Restaurant that challenges diners to eat 108 dumplings is in trouble with police

10 July 2023 , 10:49

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The restaurant's challenge involved eating 108 spicy wontons (Image: Getty Images)

A Chinese restaurant is in trouble with the law after challenging its punters to gobble 100 dumplings for a free meal.

Authorities are now investigating whether the restaurant in Yibin, Sichuan has violated the country's anti food waste laws by holding its "king of the big stomach challenge".

The rules said to win, the contestant would need to chomp down 108 spicy wonton dumplings, known as chaoshous, as fast as they could.

For doing so, the winner would bag themselves a free meal as well as a number of other prizes.

To entice patrons, the restaurant shared details of the challenge on social media. According to state-affiliated outlet The Cover, the restaurant was just one of many being probed for similar competitions.

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Eating contests are more prevalent in Western countries, where winners can even earn themselves lower celebrity status for their gluttony.

One such contestant was Joey Chestnut, who gorged on 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes last week.

But in China, which has suffered intermittent famines throughout its history, the obscene food waste is often considered offensive.

Between spring 1959 and the end of 1961, 45 million Chinese citizens starved to death as a result of the world's largest famine - with many elderly people still having living memory of loved ones who died.

President Xi Jinping has himself commented on wasting food, describing it as "shocking and distressing". He also said that China's agriculture was the backbone of society and the foundation of national security.

In 2021, the issue came to public prominence when the government slammed bloggers who drew crowds by binge eating on live stream.

Restaurant owners face a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (£1,092) if they're found to "induce or mislead customers to order excessively to cause obvious waste".

Media outlets can be fined 10 times as much if they're found to make, publish or promote messages about binge eating and drinking.

Some social media users have slammed the government for its heavy handed approach.

“Is this counted as a waste? Why not let people compete for the biggest eater? Will the food not consumed there actually go to the poor?” one user wrote on Weibo.

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Another chimed in, slamming the government for food-related scandals, which included contaminated baby milk powder.

“You didn’t regulate food safety … but this?” the user said.

Ryan Fahey