LIFE> Odds and Ends
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LIFE> Odds and Ends
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Stuffing that tradition is made of
By Yu Tianyu (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-06 14:17 Market demand will continue to drive innovation of zongzi and allure the younger generation, CFIA's Weng says. Although the price of zongzi has not shown any significant increase, Weng says the size of some of the items has shrunk. The price of sticky rice, the main ingredient of zongzi, is currently heading south as its high price in past years has encouraged more farmers to plant the grain and boost supplies, CITIC Securities Bo Guanhui says. Still, an estimated 5 percent rise in zongzi prices will mainly be caused by an increase in labor and energy costs, Bo adds. Wumart's Zeng says that zongzi prices have increased only slightly. Considering promotions, prices have actually gone up 5 to 8 percent on average. "Zongzi remain low priced, ranging from 6 to 20 yuan a kilogram," Zeng says. Most customers at supermarkets and restaurants say the price is acceptable. Li Nuo, who works at a design company in Beijing, finds it is unnecessary to eat certain foods on a certain day, since people can have these whenever they like. But, as someone born in Jiaxing, a city in Zhejiang province where zongzi is especially popular, Li says she still misses the zongzi her grandmother made before she left her hometown for the big city. "It is stuffed with love," she said. |
