On December 2nd, a video posted by a netizen claimed that in Chengdu’s Chunxi Road snack street, a skewer stall vendor was seen reusing the bottom of the pot that customers had used. The stall owner mentioned that this is normal practice for skewers and even told visitors not to disturb his business, sparking attention on the internet.
According to reports from mainland media, in the early hours of December 2nd, a netizen posted a video on social media saying that while traveling in Chengdu with friends, they witnessed the stall owner at a skewer stall on Chunxi Road pouring leftover pot bottoms back into the pot for second use. The netizen quoted, “The first meal I had in Chengdu, at a skewer stall in Chunxi Road snack street, made me sick to the core.”
In the video, when confronted by the netizen, the stall owner of the skewer stall said, “This is how skewers are.” and told the netizen, “If you prevent me from doing business today, I’ll make sure you have a bad day, and I’ll follow you around.”
The netizen stayed beside the stall, warning incoming customers. The stall owner explained, “I’ve been doing this for twenty to thirty years, you must be from out of town and not used to it. Hotpot skewers are all like this.” He further added, “I have your phone number, if something happens to you tomorrow, I’ll compensate.”
This incident quickly caught the attention of the internet.
Netizens commented, “Ever since my mother-in-law started working part-time at a skewer stall, I no longer want to eat skewers, it’s the same as in the news.” “Seventy percent of the old hotpot skewers reuse the pot bottoms.” “The boss is telling the truth, this has been the way to treat customers for many years.”
“Thinking about it is so disgusting, how is this any different from eating recycled oil?” “Spit soup pot, so try to eat out less.” “Once you get strict, 80% of people in the comments section can’t afford to eat out.”
“The enforcement department can’t find any problems, it’s the ordinary people who can see the problems!” “The stall owner openly admitted to doing this for twenty or thirty years, I wonder how they will be ‘seriously’ punished?”
In the afternoon of December 2nd, the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Jinjiang District, Chengdu, reported that the skewer stall vendor reflected in the video was a mobile vendor named “Cat Brother Skewers”. On the morning of the 2nd, they conducted an investigation into the stall operator, Chen Mou, and based on the video content and Chen Mou’s confession, they verified the situation of reusing pot bottoms and broth. The bureau will impose serious penalties on him.