There are times when I truly love China. This evening, when I won five litres of milk in a restaurant lucky draw, was one of those times. For one glorious moment, after I opened the outer box, I thought that I had won five litres of expired milk. Then I remembered that, in China, the date printed on the carton is the production date. In any case, the milk comes in handy 250ml cartons, and a bag of straws is included!

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On the topic of food, this wonderfully named Korean-made mustard sauce was included in a delivery of surprisingly good chicken wings to a friend’s house a week ago.

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I am now back in Beijing after a brief break in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a wonderful place, but I’ve never heard of anyone winning five litres of milk – in little cartons! with straws! – in a restaurant there. Words cannot express the feeling of unadulterated glee I experienced when the waiter dropped that box on the table. My day was complete.

Edit: I thought it could not get any better. But it did! It’s not even milk! It’s a strangely tangy milky-yogurty hybrid! Yes, I have five litres – well, now it’s 4.75 – of what is essentially that Yakult drink! That would explain why the word “milk” can only be found under “ingredients”.