Video: Japanese man finds live frog in takeaway cup of udon noodles
By Iris Jung
A Japanese man has gone viral on Twitter after posting a video of a frog he found at the bottom of his takeout noodles.
Uploaded by Kaito (@kaito09061) on May 22, the man shared that he was on a business trip when he decided to eat at Marugame Seimen, a fast food restaurant specializing in udon noodles. It wasn’t until he had nearly finished his Spicy Dandan Salad Udon, part of the chain’s popular Shake Udon range of products, that he noticed the live amphibian.
“I ate it after shaking it,” Kaito tweeted. “I didn’t notice [the frog] until the end.
In the tweet, Kaito implied that he reported the incident to the store. However, the store continued operation after a temporary three-hour suspension. “[The store] is still selling salads and the same products,” he wrote.
“Be careful before eating,” Kaito stated as a warning to potential customers.
https://twitter.com/kaito09061/status/1660558530208997376
In the photo he shared, the takeaway udon noodles are nearly gone. However, a small green frog can be seen next to the remaining noodles. In Kaito’s video, the frog can be seen wriggling around in the thick udon broth.
As Kaito grabs at the moving frog with his chopsticks, he lifts the frog to show its face on camera.
The tweet quickly went viral, garnering over 18,000 likes.
Many were suspicious of the tweet, arguing that the incident was “impossible.”
“I work part-time at Marugame,” one user wrote. “In the first place, there is no element that frogs come [into] the open kitchen, and Udon noodles are also fried noodles → slimy → water tightening → serve in a container → put vegetables from the top and make them dandy. So if by any chance frogs are put in vegetables, I think you’ll notice it.”
Others questioned how the frog could have entered the takeaway cup.
“I don’t doubt the poster. If it’s true, it’s a fact and it’s surprising that something like this happens,” a user tweeted in response to Kaito. “It’s Marugame Seimen open kitchen, so I want to know how I got in […] I can’t imagine a living frog entering, so I want to know it simply.”
Some expressed concern for the frog, stating, “Mr. Frog is alive, but is he weak? I hope it’s safe.”
On May 22, Marugame Seimen issued an official statement regarding the issue.
“There was an incident where the Spicy Tantan Salad Udon for takeout sold at our Marugame Seimen Isahaya store was contaminated with frogs,” the statement began. “We deeply apologize for the great concern and inconvenience caused to the customers.”
Kaito’s claim was confirmed to be true as the frog contamination was a result of “raw materials” from vegetable processing factories. The company also stated they would “stop selling some products that use raw vegetables (salad mix) on May 23, 24 and 25.”
On May 24, Marugame Seimen released a second statement regarding the incident, revealing that they “completed an on-site inspection of the factory and confirmed the improvement of the inspection level.”
The company also announced they would be suspending sales that include salad mix for the time being.
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