Taiwan's ramen shops engage in bizarre culinary competition, featuring frogs, crocodiles, and durians in unconventional ramen creations

TAIWAN— Ramen shops in Taiwan seem currently engaging in a peculiar culinary competition, incorporating ingredients such as deep-sea giant isopods, frogs, crocodiles, and even durians into their ramen dishes, serving them to customers. Last month, a Taiwanese ramen restaurant gained significant attention on the internet with its "giant isopod ramen." Since then, the trend has gone viral, with other restaurants in Taiwan following suit and introducing their own bizarre dishes. For instance, a ramen shop in Yunlin unveiled "Froggy Ramen" on Monday, June 12th, priced at 250 NT dollars (approximately 8 USD).

In an attempt to outdo the competition, another restaurant in Douliu launched "Coolzilla Crocodile Fish Ramen" with a price tag of 1500 NT dollars (48 USD). The ramen bowl featured a visually stunning whole crocodile leg as a prominent ingredient.

Taiwan's first-ever "Durian Ramen"

Their creativity doesn't stop there. A ramen shop in Kaohsiung recently announced on Facebook that they will be introducing Taiwan's first-ever "Durian Ramen," available at 680 NT dollars per bowl. Due to the intricate process of hand-carving the durian shell containers and ensuring the quality of each bowl, only 20 servings are available daily, with 10 bowls served in the morning and 10 in the evening. Reservations must be made in advance by phone.

Crocodiles are considered an endangered species in Taiwan

It is worth noting that eating frogs is common in Yunlin, Taiwan as frogs are one of their familiar local delicacy. For those who are not from the area, seeing a whole frog with its skin intact and not chopped up can be quite a culture shock. However, crocodiles are considered an endangered species in Taiwan. According to Taiwan's Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), protected wildlife species must be conserved and should not be harassed, abused, hunted, killed, or used for other purposes. If convicted of violating these provisions, the penalties specified in the law include imprisonment for up to one year, detention, or a fine ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$300,000 (approximately 9693 USD). If the offense results in the death of wildlife, the penalties increase to imprisonment for up to two years, detention, or a fine ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$500,000.