You wouldn’t think a series of buzzwords such as “wet markets,” “China,” “Wuhan,” “coronavirus COVID-19,” and “Paul McCartney” would somehow be connected in some way. Yet in an example that’s symbolic of the weird 2020 we’ve had, all those aforementioned words are connected in an absolutely tangible yet still ridiculous way.
Since you might be hearing about these buzzwords for a little bit, here’s an explainer on what the hell a “wet market” is and how it relates to “China,” “Wuhan,” the coronavirus pandemic and one of the Beatles.
Speaking of things that are, uh, wet, the GOAT team talk about the thirst trap that is MasterChef on ‘It’s Been A Big Day For…’ below:
What the hell is a wet market?
A wet market is simply a marketplace that sells fresh food and produce, as well as some kinds of live animals (like chickens) and seafood. For comparison’s sake, a “dry market” is one that sells durable stuff like clothes and electronics.
Now these are called “wet” markets because of the constant wet floors caused by melted ice, which is used to keep food and produce from spoiling.
Okay, so why are people talking about wet markets?
These wet markets are especially popular in Asia and are the most common food outlet for China. Despite cultural misunderstandings of what wet markets are, worries over the cleanliness of such places, and how they can be a hub for disease (which is fair enough), they’re essentially the same as what we call a farmer’s market in Australia.
While the exact origins of the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, reports of the coronavirus’ link to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, has caused people to immediately assume that the disease originated from wet markets.
Throw in past experiences with SARS and the H5N1 avian flu, both of which were also believed to have been linked to wet markets, and what you get is a lot of misunderstanding, misinformation, and a rise in xenophobia.
This in turn has caused a heap of people – mainly politicians and celebrities – to call for the closure of wet markets.
Wait, so people are jumping to conclusions without basing them on facts?
Yeah, basically.
Had people like Scott Morrison and Ricky Gervais actually did some research before jumping on the uninformed bandwagon, they’ll probably realise why the World Health Organisation said wet markets should be able to continue trading.
While wet markets can be health risks, they’re nevertheless an important food source for many people in Asia and it’s still yet to be confirmed if COVID-19 even came from the wet market in Wuhan. The WHO told SBS News that “with adequate facilities, proper regulation and good hygiene practices it is possible to have safe food sold in wet markets.”
Just an FYI, places in Australia like Sydney’s Fish Market are also technically wet markets and therefore should also be shut down if the people kicking up a stink get their way.
What’s Paul McCartney’s role in all this?
Ah right, so Paul McCartney is one of the many people who are calling for the closure of wet markets, saying on Howard Stern‘s radio show:
“I really hope that this will mean the Chinese government says, ‘OK guys, we have really got to get super hygienic around here.’ Let’s face it, it is a little bit medieval eating bats.
“It wouldn’t be so bad if this is the only thing it seems like you can blame on those wet markets. It seems like SARS, avian flu, all sorts of other stuff that has afflicted us … and what’s it for? For these quite medieval practices. They need to clean up their act. This may lead to [change]. If this doesn’t, I don’t know what will.”
It’s no surprise that McCartney would say stuff like this given his well-known activism and for being a long-time vegetarian, but it’s still a bit odd hearing a Beatle say such things, especially about eating bats.
Hopefully this has helped cleared up a bunch of stuff about wet markets, the coronavirus pandemic, and Paul McCartney because it’s a wild time for misinformation and the last thing we need is people getting the wrong ideas about stuff.
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