A giant 14-legged marine isopod is the main ingredient in a new dish at a ramen restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan, and customers are lining up in front of the restaurant to both take photos and try the curious delicacy.
Since 'The Ramen Boy' launched this limited-edition noodle dish on May 22, declaring in a social media post that he had "finally landed this dream ingredient," more than 100 people are on the waiting list to dine at the restaurant.
"He's so attractive because of his appearance - he's very cute," says the 37-year-old restaurant owner, who wanted to be identified only as Mr. Hu. "As for the cooking method, we use the simplest way, steam."
The restaurant cooks the isopod for 10 minutes before adding it to the noodle bowl with thick chicken and fish broth. Each dish costs 1,480 Taiwan dollars (45 euros).
One customer said that the meat tastes like crab and lobster with a dense and somewhat tough texture.
Giant isopods - a distant cousin of crabs and shrimps - are the largest among the thousands of species in the crustacean group. Its scientific name is "Bathynomus jamesi", and it was discovered near the Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea.
They are generally found between 170 and 2,140 meters deep in the ocean, with 80% of them living at a depth of 365-730 meters.
Since the ramen's release, some scholars have raised concerns about the potential impact of trawling techniques on the seabed, as well as the potential health risks associated with consuming the isopod.
But the restaurant customers disagree.
"If it's just a special menu, and the giant isopods were caught unintentionally, like the restaurant owner says they were, everyone should try it if they get the chance," says Digell Huang, 34, who has come to eat at the restaurant.
"I'm very honored to have this opportunity to try it," he added as he ate from a bowl of isopod-topped noodles.
The species 'Bathynomus jamesi' was officially recognized in Taiwan in 2022 and there is not much information about it yet.
Huang Ming-chih, a professor of biotechnology specializing in deep-sea invertebrates at National Taiwan University, cautions that they could contain toxins or heavy metals such as mercury.
"Best practice would be to do more research... build a full database and then allow people to eat, it would be better that way," he added.
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