Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

straitstimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 180 posts

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#121

Post by InCityDreams »

qingcharles wrote: post #108
gantron wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like an interesting story! How big was a pallet? How does one come to know the specific truck driver?

This was back in 1997, so my memory is a little hazy, but I remember it being about 6ft x 6ft x 6ft. It was a bunch of cardboard shipping boxes with clear wrap around them. I think I was paying £10,000 per pallet. He told me he would just skip scanning a pallet at the docks as they were loaded into his trailer, and then his mate would meet him at a roadside services on the motorway with a van and they would somehow m…

I can't wait for more....

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#122

Post by riffraff »

keepamovin wrote: post #105

This was fascinating, but also terrible! I'm no expert, but this struck me as suspicious: In possibly the strangest twist on the KitKat trail, Bokksu announced in September that it had acquired Japan Crate. But NYTimes discovered that the acquisition had actually been completed back in June. So Bokksu, through a wholly owned subsidiary, had in effect overseen the loading of its own KitKats onto the original two fraud…

It's the picture in the article that really sells this theory.

I assume Mr Taing to be a stand up honest person but why the heck did they put a picture of him half smirking in penumbra in a Dr Evil pose?

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#123

Post by keepamovin »

kuschku wrote: post #120
keepamovin wrote: post #105

This was fascinating, but also terrible! I'm no expert, but this struck me as suspicious: In possibly the strangest twist on the KitKat trail, Bokksu announced in September that it had acquired Japan Crate. But NYTimes discovered that the acquisition had actually been completed back in June. So Bokksu, through a wholly owned subsidiary, had in effect overseen the loading of its own KitKats onto the original two fraud…

Or, much more likely, to prevent further issues in the supply chain he decided to acquire the supply chain.

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Well said!

But the niggle is that the issue covered in the article occured after the acquisition. What do you say about that? :)

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#124

Post by INTPenis »

It's funny how this became a fad because it's really just mediocre chocolate with a bunch of aromatic addatives. I'm guessing they use whatever they can to make those flavors.

I have tried one or two when they've been in a local store, but as a chocoholic it's sacrilicious.

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#125

Post by rtpg »

dclowd9901 wrote: post #2

I know this is an unimportant thing, but why tf doesn’t kit kat just sell desirable flavors here themselves? What is the deal with the boner these companies have about withholding certain flavors in certain markets?

The untold thing here is that the KitKats are honestly not that good. The best ones are basically "huh, kinda intersting odd flavor", but especially in Europe I've only basically been met with disgust at the flavored kitkats.

The normal ones are fine, but they're not magic

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#126

Post by keepamovin »

riffraff wrote: post #122
keepamovin wrote: post #105

This was fascinating, but also terrible! I'm no expert, but this struck me as suspicious: In possibly the strangest twist on the KitKat trail, Bokksu announced in September that it had acquired Japan Crate. But NYTimes discovered that the acquisition had actually been completed back in June. So Bokksu, through a wholly owned subsidiary, had in effect overseen the loading of its own KitKats onto the original two fraud…

It's the picture in the article that really sells this theory. I assume Mr Taing to be a stand up honest person but why the heck did they put a picture of him half smirking in penumbra in a Dr Evil pose?

That’s another great point. I noticed that too, and the suggestion that it makes.

However, besides the image, in the article they don’t exactly sell the theory that he does anything suspicious at all. I don’t think they even suggested it. It seems he’s painting entirely as the victim.

This seeming contrast raises a fascinating point.

I totally agree with you of the importance of image messaging. Image analysis in the media of different countries is such a fascinating thing.

Like if you look at the representation of how: Black people are portrayed in American media; how Asian people are portrayed in American media; how white people are portrayed in Asian media; how Middle Eastern people are displayed in Anglosphere Western media — it’s very intriguing. By media here here I mostly mean the kind of editorial and advertising photography which you identified, wherever that is carried even in video.

It’s very a fascinating topic, and while it provides a clear window into the racial biases of different cultures it’s not extensively analyzed within the same channels that carry that imagery.

Yet it’s this powerful form of implicit messaging. The messaging functions through the presentation of a photorealistic “life like” (reflection of life) image that presents, programs, propagates and reinforces those racial biases.

Paradoxically, almost all cultures will pay lip service to wanting to do away with racism, while yet also dealing extensively in this imagery that implicitly carries negative racist messages. This creates a strange reinforcement of the stereotypes that, in words at least, a culture commonly says it seeks to reject.

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#127

Post by alephnan »

> In possibly the strangest twist on the KitKat trail, Bokksu announced in September that it had acquired Japan Crate. But NYTimes discovered that the acquisition had actually been completed back in June. So Bokksu, through a wholly owned subsidiary, had in effect overseen the loading of its own KitKats onto the original two fraudulent trucks.

This sounds like insurance fraud to me. Pure speculation, but if that’s what Bokksu wanted to do, they’d hire a middleman then claim deniability.

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#128

Post by bragr »

keepamovin wrote: post #123
kuschku wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, much more likely, to prevent further issues in the supply chain he decided to acquire the supply chain.

Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Well said! But the niggle is that the issue covered in the article occured after the acquisition. What do you say about that? :)

It might be mundane rather than nefarious. If your business empire intersected a disaster at multiple points, figuring out which of your many insurance policies should pay out could be non-trivial, and reviewing the various terms, you might lean towards a preferred narrative. I guess that's a bit nefarious, but not as much as he stole his own candy.

Re: The hijacking of rare Japanese KitKats

#129

Post by bootloop »

alephnan wrote: post #127

> In possibly the strangest twist on the KitKat trail, Bokksu announced in September that it had acquired Japan Crate. But NYTimes discovered that the acquisition had actually been completed back in June. So Bokksu, through a wholly owned subsidiary, had in effect overseen the loading of its own KitKats onto the original two fraudulent trucks. This sounds like insurance fraud to me. Pure speculation, but if that’s wh…

Yea, I also think you are right. Something smells funny here.

Question is if the insurance reads this article or is even interested to recoup their money.

Post reply on HN