Mom and Dad's Yixing Teapots

[Poohblah]

Deb, is that the zen8tea pot that went out of stock due to teachatters buying them up?

[debunix]

Nope. It's a $5.99 special from Wing Hop Fung, my local chinatown teashop.

[jayinhk]

After a prolonged prep, I tried the pot with the tightest lid. It dribbles just a tad. It did remove virtually all of the storage taste from my bo lei; very interesting. I think M is right on this one; the poor construction and fake stamp do not inspire confidence at all, and I'm worried about dyes in the clay. I'm definitely picking up one of your suggested yixings instead!

[debunix]

I looked again at the photos, and I see some ordinary red clay appearing pots and some darker brown pots. None are blue, green, yellow, or purple--the unusual colors that would make me worry about adulteration for color.

Are there instances of toxic adulterants being found even in such ordinary looking clays?

I know someone posted quite a while ago now about a large-scale problem with faked purple clay that was being used not just for teapots, but also for things like rice cookers, that were contaminated with some heavy metal--cobalt or cadmium or some such.

I'm still trying to get at the difference between "fake" as in, 'not truly traditionally valued clays or renowned maker, so not worth much, and you could get nicer', and "not good for you because potentially dangerous".

[MarshalN]

In China, everything is potentially fake. You have fake eggs, fake meat, fake milk powder, fake table salt, even. So, everything is fakeable, and everything can be fake, however improbable it seems. Most of it will never make it to American or European shores, but we live in Hong Kong, so the chances of seeing these fakes are non-zero.

With clays - you can have perfectly ordinary looking red clays (at first glance) that are what's called "chemical clay". What goes in them is anybody's guess, but you probably don't really want to know. They're cheap, they're not natural, they're probably not good for you. When, like I said, the alternative trustworthy pots are cheap and readily available, there's no reason to try to see if these things will work.

The thing on the far right, for example, looks to be one of these things. The thing on the far left also looks suspect. Some of the middle pots seem ok, but it's hard to tell with just one pic. Either way, they look like pots that have a high chance of being made with some of these clays. There's no good reason to really try to see if these work out.

[rdl]

correct me if i am wrong but these pots are fakes, not forgeries. they were not sold for $100 - $1000's claiming to be the real thing. as fakes, at the price they were sold for, everyone should understand they are not intended for use, and therefore whatever is in them is fair game. whether natural clay or not, i agree they should not be used.
outside tourists sites of all kinds there are vendors selling fakes. nobody is buying a real 5,000 year old egyptian relic for pennies. the souvenir aspect is the purpose, nothing more. it's not a forgery, just a "fake" to take home with you.
however, cheap or inexpensive pots sold by tea shops are intended for use, whatever the effect they have on the tea brewed in them.

[debunix]

So here, the fact that they're mimicking the high-value pots in some way but are obviously not genuine, is *that* the factor that makes them suspect for safe use?

[rdl]

So here, the fact that they're mimicking the high-value pots in some way but are obviously not genuine, is *that* the factor that makes them suspect for safe use?

debunix, it's not the mimicking factor, but that they are made as souvenirs, not intended for use. at least this is my experience at other tourist locations and since it is understood to be a souvenir, the quality or even safety of using these kinds of souvenirs is not a concern of the maker or seller. that is because they just imagine the tourist to be buying something to put on the shelf, as the OP's parents did. to be looked at and not used.

[debunix]

Ok, got it now.

[jayinhk]

Dad was a wealthy HK businessman when he bought these, so I suspect he paid way too much for them. Definitely not the only time he did that. Ah well, back on the shelf it goes. Looks like he paid for my Yixing tuition well in advance without expecting to! there are a lot of people out there looking to prey on the uninformed. As a collector of antique swords, I've been burned twice (in the early days) but not recently.

As for dangerous fakes, yes, anything coming out of China is suspect. Even some of our vegetables here in HK were recently found to be slathered in a cocktail of pesticides, and recycled cooking oil from sewers is commonly used all over China. Hydrolyzed hair is even used to make soy sauce.

[entropyembrace]

In China, everything is potentially fake. You have fake eggs, fake meat, fake milk powder, fake table salt, even. So, everything is fakeable, and everything can be fake, however improbable it seems. Most of it will never make it to American or European shores, but we live in Hong Kong, so the chances of seeing these fakes are non-zero.

In America everything is fake too...fake sugar, fake meat, fake cheese, fake juice, fake flavours, fake colours...and people are quite happy to consume these things on a regular basis.

[Drax]

In China, everything is potentially fake. You have fake eggs, fake meat, fake milk powder, fake table salt, even. So, everything is fakeable, and everything can be fake, however improbable it seems. Most of it will never make it to American or European shores, but we live in Hong Kong, so the chances of seeing these fakes are non-zero.

In America everything is fake too...fake sugar, fake meat, fake cheese, fake juice, fake flavours, fake colours...and people are quite happy to consume these things on a regular basis.

On the plus side, the packaging does have to be marked with its contents, so at least you can know whether it's fake before you buy or consume it.

Besides, you overlooked the most clearly dangerous fake thing in America that does not need some sort of disclaimer -- fake boobs.

[Chip]

In China, everything is potentially fake. You have fake eggs, fake meat, fake milk powder, fake table salt, even. So, everything is fakeable, and everything can be fake, however improbable it seems. Most of it will never make it to American or European shores, but we live in Hong Kong, so the chances of seeing these fakes are non-zero.

In America everything is fake too...fake sugar, fake meat, fake cheese, fake juice, fake flavours, fake colours...and people are quite happy to consume these things on a regular basis.

On the plus side, the packaging does have to be marked with its contents, so at least you can know whether it's fake before you buy or consume it.

umm, yes and no. Truth in lableing is always questionable. Plus they lobby to have labeling favor the food manufacturing industry ... look at trans fat.

Not to mention that possibly the largest food conglomerate in the West is owned by Phillip Morris ... when it comes to your personal health, do you really want to trust a company built on blood money by lying to the public about their tobacco products.

OK, I have taken this on a serious rabbit trail ...

[Drax]

umm, yes and no. Truth in lableing is always questionable. Plus they lobby to have labeling favor the food manufacturing industry ... look at trans fat.

I absolutely hear what you're saying, Chip, but I am more referring about the ingredients that go into the products, which do have to be accurate. For example, a can of tuna should have 'tuna' somewhere in the ingredients. A fair amount of responsibility still is on the consumer to 1) check the ingredients, and 2) know whether those ingredients will be healthy or unhealthy!

My real point here is that, yes, we have "fake" foods, but I know that if I'm buying a block of Velveeta that it is a processed cheese. I don't buy a "Not Dog" and think it's pork.

I see that as a contrast to some of these Yixing pots, with fakes being sold along side genuine articles. All of the responsibility for verification is on the buyer, and reliable information is very hard to find.

[jayinhk]

I just realized a lot of large multinationals play the game like criminals: they try to stay ahead of the law. We shouldn't have to worry about companies that provide us with food and medicine, among other things, trying to hide the truth from us to maximize profits. Sure, things are worse in some ways in China, but the game's just more evolved in the US.

I should really pick up one of Marshal's Yixings tomorrow. If I make a sale on my site while I rest, I'll pick one up.