A funeral home in China has gained fame for its delicious rice noodles. - Photo: SCMP composite/Sohu/Douyin
BEIJING: A small funeral home in southwestern China has gained unexpected fame after a local netizen enthusiastically promoted its delicious rice noodles by sharing their dining experience online.
In recent weeks, the canteen of Erlong Funeral Home in Kaili, Guizhou province, has been bustling with visitors drawn to its famed noodle dish, as reported by the Yangcheng Evening News.
To enjoy the tasty food, many customers posed as relatives or friends of families holding funeral services, since the canteen is not open to the public, the report noted.
The rice noodles are available daily from 6am to 8am and 10pm to 10.30pm, although the wait time can stretch up to an hour due to high demand.
The dish’s popularity soared after a local blogger shared in early February how his mother surprised him by taking him to enjoy rice noodles at a funeral home.
“At first, I was hesitant because it’s quite far from downtown, but my mother was adamant,” he recounted in the video.
“After trying the rice noodles, I found them absolutely delicious.”
“Many people rave about our rice noodles because our chefs are exceptionally skilled,” commented a worker at the funeral home.
“We use only fresh ingredients, our broth is simmered with pig bones for hours, and our chilli sauces come from a secret recipe.”
Each bowl, priced at 10 yuan (US$1.4), is offered in four flavours – mixed meat, spicy chicken, minced meat, or pig’s trotter.
“We face immense pressure managing the influx of visitors. Some do not attend the funeral services but pretend to be relatives or friends, making it hard for us to distinguish them,” said the unnamed worker.
Despite the satisfying revenue from this dish, they do not intend to open the business to the general public, according to the employee.
Videos showcasing the rice noodles and the crowd at the funeral home have garnered 5 million views on a major social media platform, sparking a wave of humorous comments online.
“It’s a miracle for a funeral parlour to become famous for its rice noodles,” one netizen remarked.
Another joked: “Their chefs could start a restaurant on their own, calling it Funeral Home Rice Noodles.”
Conversely, a third social media user commented: “No matter how tasty they are, I wouldn’t go there to eat because a funeral home feels like an ill-fated place.” - South China Morning Post
