUOTE] And you assume (quite unreasonably) that inspection would have prevented this in the _real world_, as opposed to a fantasy world. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/36 "2007-07-14T13:06:26Z")
I can’t help thinking of [Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler](http://discworld.wikia.com/wiki/Cut-Me-Own-Throat_Dibbler) and his infamous [sausage-in-a-bun](http://discworld.wikia.com/wiki/Sausage-in-a-bun). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/37 "2007-07-14T15:24:52Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] And you assume (quite unreasonably) that inspection would have prevented this in the _real world_, as opposed to a fantasy world. [/QUOTE] Well, some adulturation of food is inevitable, I’m sure, so there’s no way to say for sure that greater levels of regulation and inspection would have prevented this particular incident. However, food quality does tend to be better in those countries with food regulation and inspection than in those countries without. So it is reasonable to assume that this sort of thing would be less likely with health inspectors. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/38 "2007-07-14T17:30:43Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] And you assume (quite unreasonably) that inspection would have prevented this in the _real world_, as opposed to a fantasy world. [/QUOTE] Why is that an unreasonable assumption? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/39 "2007-07-16T15:59:52Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Why is that an unreasonable assumption? [/QUOTE] Because it happened in Beijing, not Des Moines. China, of late, has had a real problem policing food quality and I think it’s safe to pin the blame on bribed or simply incompetent inspectors. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531/40 "2007-07-16T16:20:28Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] Because it happened in Beijing, not Des Moines. China, of late, has had a real problem policing food quality and I think it’s safe to pin the blame on bribed or simply incompetent inspectors. [/QUOTE] Part of more strenuous enforcement of policing food quality means improving the quality of the food inspectors…guaranteeing that competent people get hired and coming down hard on corruption. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mmm-buns-made-out-of-cardboard-yummy/411531.md?page=3)