"What Were They Thinking?"... Paris Baguette Bread That Sparked R-Rated Controversy Faces Change

Berry Chewy Ball Production Process Changed
"Incision Step Removed Due to Work Inconvenience"

Paris Baguette has changed the production process of its new product, the 'Berry Jjondeuk Ball,' which sparked controversy due to its shape resembling a specific part of the female body.

Photo of Paris Baguette's 'Berry Chewy Ball' that sparked controversy online. Screenshot from an online community

According to the industry on January 22, Paris Baguette recently notified each store that, starting with the batches produced on the 21st, the step of slashing the frozen dough in the Berry Jjondeuk Ball production process would be removed.

In the notice, the company explained, "We are removing the slashing process from the production line to improve work safety and production efficiency, reflecting feedback from the field that it is inconvenient to make cuts in the dough while it is still frozen." Workers had expressed difficulties with the task of cutting into the rock-hard frozen dough.

Photo of Paris Baguette's 'Berry Chewy Ball' that sparked controversy online. Screenshot from an online community

Accordingly, the photo of the 'Berry Jjondeuk Ball' on the official Paris Baguette website has also been replaced with an image showing the product without the slashes. There are no other changes to the production process except for omitting the slashing step.

Some have interpreted the change in the bread's production process as a response to the recent controversy.

On January 20, photos and reviews of the 'Berry Jjondeuk Ball' were rapidly shared across various online communities. On the same day, a user on the online community FM Korea posted a photo as proof of purchase, saying, "I stopped by Paris Baguette to buy bread for my wife, couldn't believe my eyes, and bought it as if I were possessed."

Photo of 'Berry Jjondeuk Ball' posted on the Paris Baguette website. Screenshot from the Paris Baguette website

The revealed 'Berry Jjondeuk Ball' is a round bread made by filling flour dough with strawberry cream cheese and baking it. Depending on how much the strawberry cream cheese seeps out through the outer hole during baking, the shape resembled female genitalia.

Online users reacted with comments such as, "I'm not being dirty-minded, but honestly, most people would think that," "It'll probably be discontinued," "Even as a man, it looks unsightly," "What were they thinking when they made this?" "Are the varying shapes up to the baker's taste?" and "Isn't this way too suggestive?" Hundreds of R-rated joke comments followed due to the product's appearance.

However, some pointed out that the controversial product was actually a defective item resulting from an issue in the production process. In fact, in the promotional poster on Paris Baguette's official Instagram, the Berry Jjondeuk Ball appeared to be baked in a standard shape. The poster did include a disclaimer stating, "The above image is a staged image and may differ from the actual product." Regarding the controversial product, Paris Baguette explained, "It seems that a deep cut was made during the production process, causing a lot of the filling to leak out."