From hotpot horror to a hologram bride, these offbeat Asia stories were well-read in 2018
- Some ended in tragedy while others seemed more like the stuff of fiction
HOT MESS
Hotpot is a huge part of Asian dining culture that’s best enjoyed with friends and family. But the experience of gathering around a steaming vessel of flavourful broth to cook your own vegetables, seafood or meat isn’t always a pleasant one – as a pregnant woman in eastern China’s Shandong province discovered when she found a dead rat in her family’s meal.
A hotpot gathering took a tragic turn in Japan, when a corporate executive dunked an employee’s face into a hotpot, scalding him badly. It sparked outrage over workplace harassment and the employee filed a compensation lawsuit, seeking damages and demanding an apology from the president of the company.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
American missionary John Chau, 27, was killed in an abortive attempt to convert a tribe of remote hunter-gatherers on India’s North Sentinel Island. Chau’s death sparked debate among evangelical Christians on what lengths missionaries should go to in order to spread their faith. Chau’s supporters believed in his mission but other religious scholars have questioned the approach he took.
This is not the first time that the Stone Age tribe has killed intruders – the Sentinelese reject contact with the outside world and are known for attacking anyone who comes near their island.
Seven people who helped Chau illegally reach the Sentinelese have been arrested by Indian authorities. Fishermen say the tribals fired arrows at Chau and then tied a rope around his neck to drag his body across the beach.
MAKING A STINK
