Janet Yellen Dined on Psychedelic Mushrooms in China

Is this why Janet Yellen bowed to a Chinese official during last week’s visit?

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen dined on magic mushrooms during her recent visit to China.

Yellen was spotted dining at Yi Zuo Yi Wang, a restaurant that serves jian shou qing, a Yunnan wild mushroom species, according to a Chinese food blogger.

According to the microblogger, Yellen had four portions of the psychedelic mushrooms.

“The general belief is that you have to fully cook the fungi to rid them of hallucinogenic properties,” CNN reported.

Dr. Peter Mortimer, a botanist and professor at Kunming Institute of Botany told CNN the psychedelic effects vary from person to person.

“I have a friend who mistakenly ate them and hallucinated for three days,” Dr. Mortimer told CNN.

CNN reported:

It’s been several days since US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen left Beijing, and much has been said about her efforts to repair the US-China relationship.

But politics aside, her Beijing visit resulted in one unexpected success – she managed to dramatically boost business for a Yunnan restaurant chain while bringing jian shou qing, an unusual yet highly sought-after mushroom prized for its unique properties, into the national limelight.

Shortly after the treasury secretary landed in Beijing last week, her delegation was spotted dining at Yi Zuo Yi Wang (In and Out). Contrary to the eatery’s English name, there are no burgers here. This restaurant chain specializes in Yunnan food, a popular regional cuisine from part of southwestern China that borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

Many netizens expressed curiosity, wondering who picked the restaurant. Others noted they were impressed by Yellen’s chopsticks skills and her delegation’s down-to-earth choice for her first post-flight meal.

But the most heated discussions were focused on the multiple orders of the mushroom dish – jian shou qing.

An aide to the treasury secretary confirmed to CNN that Yellen did eat at the restaurant and greatly enjoyed the experience, including the mushroom dish.