A MythBusters Segment On Traditional Chinese Popcorn Makers Has China Laughing

A segment for Discovery's MythBuster series about a traditional Chinese popcorn maker has suddenly become the subject of scorn amongst Chinese netizens.

The segment, first uploaded to YouTube in November, showed the hosts don a bomb suit and stand behind protective glass to use the traditional machine, which uses pressure to "pop" the corn:

For reasons that aren't entirely clear, the segment has become a big issue in China in the last few days, with CCTV and other news organizations picking it up.

The problem seems to lie with the fact that many Chinese street vendors use these popcorn makers every day without the use of a bomb suit. Ernest Kao of the South China Morning Press points to this video:

For some Chinese netizens, the MythBusters segment is another example of American ignorance. The top comment on the video, which has been given the thumbs up by 52 other users, reads:

Now I am fully convinced Americans are truly stupid. We Chinese used this way to make popcorns for hundreds of years, with a loundry bag attached to it to catch popcorns. LOL. americans, you never cease to amaze.

Kao at SCMP points to some more examples of criticism, including our favorite: “Americans are a joke. Have they not seen the world?”