Sea of Green

The vast carpet of algae that swamped the waters off Qingdao’s coast last month provided beachgoers a new way to play in the sun.

It also provided some local chefs with a fresh ingredient to experiment with. Local chef Ma Hui told The Times that he whipped up an algae and duck soup, green 
algae pancakes, and an algae-and-nut salad. Local brewers Tsingtao have even created an algae-infused lager (take that, craft beer revolutionaries!)

Locally sourced, abundant and, best of all, totally free. Is algae the perfect ingredient? Don’t be so sure, reports South China Morning Post. If left to rot, algae can become toxic, and in large quantities can starve marine life of oxygen. Earlier this month 2,000 workers were deployed to clear the spread, though with the cause of the surges in recent years still uncertain, it looks like the algae is here to stay.

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