Trends and Buzz

Expensive, tasty space food

JDM060829spacefoods.jpg

Chinese science fiction critic Wu Yan writes on his blog about his impressions of China's space food:

Space food has been packaged into a box for common people to enjoy.

I ate moon cakes, ice cream, soybeans in tomato sauce, banana chips, and pineapple chips. They were primarily dried. However, their flavor was very similar to that of "terrestrial versions." The soybeans in tomato sauce were identical, both in flavor and appearance. Moon cakes were the same, though they were small, eaten in one bite. And there didn't seem to be any filling. The ice cream wasn't frozen, but it really had that feeling.

My cat was enthralled by the space food. She had a great interest in those space flavors. A pity that there was too little and I couldn't give her any.

Lots of space technology could actually be enter society as memorabilia or special commodities, but there has evidently not been enough investment on this front; manpower is even scarcer. Reportedly, the number of people at the Space Center involved in promoting commercial development do not even make up one in one thousand. Although this is not the mission of the Space Center, in light of the attention of the entire country and even the entire world, the earlier this work is undertaken the better.

There truly doesn't seem to be much going on in the way of promotion. A call to the information number reveals that a box of five or six sample flavors retails for 360 yuan, though volume discounts are available. But the Astronaut Center of China, which is responsible for developing food for China's space program, has no deals in place with retail outlets for wider distribution. The box shown here is cobranded by the magazine Astronaut (航天员), possibly as a commemorative gift.

Three-sixty for a few bites of space food might seem expensive, but it's certainly much cheaper than the US$159 that a commemorative Shenzhou-6 box was priced at on eBay earlier this year.

Check out Wu Yan's blog post for photos of the space food - he says he'll be posting more photos shortly.

Links and Sources
There are currently 1 Comments for Expensive, tasty space food.

Comments on Expensive, tasty space food

It is too expensive, I think. Because it tastes like normal food, but too dry.

Post a comment

All comments are moderated and subject to review by Danwei contributors and editors, but well-grounded and articulate comments will be published regardless of which way they lean. Because comments published on any website ultimately contribute to the character of that website, we may decline to publish comments that are irrelevant, redundant, or that do not adhere to generally accepted standards of courtesy; if you are looking for a fight, there are plenty of other venues available online.


Some useful html: <b>bold</b>, <i>italic</i>,
<a href="http://www.danwei.org">link</a>

Media Partners
Visit these sites for the latest China news
090609guardian2.png 090609CNN3.png
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Danwei Model Workers
laomo2008fpA.jpg
Recommended blogs and new media
Books on China
AXL091030storiesforthcoming.jpg
Princess Der Ling: Two Years in the Forbidden City: Two years in the Forbidden City is largely a reminiscence of the minutiae of life for one of history's most powerful women, by one of her court attendants, a Manchu noble's daughter by the name of Der Ling.
Carl Crow's The Long Road Back to China: In 1939 Carl Crow - an American journalist, advertising executive and author who had lived in Shanghai for 25 years until forced out by the Japanese - travelled up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chongqing on assignment for Liberty magazine - 'the most interesting assignment I have ever been given'.
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ The 'national' in National Day (2006.10): Xiao Feng writes about China's national flavor, national curse, national bird, national car, and so forth, Dongfang Yu writes on the true meaning of China's National Day in the age of angry youth.
+ Don't ask so laowai don't have to tell (2008.07): An essay was written by Geremie Barmé, scholar, filmmaker and author of the new book The Forbidden City.
+ Religion and government in an uneasy mix (2008.03): Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊) article from October, 2007, on government influence on religious practice in Tibet.
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky rsschiclet2.png (on the mainland)
or Feedburner rsschiclet.gif (blocked in China)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Main feed: Main posts (FB has top links)
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Top Links: Links from the top bar
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Jobs: Want ads
rsschiclet2.png rsschiclet.gif Danwei Digest: Updated daily, 19:30