‘Are you OK?’: Chinese man spends US$120 buying all instant noodles from vendor after ‘you can’t afford it’ insult, becomes online joke
- Man astonished on hearing there is only one egg and two vegetable leaves in bowl of noodles and says it is too expensive
- His decision to buy and destroy all the noodles amuses mainland internet users who point out he just helped the vendor
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A video of a man in China who felt insulted by a street vendor and bought all his packet noodles for 850 yuan (US$120) to throw them on the ground has gone viral on mainland social media.
The unidentified man from Shandong province in eastern China was verbally abused by a street vendor selling noodles at a night market on July 24. The reason for the vendor’s scornful comment was the man’s complaint that 14 yuan (US$2) for a bowl of instant noodles was too expensive, Star Video reported.
He continued to ask for the ingredients in a bowl. However, it astonished him after the vendor replied that there was only an egg and two vegetable leaves.
“How is it possible to sell at 14 yuan each? Too expensive, isn’t it?” he asked the vendor.
The vendor ignored his questions and waved him away.
“What are you doing?” the man asked the vendor.
He said the vendor’s son, who was by his side, stood up and shouted at him.
“If you can’t afford it, then get out of there,” the son told the man.
Irritated, he asked the price for each packet of noodles and said he would purchase all of them.
He then paid 850 yuan, smashed the packets on the ground, and paid an additional undisclosed compensation.
“The son made an apology, but it is useless. Can’t I smash the things I own?” the man said afterwards.
The viral video has sparked discussion on Chinese social media.
One person said: “He scolded you, and you rewarded him with 850 yuan. Are you OK?”
Another person said: “It’s a youthful indiscretion.”
Videos and posts on social media about customer service conflicts often trend in China.
In an incident in June, a woman in eastern China was charged an extra 300 yuan (US$42) because she and her friends were “not creating a vibrant enough vibe” in a bar, she said in a post that went viral on social media.
In May, a Chinese barbecue restaurant manager in eastern China knelt to beg forgiveness from a customer who complained about the long queue, which shocked many internet users.
