in 1980 I saw in Koln, in a bike show, bikes from Taiwan, if I recall right, which were steel painted to look as bamboo... It was a perfect joke when seen by a western designer and something else when seen by the manufacturer. maybe this is the case here?
And another one: the trash bins in Disneyland's Jungle are painted to look like bamboo- at least there you know it serves only the illusion.
