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A boy filmed expertly cleaning fish has attracted praise for his skill online, but some have questioned if it is safe for a small child to handle knives. Photo: Douyin

‘Kid is chef material’: video of boy in China expertly deboning fish at restaurant wins praise, prompts debate on proper childhood

  • The 8-year-old boy is seen in the viral video efficiently preparing the fish for cooking as a crowd of impressed onlookers watch
  • According to the boy’s mother and the man who shot the video, he is largely self-taught at cleaning and preparing fish

A cute video of an eight-year-old boy in China expertly deboning and cleaning fish to help his father sell midnight snacks has gone viral on mainland social media.

The video from Monday showed the boy killing and cleaning fish for his father at a barbecue restaurant in Zhaotong, Yunnan province in southwestern China.

In the clip, the child, stooping down with his knees slightly bent, skilfully descaled and deboned the fish on a chopping board resting on a tin bucket.

After cutting the fish several times, he stood the knife on the chopping block and removed the cut-resistant glove from his left hand. He then hooked the fish’s gills with his fingers and rinsed the blood off its body in a nearby sink.

The boy’s mother says she and her husband had not trained their son, who had learned how to clean fish by watching them work. Photo: Douyin

The entire procedure went quickly and smoothly. Despite cheers and applause from onlookers, the boy remained calm and focused on his task.

According to the person who shot the video, surnamed Liu, the boy often helps his father when it gets busy at the restaurant.

“I often eat at their restaurant and know the boy well; he is very skilled at killing and cleaning fish,” Liu explained. “He quite often assists his father when he notices that their business is busy, especially now that the boy is on summer vacation.”

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Liu went on to say that since the video he took went viral on Douyin, many people, driven by curiosity, have come to the restaurant to watch the boy work.

According to the boy’s mother, surnamed Chen, she and her husband did not intentionally train their son in fish preparation or knife skills.

“He was curious about how we managed to cut and clean fish quickly, so he taught himself after observing us several times,” Chen said.

In response to concerns about the child’s safety while using the knife to prepare fish, Chen stated: “He has never cut himself before, and besides cutting up fish, he can also cook a few dishes.”

‘His knife skills are as good as an adult!’ wrote one person online. However, some questioned if he should be handling sharp knives and working at such a young age. Photo: Douyin

People were impressed by the young boy’s fish preparation skills, and many praised him as a “thoughtful” child for helping his parents.

“This kid is chef material,” one commenter wrote.

“His knife skills are as good as adults!” wrote another. “Why do all the good kids come from other families?”

But there were some who were concerned about the boy’s development.

“I just feel distressed and it’s pitiful that he is being given such a childhood,” one commenter wrote.

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