China Vice

A dirty business

In recent weeks, Chinese television has reported on a young woman from Inner Mongolia who is addicted to eating dirt.  In reports about the case, there has been ample footage of the rosy faced woman shovelling clumps of dark dirt into her mouth.  Although said to be alarmed, Chinese doctors believe there is nothing intrinsically unhealthy about eating dirt.  They are, however, conducting a series of tests on the woman in Beijing. 

Does anybody else think this dirt eating story is a load of codswallop?  Besides eating dirt, the woman has a perfectly healthy diet – she even looks quite plump.  There has been a lot of footage showing the woman eating the dirt, but the journos have hardly talked to the woman on camera.  I reckon it is a hoax.  The woman probably wanted to escape the poverty of her hometown, so she ate some dirt in front of the cameras.  It’s definitely working because she is now living in Beijing while being examined by a bunch of Qinghua nerds.  The media is desperate to take some interesting footage, so they go along with the story.  Probably the woman receives money from the TV shows for each appearance.

A quick search on Baidu has shown that the print media has also reported on dirt-eating woman.  Here’s a translation of a story that was published on Sina: 

Dirt-eating woman gets the all-clear

Source: Sina (The First), 1 May 2006

Baobao (not her real name), a 19-year-old woman from Inner Mongolia is addicted to eating dirt.  She can’t get enough of eating loess, in fact she has eaten more than three tons over the last 12 years.  Yesterday, this native of the Mongolian grasslands received a check-up at the hospital attached to Qinghua University.  Currently, doctors are yet to find any abnormalities in the woman, but the hospital will be conducting further tests. 

I started eating dirt at the age of seven

Yesterday, Baobao told this reporter that she became interested in loess at the age of seven.  “Once, I rode a horse to the riverside and suddenly smelt the fragrant smell of dirt.  I couldn’t help eating some – it tasted so sweet.  After that, my every meal included a helping of dirt,” said Baobao.  After she finished talking, Baobao picked up a clump of Mongolian dirt and munched it down.  Her cousin quickly reminded her: “Baobao, don’t eat too much, otherwise there won’t be enough for tomorrow.”

Link to Sina Report