This story, from NPR’s All Things Considered, about a Chinese “garlic bubble” reads like a children’s tale: Peasants in China’s countryside fill their garages to overflowing with garlic.
With swine flu fears running high—and a firm belief in the healing powers of an ancient, medicinal plant—people began hoarding. They bought large amounts when the price was low and, later, when there was a shortage, they sold old high—reaping small fortunes from the pungent root. As a result, garlic is now more valuable than gold in China.