A beloved Canadian soy sauce runs out

THERE IS ONE bottle of China Lily soy sauce left in Vilma Portillo’s kitchen and she is measuring it out—drop by drop. “We know we have to ration it so we’re only using very small amounts, like one drop at a time,” says Ms Portillo. “We’re about two fingers into our last bottle.” The last time there was a China Lily soy-sauce drought in northern British Columbia, in 2018, Ms Portillo’s husband, Cody Malbeuf, stopped eating rice for three months. He vowed never again to be caught short.

The sauce, made by Lee’s Food Products, a company in Ontario, has been a household staple in northern British Columbia for six decades. Mr Malbeuf is so besotted with the brand that he remembers the first time he saw a bottle of it when he was 11 years old at his aunt’s dinner table. He can measure how stressful his day has been by how much he douses his food in the sauce.

The shortage of China Lily turned into panic for Mr Malbeuf and others in late November when no bottles could be found on shelves in Prince George and nearby towns. Before Christmas, online advertisements prompted offers of ten times the normal asking price of C$3 ($2.35) to C$4.

One man auctioned off a supply of China Lily to his aunt, who planned to redistribute them as Christmas presents. On eBay, a pair of bottles can be found for C$50. When one of the...