US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen may have eaten 'hallucinogenic' mushrooms on China visit
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reportedly ate hallucinogenic mushrooms on her diplomatic trip to Bejing last week.
Questions were raised when the politician broke away traditional diplomatic courtesy and repeatedly bowed to her Chinese counterpart on July 9. He did not reciprocate the gesture. A possible explanation for the interaction could be explained by claims she ate several portions of a traditional dish made from mushrooms thought to have hallucinogenic properties a few days earlier.
US Treasury Secretary bowing repeatedly to Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng during a visit to Bejing
The restaurant chain she visited, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, specialises in Yunnan food, a popular regional cuisine from part of southwestern China that borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
A food blogger announced the Yellen’s party’s meal on Weibo, a popular Chinese micro-blogging site.
“When I walked by their table on my way to the washroom, I slowed down to take a glance at the dishes they ordered,” said Weibo user Pan Pan Mao in the post.
“Very Yunnan, very homey,” Pan Pan Mao added.
The restaurant also confirmed the visit on its own Weibo account, saying in a post: “US Treasury Secretary Yellen was here.
“Speculating from the timestamp on the news, it was true that she came (to the restaurant) right after landing in China. Our staff said she loved mushrooms very much. She ordered four portions of jian shou qing (a Yunnan wild mushroom species). It was an extremely magical day.”
A hashtag surrounding the treasury secretary's visit went on to trend on social media and racked up around six million views.
One of Yellen's aides told CNN the treasury secretary had eaten at the restaurant and greatly enjoyed the experience, including the mushroom dish.
Speaking to CNN, Peter Mortimer, a professor at the Kunming Institute of Botany in Yunnan said the mushroom was considered poisonous because it could be hallucinogenic.
He said: “I have a friend who mistakenly ate them and hallucinated for three days.
“Scientists have not, as of yet, identified the compounds responsible for causing the hallucinations. It remains a bit of a mystery and most evidence is anecdotal.”
Jian shou ging is a common delicacy in Yunnan, and is generally believed to lose any psychedelic effect if it is properly cooked.
Her repeated bows to He Lifeng brought criticism from a former senior White House staffer who worked under George W Bush.
Speaking to the New York Post, Bradley Blakeman said: "An American official does not bow. It looks like she’s been summoned to the principal’s office, and that’s exactly the optics the Chinese love."
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