Luosifen Photo: VCG

An order from the Taiwan authorities to take a rice noodle product made in the Chinese mainland off the market has sparked taunts from netizens on the Taiwan island, who said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan is the one that should be removed.

Liuzhou snail rice noodle, known as Luosifen in Chinese, an offbeat Chinese dish that is popular among many people, has been ordered off the shelves by the Taiwan authorities over so-called “propaganda” on the packaging and import violations, according to Taiwan-based media outlets.

Packaging of the pungent-smelling rice noodle product recently sold from the mainland to Taiwan was found to contain the sentence “You are Chinese and so am I; round it up and you are mine.”

The brand’s flagship store responded on Wednesday by saying that it had seen a sharp increase in visits and sales in recent days, and urged people to consume the product rationally. “The attention to the packaging was beyond what we expected. Luosifen is a popular dish, and our original intention is to share the happiness together with our customers,” it said in the statement.

During a press conference on Sunday, “pro-Taiwan independence” politician Lee Chong-lim said the noodle product violated trade regulations and he believed it was part of mainland authorities’ “unification propaganda.”

Taiwan economic affairs authorities released a statement on Monday night saying that it issued an order to pull the product from the market.

In response to the authorities’ move, internet users on the island left messages questioning whether the ban on the noodle product is based on laws and regulations.

One netizen said in a message that what should be taken off the shelves is the DPP. Another said that a vulnerable heart can be sensitive to anything. What a disgrace for the councilor to get fussy about a witticism on the product’s packaging, another netizen said.

After the island’s economic authorities pulled the noodles from shelves, the top search item on the island's leading e-commerce platforms was Luosifen, indicating a rush to stock up among netizens.

In addition, a well-known Luosifen restaurant in Guangzhou Street, Taipei, was seen to be very busy on Tuesday, Taiwan-based media outlets reported. The owner of the restaurant was too busy to receive an interview, and there was a steady stream of people serving and delivering the noodles.

Foodies queueing up at the scene said that as long as the food tastes good, they don’t care about where it was from, and the authorities that took down the delicious Luosifen are “mentally retarded.”

Global Times