The Danish people are suffering from the overwhelming presence of oysters on their shores. As a solution, Chinese companies are linking up with relevant authorities to bring the shellfish to foodies in China, Shanghaiist reported.
Dubbed as the Pacific oyster invasion of Denmark, thousands, if not millions, of Pacific oysters have reportedly taken over Danish beaches.
The Pacific oyster is an invasive species local to Asia and was introduced to Denmark 10 years ago, with populations in Denmark booming in the past couple of years.
In a playful move, the Danish embassy called out to China by posting on Weibo, a popular social media platform in China. Officials asked the Chinese for help in taking care of its 500-tonne oyster problem, inviting Web users to come up with clever solutions.
In response to the call for help, Chinese netizens have volunteered to eat all of the troublesome oysters.
Meanwhile, Chinese companies have seen the problem as an opportunity to link up with Danish authorities to properly bring the invasive species to China and deliver it to the mouths of Chinese foodies.
“We have got some very serious requests for cooperation from Chinese businesses, among them food importers and e-commerce platforms,” the Danish embassy told the South China Morning Post. “And we have considered bringing (exporting) Danish oysters to China.”
One of the e-commerce companies that have reached out is Alibaba’s Tmall. The company has already met up with Danish diplomats on April 28. According to representatives from Tmall, the two parties had “agreed on further collaboration to bring Denmark’s oysters to China.”
Some travel agencies, on the other hand, have begun offering “special gourmet tours” to Denmark. This kind of tour involves staying in small Danish towns for at least six days to catch and eat oysters.
The Danish government has also made a new priority plan that promises to approve travel visas to Chinese tourists within three days.