The Erlong Funeral Home in Guizhou has become a hotspot for food lovers after its noodle dishes gained viral attention online. To accommodate growing demand, the funeral home allows public access to its canteen while maintaining respect for mourners.
Unlikely Culinary Craze: Chinese Foodies Flock to Funeral Home for Viral Noodles
Unlikely Culinary Craze: Chinese Foodies Flock to Funeral Home for Viral Noodles
A funeral home in Guizhou is experiencing a popularity surge as diners pose as mourners to sample its famous noodle dishes, leading to changes in their serving policy.
In an unusual culinary twist, food enthusiasts in China are descending upon a funeral home in Guizhou, where a particular noodle dish served in the canteen has taken social media by storm. The Erlong Funeral Home, located in the southwestern province, initially catered only to families and friends of the deceased, but as word spread about their popular dishes, a swarm of diners—many masquerading as mourners—began frequenting the establishment.
The funeral home's kitchen prepares various types of noodles, available at breakfast and supper for an affordable 10 yuan per bowl (approximately $1.38). The dish capturing the most attention features noodles topped with a savory mix of minced pork and peanuts. Erlong staff noted to Jiupai News that their priority was to serve those attending funeral ceremonies. However, the influx of eager noodle seekers has led to a growing challenge of crowd management, with some people going as far as pretending to grieve in order to bypass queues.
To respond to the rising demand, Erlong Funeral Home has announced that it will provide 50 complimentary bowls of noodles each day to the public, while insisting that patrons remain respectful of those in mourning. This decision comes after the fervor for the noodles escalated when a social media user highlighted their deliciousness during a visit to a friend, claiming the wait for food surpassed that of waiting to pay respects to the deceased.
Since that post on Xiaohongshu (RedNote), stories of similarly drawn diners have proliferated across Chinese platforms, such as Douyin (the local counterpart of TikTok). With one user commenting on the long food lines, they reflected on life’s briefness while enjoying an extra bowl of noodles. The Erlong Funeral Home’s canteen has now transformed from a somber place into a unique dining destination, blending gastronomical curiosity with the delicate context of mourning.
