A couple in Taiwan went to a buffet together when the woman bit into something strange. After spitting it out, it looked like a ‘cockroach leg,’ which completely killed her appetite. They immediately reported it to the restaurant, but the staff insisted it was a ‘shrimp leg.’ The couple, furious, left a one-star review and posted their experience online, sparking heated discussion among netizens.
According to the Apple News Network on the 16th, the restaurant has already responded, stating that they will investigate the cause and strictly ensure food safety. The Tainan City Department of Health has also sent staff to inspect.
Gui-Tian Hotel’s Alihai Buffet is a famous spot in Tainan; weekday lunch costs NT$1290 before service charge and features a variety of high-quality all-you-can-eat seafood. Reservations are required in advance. The couple decided to come after reading online reviews, making special trips from Taichung and Kaohsiung for the meal. Unexpectedly, while eating some sea snails, the woman bit into a foreign object—she initially thought it was a shell.
But what she spat out was something resembling an ‘antenna,’ but after comparing it with other crustacean seafood, nothing looked similar. Suspecting it was a ‘cockroach leg,’ she immediately lost her appetite and reported it to a staff member. They waited a full hour before a staff member and chef arrived, explaining that it was a shrimp leg and even placed both objects side by side, insisting they were ‘the same thing.’ However, there were clear differences in color and appearance. Eventually, a hotel assistant manager appeared, promising to send the unidentified item for laboratory testing, apologized, and offered the meal for free.
Afterward, the couple grew increasingly angry and were dissatisfied with the restaurant’s initial handling of the situation, so they left a one-star review on Google. The woman also spoke to the media by phone, saying she could not accept the chef’s claim it was a shrimp leg and that the situation was only resolved after they agreed to waive the bill and send the object for testing. She also stated that having traveled so far only to have a bad experience had left a shadow, and that even future free invitations from the restaurant would not remove the psychological impact.
In response, Guìtián Hotel spokesperson Huang Jiayin said the hotel would review the misunderstandings with the customer, clarify the source and handling of the food, and enforce stricter quality control to ensure food safety in the future.
The Tainan City Health Bureau also stated it would send staff for inspection to check the working environment and food storage. If any deficiencies are found, the restaurant will be required to make corrections by a set deadline. Multiple failures to pass inspection could result in fines from NT$60,000 to NT$200 million, in accordance with the Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act.