"I Thought It Was Beef" — Man Finds Dirty Washcloth In His Hot Pot Takeaway Order

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We've all come across orders that were taken incorrectly at restaurants when we go out to eat — but one incident in China may have taken the cake for a hot pot order no one would be able to stomach.

In an exposé with Hong Kong media publication, Baidu, a customer, who is referred to simply as Ning, stated that he and his colleagues were working overtime on 28 December 2022. As a result, they decided to order two double meals of hot pot soup for dinner, paying a total of CNY213 (approximately RM339).

After receiving the order by delivery, Ning noted that the colour of the soup was off, looking cloudier than usual. "I asked my colleagues if they ordered a tomato-based soup, but they said they didn't," he recalled. With no real reason to be alarmed, the workmates then began to consume the dish.

While eating, Ning stated that he thought he found a large piece of beef tripe in the soup. Suggesting to cut the tripe into smaller pieces, he realised something was awry when two of his female colleagues started to throw up.

Cutting into the piece with a pair of scissors, Ning's other colleagues pointed out that the "beef" had fibres on its surface. Inspecting the piece in greater detail, they eventually came to conclude that the item was not beef stripe — but a dirty washcloth.

In a conversation with the restaurant, which was revealed to be Shao Hotpot, Ning stated that they admitted to the dishcloth having accidentally fallen into the pot as the food was being prepared.

Based on a report by South China Morning Post, a manager of the eatery, who declined to reveal their name, stated that the incident was as a result of a careless mistake by a junior member staff, who was ill at the time of making the dish. According to the manager, the cloth had fallen in as the hot soup was being poured into the bowl.

"He is only 19 years old and just started working. He had a mild fever whilst preparing the dish," the manager said in a conversation with South China Morning Post.

The eatery has since fired the 19-year-old, and have closed their store to seek methods of rectifying the situation, including providing monetary compensation to Ning.

Nonetheless, there has been no indication as to whether the matter is being looked into as of yet.

Click here to read the original report of the story by Baidu.