Shanghai Surprise

I purchased these mints in the Shanghai airport. I went into the lounge to try and get rid of some loose change when my jaw hit the floor upon seeing a box full of these mints. Having grown up in an era (and an area) where all the lawn jockeys were repainted to look like clowns or white people, it was shocking to see that the "minstrel" was still considered a novel advertising gimmick in some part of the world. Despite the addition of the accent to the name (apparently a nod to the civil rights movement), the attempt to cash in on the same image that Al Jolson used seems obvious.

Although the politics of Dar'kie's packaging are a tad unconventional, at least you can read it. The package below is still the single worst ­and the most delightful­ butchered translation I have ever seen. It hails from a package of Jian Fei Cha tea purchased at Shanghai No. 1 Department Store.

These images originally appear in Rumpus Room.

Ooze in a Museum?    My 5th Grade Prose

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