I was out in a supermarket to buy my favorite lozenge called Ming's Pei Pa Koa (not to be confused with Fat and Thin's Pei Pa Koa which was confirmed by the Philippine Bureau of Food and Drug to contain formaldehyde). I prefer this traditional Chinese blend over Strepsils since it is not as sweet and it does its job to soothe a trainer's throat.

There was a sales lady who got to convince me to buy their other candy products like Green Tea and Ginseng. I was really curious about ginseng because I know that it is a potent supplement.

The green tea was good but the ginseng tasted so bad. It tasted like roots and it was very horrible. I wouldn't let this candy to waste and I brought it to the others. Who knows, there would be someone who would appreciate it, knowing that there are some who are health conscious.

Here I was going room to room, handing the candy out. For good measure, I took a candy just to let my workmates know the I wasn't poisoning them or I wasn't up to some mischief. I forgot that I had I had a bad experience with it. Right after I consumed one, I had to go to the cafeteria to buy food, with hopes of washing away the taste but to no avail. This was just the beginning of the Ginseng invasion.

I never realized that the smell of ginseng was so strong that you didn't need to open the packet. The ginseng smell saturated one of the offices and it could be smelled across other distant work areas. Air fresheners and candles couldn't deodorize the odor. To test the smell of the candy, I placed around five pieces in a candy jar and a Boy Boy chocolate wafer, which was a gift I had given after my Zamboanga vacation.

Two days later, I took the chocolate wafer and it was permeated with the ginseng odor. I even removed the candy from the jar and its strong smell lingered. It's that strong. As a practical joke, I asked a workmate to smell the chocolate wafer. She was really upset after finding out it smelled like ginseng.

There were some workmates who felt sick just smelling it. There was one who know the smell of the ginseng candy, but he couldn't find a candy except that one. Despite the havoc the candy has made, the workmate consumed one. All of my workmates were more angry of me bringing the candy in the first place than him consuming it! Due to this fiasco, I have been called Mr. Ginseng.

I'd always wonder if the saleslady actually knew what she was selling. That's one potent candy she's selling. Some of my workmates have kept one to give to his girlfriend. Despite my warnings, a person joining in the car pool i join wanted to try those candies. Until now, she is still finding the courage to try one.

If you want to pull a great practical joke, this candy is best one to use. Even if you don't open it, I will emit a potent stinky smell.

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