Great stuff. The rotting grain example is a new one to me -- we always heard the same ones, about rats and melting utensils to meet quotas and snakes and such. Thanks for digging for something new!
The thing I remember about Hamburger University is that actually they have a central R&D lab that develops all of the localized menu items around the world; as consistent as the Big Mac is, every country also has different local items, all (or I think mostly) developed in Oak Park. There is probably some China SEZ analogy there, too.
Great stuff. The rotting grain example is a new one to me -- we always heard the same ones, about rats and melting utensils to meet quotas and snakes and such. Thanks for digging for something new!
"If you happen to enjoy Chinese history, you're in luck given that there's a whole lot of it."
That's good writing
Althought not the focus of your piece, Wilhelm II was an interesting character. I read about him in the War That Ended Peace; recently, I was also reading The Origin of Wealth, and it discusses him and Annie Oakley, applying the idea of a frozen accident, in which tiny alterations can change history. https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/03/05/annie-oakley-shot-a-cigarette-out-of-the-kaisers-mouth-had-she-hit-him-she-could-have-prevented-wwi/
The thing I remember about Hamburger University is that actually they have a central R&D lab that develops all of the localized menu items around the world; as consistent as the Big Mac is, every country also has different local items, all (or I think mostly) developed in Oak Park. There is probably some China SEZ analogy there, too.