A viral social media post announcing that San Francisco convenience stores were now selling onigiri, the popular Japanese snack of a rice ball wrapped in seaweed, was revealed to be a hoax slash performance art piece.
A local SF artist, Danielle Baskin, had posted on photo of an onigiri in 7-Eleven packaging with a picture of Mayor London Breed’s face on it and Breed’s slogan for the city, “It All Starts Here.”
Hell yes! Mayor London Breed partnered with 7-Eleven on a new initiative to bring Japanese onigiri to convenience stores in San Francisco. I’m beyond thrilled! Got in line early yesterday and snagged one 🍙 Thank you #7eleven pic.twitter.com/gSZPdOhl3h
— Danielle Baskin (@djbaskin) March 22, 2024
However, Breed’s office confirmed to the Chronicle that there was never any partnership Breed and 7-Eleven. As he told the outlet, “Seems like everyone online is being a little too gullible today.”
Baskin told ABC7 that she had recently come back from a trip to Asia, where 7-Elevens sell many popular snacks like onigiri that are not available in American ones. She decided that it all should all start here, and made homemade onigiri with custom packaging. Baskin took them at a local 7-Eleven on Sansome Street, rallied her friends to create a line for the fake product, and captured the entire scene on social media.
"People were so excited about getting onigiri," Baskin told ABC7, "that it spread online as if they were already available at 7-Eleven." As of Sunday, the post had 1.3 million views and nearly 4,000 likes.
The stunt's virality even translated into the real world. Customers at the store inquiring about the nonexistent snack — employees said that 30-40 people came in to ask about it.
Baskin told SFist that she wants to connect local businesses that already make onigiri, like the nearby Onigili and Nijiya, with local convenience shops. The demand is there, she said, and she's now starting conversations to explore production options. Onigiri is made fresh every day, so that would involve local kitchens.
Baskin's art has gone viral in the past — she's mostly known for satirizing tech culture. For one of her pieces in 2021, she put up a replica Spirit Halloween Store banner to cover up Google's SF office sign on the Embarcadero to lampoon all the empty downtown spaces.
PREVIOUSLY: SF Artist Lampoons Empty Downtown Spaces By Covering Google Office Sign With Spirit Halloween Store Sign
Feature image via Unsplash/Samia Liamani.
