The Creepiest Fruit China Has To Offer

Apparently spotted at a Sam's Club supermarket in Beijing, these pears have been shaped so that they resemble babies. Because that's so not creepy.

The image of the pears first popped up on a Chinese social networking site. According to MIC, a journalist followed up, but couldn't find the pears. The supermarket staff supposedly said they were sold out and didn't know when they'd be getting more.

But there's a context for all this: Experts say the pears look like mythical ginseng fruits of Chinese folklore. In the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the fruit is shaped like a young human head, and it takes ten thousand years to ripen. The individual who takes a bite can then live for another 47,000 years.

The Creepiest Fruit China Has To Offer

These, however, are pears that have been placed in molds to make them look like babies. A marketing ploy! So if you buy some, don't wait ten thousand years to eat them. They'll totally go bad.

hexiaotao [Weibo via Beijing Morning News via MIC]
