Chili Crisp is an age-old Chinese condiment that people in the West fell in love with. In China, they've been eating varieties of the stuff for centuries. Lao Gan Ma is the most famous brand that's made in the southwestern province of Guizhou. And it started in 1989 when a woman called Tao Huabi started selling noodles which were coated with this sauce.
A slump in tech is driving investors to rediscover old ways. Out are the cash-splashing long bets; in are smaller, profitable, strategic firms. Nigeria’s election was pitched as the most transparent ever. It was not. We ask what is likely to happen now. And chilli crisp, a Chinese condiment with a deep history, is a study in how foods become fads.
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