"Like Crack"

If "addictive" is one of the most irritating food adjectives, at least it's accurate for restaurants in Southern China: Chinese FDA inspectors reported that in 2012, nearly 10 percent of hotpot soup bases in one province contained traces of poppy seed powder, ostensibly added to the food to make it addictive and "ensure diners would come back for more." Said one spice store owner who carried the seeds: "Most of the restaurants add 'the shells' otherwise the customers won't come back." [Epoch Daily]