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Old Godmother - The story of the Lao Gan Ma Lady


liuzhou

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Here is an article on the history of Laoganma crispy chillli sauce and, more importantly, the extraordinary woman behind the product but the woman on the front of every jar. It gets a bit propaganda-ish at the end, but ignore that.

 

I have met her and she seemed as miserable as she looks in all her photos. But still interesting.

 

1055924640_laoganma(original).thumb.jpg.ff2c933b50efe62817a3cc18d35d6710.jpg

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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20 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

I have met her and she seemed as miserable as she looks in all her photos. But still interesting.

But you can’t just leave us there!

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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17 hours ago, Anna N said:

But you can’t just leave us there!

 

What more do you want to know?

 

She immediatley got the hots for me and gave me a life-long supply of free chilli sauce?

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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2 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

What more do you want to know?

Well I think when you state that someone is interesting that needs a little support. 

Edited by Anna N
Poorly expressed. (log)

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Just now, liuzhou said:

 

I meant the story is interesting.

Ah. I thought you meant that the person you had met was interesting. Thanks for clarifying. 

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Ah. I thought you meant that the person you had met was interesting. Thanks for clarifying. 

 

Sorry.  Yes what I wrote was a bit ambiguous. It's 2.30 am here, so my clarity levels are low. 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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The story, as given, is incomplete.

 

In 2011, Tao retired and her son took over the company. At some point around 2016, he decided to cut costs by using cheaper chilli from Henan Province, rather than the original Guizhou chillis. Sales started to fall and in 2019, Tao Huabi came out of retiremement and retook the reins, restoring the original recipe. She remains in control.

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15 hours ago, liuzhou said:

The story, as given, is incomplete.

 

In 2011, Tao retired and her son took over the company. At some point around 2016, he decided to cut costs by using cheaper chilli from Henan Province, rather than the original Guizhou chillis. Sales started to fall and in 2019, Tao Huabi came out of retiremement and retook the reins, restoring the original recipe. She remains in control.

 

Have sales recovered?  Makes me wonder what makes the Guizhou chillis so much better tasting than the cheaper ones they tried to sub; is it the growing area, type of chilli?

 

The expression on her face (from the label and the article) just says "hard line" to me - this woman will not take guff from anyone!

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55 minutes ago, JeanneCake said:

The expression on her face (from the label and the article) just says "hard line" to me - this woman will not take guff from anyone!

Pretty much my grandmother (now deceased). Super tough times, tenacious, and way way under all that a good heart.

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On 8/23/2021 at 12:28 AM, JeanneCake said:

 

Have sales recovered?  Makes me wonder what makes the Guizhou chillis so much better tasting than the cheaper ones they tried to sub; is it the growing area, type of chilli?

 

The expression on her face (from the label and the article) just says "hard line" to me - this woman will not take guff from anyone!

 

Yes, sales have recovered. The return to the original recipe started the recovery process, then Covid and its lockdowns etc helped as people stocked up.

 

The Henan chillies are not necessarily better; just different. This (badly translated but understandable) article from 2020 explains in more detail.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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  • 1 year later...

The Guardian has today again told her story. The article is a bit light on detail though. It does, however, list her car registration plate number (although they get it slightly wrong. It's 贵A88888).

Edited by liuzhou (log)

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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On 8/22/2021 at 2:22 PM, liuzhou said:

 

Yes, sales have recovered. The return to the original menu started the recovery process, then Covid and its lockdowns etc helped as people stocked up.

 

The Henan chillies are not necessarily better; just different. This (badly translated but understandable) article from 2020 explains in more detail.

 

This jumped out at me:

"But the price is only a superficial reason for replacing chili peppers. After all, for a hot sauce company, the decision to change chili peppers is tantamount to Coca-Cola announcing a change in formula." 
 

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