Recently, a netizen posted online claiming that on New Year’s Eve, they ordered a whole roasted lamb set menu for 1188 yuan at a restaurant on Nanbin Road in Chongqing. The live lamb weighed 36 catties, but after roasting, only 6.9 catties were left. The netizen questioned if something fishy was going on, but the merchant insisted everything was normal, sparking a heated discussion.
On February 23, Ms. Wang, a netizen, told Lizhi News that on New Year’s Eve, she bought a 1188 yuan set menu for a whole roasted lamb at Dacaoyuan on Nanbin Road in Chongqing. The live lamb was weighed at 36 catties, but when it was brought out after roasting, “the lamb was especially small and thin, almost no meat on it.”
Feeling something was amiss, Ms. Wang requested the merchant to reweigh it. The merchant explained that after roasting, only 40% of the meat remained and refused to reweigh it. With no other choice, Ms. Wang called the police. When the police arrived, the merchant reweighed the lamb, showing it was only 6.9 catties. The merchant further explained that after slaughtering, the weight loss of internal organs leaves only 40% of the meat, and there will be additional weight loss after roasting.
However, according to Ms. Wang’s post, in December last year, she had a whole roasted lamb at another restaurant, where the live lamb weighed only 30 to 35 catties, less than Dacaoyuan, but after roasting, it was double the weight of this restaurant.
In response, the implicated store stated that the live lamb was weighed and slaughtered, all confirmed by consumers, with the leg of lamb marked. As for the significant weight difference, the merchant explained that there are individual differences in live lambs, resulting in different outcomes after roasting. Additionally, the lamb roasted by Ms. Wang appeared drier, causing more weight loss.
However, Ms. Wang expressed her disbelief in the merchant’s explanation. Currently, she has filed a complaint with the local market regulatory department.
The incident has sparked discussions online. Many netizens commented, “Many so-called whole roasted lambs would shave off a lot of meat to sell separately. Without shaving off the meat, a whole roasted lamb cannot be finished by ten people.” “Initially, I also wanted to order, but was dissuaded by knowledgeable friends who raised sheep.”
Weibo influencer “麥子俊i” cited an example, stating that in 2020, they roasted a 40 catty lamb with colleagues, and after roasting, it was less than 14 catties. The merchant claimed that one-third remained after a whole roasted lamb was done, therefore, the normal weight loss as mentioned in the report should be around 11-12 catties, “only 6.9 catties left is definitely abnormal.”
Another netizen from Xinjiang stated, “As a northerner, I should have the most say. Whether boiling or roasting lamb or beef, there should be at most a 60% weight retention, even 50% is too much.”
On the evening of February 23, the topic “It’s normal for a roasted lamb weighing 36 catties to be left with only 6.9 catties” surged to the top of Weibo hot search.