A young German woman who visited a beer festival in China complained that she fell ill after vendors sold her sour GBP-20 beer and meat skewers falsely branded as lamb.
Business student Hewenna claimed she had a disappointing experience during the International Beer Festival in Qingdao, in the eastern Shandong Province on 21st July.
In a recent post on the Chinese social platform Weibo, Hewenna shared how excited she was to visit the festival that is said to be much like the popular Oktoberfest held each year in her native Germany.
She strapped on her Dirndl – a traditional Bavarian ensemble – as she set out for a fun time but claims it turned out to be a big letdown.
As soon as she arrived, Hewenna said she rushed over to a stand that claimed to sell original German beer.
The merchant charged her CNY 180 (GBP 20) for two litres of the Hofbrau Munchen brand they were selling, which Hewenna claims she has never heard of before.
She claims it tasted very sour and it had her feeling as sober as ever despite downing an entire litre.
Several customers suspected the beer had been diluted with water, Hewenna claimed.
And the food was questionable as well, the young woman said in her post.
She bought eight “problematic kebabs” and CNY-15 (GBP-1.6) mutton skewers that made her sick the next day.
To add insult to injury, Hewenna said the skewers were not even lamb but some kind of meat that tasted like chicken or duck.
Video footage shows the girl, in her authentic German clothing and braided hair, trying out the skewers and immediately realising something is off.
After taking up her complaints to the seller, they allegedly apologised for the false claims and she was given a CNY 1,200 (GBP 130) compensation.
Hewenna added: “Although the other activities at the festival are interesting to attend, the food and drinks are bad, expensive and fake.
“The person next to me told me that this kind of activity is to make money from outsiders, which is why people from Qingdao do not come.”
But overall, Hewenna says she still loved the city and would love to visit again.
Meanwhile, the Qingdao Market Supervision Administration said they were aware of the incident and have launched an investigation.
