When I was young, I once sold brown sugar steamed buns, and the business was quite good. The buns were marketed as being made with brown sugar, so they could be sold at a higher price. But in reality, they didn't contain any brown sugar because it was too expensive.
If we had used real brown sugar, it wouldn't have covered the cost. However, after adding just two drops of brown sugar flavoring and coloring from a food chemical supplier (we could also choose whether to add a maple-like aroma), the buns would look like they were made with brown sugar.
I once thought about using real brown sugar, but the cost was too high. Following advice from an expert, I ended up doing what other bun sellers did - using brown sugar-flavored chemicals. (In fact, it was just coloring and flavoring.) The business was very successful.
In the past, due to the need for making buns, I also ate some chemically-made buns to understand how my product fermented. Therefore, I knew the taste of chemical buns.
After switching industries for a long time, when I had the chance to eat "brown sugar buns" sold on the market, I discovered this familiar taste, which was essentially just the taste of chemical ingredients. Consumers are deceived simply because they don't know these secrets.
There are also taro-flavored buns where less scrupulous vendors use only chemical flavorings and coloring, selling taro buns that don't even contain taro at a high price. Thinking of several long-term customers who passed away before me, I suddenly felt guilty. I deeply regretted my heavy sins and confessed here in hopes of cleansing my sins.
Many patients lying in their hospital beds, receiving care, have heard kind words from benevolent people. They've also seen others repent sincerely before death, confessing and still meeting a peaceful end without prolonged suffering.
This former steamed bun maker also, upon discovering his conscience before passing, sincerely repented, seeking true Buddha's blessings and praying to be reborn in the Pure Land.
Brown sugar buns are just the tip of the iceberg. There are likely many more harmful products in our daily lives that we haven't yet discovered - packaging paper, leather products, plastic bags... The list goes on. We can only seek our own fortune by learning more, observing carefully, and not blindly purchasing out of ignorance. Be cautious! This article is reposted from Sina Forum via Xi'an Tang Dynasty Health Network.