Was Töfood töo convincing?

I’m rather disappointed. People seem to have believed my April Fools Day joke. Tom says this means it was really good, but I’m not so sure. Anyhow, here it is for anyone who missed it, and do click that link at the end of the paragraph.

China introduces global food sensation: Töfood

1 April, 2009, Great Barrington, MA—An innovative Chinese company has made plans for the global launch of a vegetarian product popular throughout China after learning about the wildly successful introduction of SPAM® during the Great Depression. The Chinese canned meat substitute, made of soyabeans, has been given a new brand name, Töfood, and will be packaged, like SPAM®, in a distinctively shaped container—in this case, one that looks like a traditional Chinese pagoda. Töfood can be prepared in a multitude of ways, just like SPAM® and will be featured on the menus at the G20 economic summit in London this week. With China’s growing importance in the global community, we wonder if Töfood might someday have the popular culture significance of SPAM®, which has become part of the Monty Python comedy opus and also the name for unsolicited e-mail. For more information, visit Töfood and the G20.

Here’s the entire April 2009 Berkshire Publishing newsletter, with updates on the Encyclopedia of Sustainability, the second edition of the Encyclopedia of World History, and more China projects.

And here I have to give credit to Anna Myers, our young graphic designer, who took my text and created the remarkable—and convincing—images you see above. Perhaps that’s what’s thrown people, and made them fall for my silly story.