Digell Huang, 34, one of the two reserved customers tries the giant isopod ramen in Taipei, Taiwan, May 27, 2023. More than a 100 individuals have joined a waiting list to dine at the restaurant since the 'The Ramen Boy' launched the limited-edition noodles bowl on May 22.
It is so attractive because of its appearance - it looks very cute, said the 37-year-old owner of the restaurant, who wanted to be identified only as Mr Hu, as he held up a giant isopod while customers took pictures.
With the cooking method, we use the simplest method, steam, so there is no difficulty in processing it. The restaurant steams the isopod for 10 minutes before adding it to the top of a bowl of ramen with thick chicken and fish broth. Each bowl costs 1,480 Taiwan dollars $48 a customer said the meat was chewy and dense.
Giant isopods - a distant cousin of crabs and prawns - are the largest among the thousands of species in the crustacean group, the NOAA Ocean Exploration said on its website.
They are usually found at 186 - 2,140 meters deep in the ocean, with 80 percent of them living at a depth of 365 - 730 meters, Taiwan's Animal Planet said in a Facebook page.
A Taiwanese scientist has identified the species as Bathynomus jamesi, found on the Dongsha islands in the South China Sea. They are thought to be caught at between 300 and 500 meters.
Hu, the owner of the restaurant, holds the giant isopod for a photo in the kitchen in Taipei, Taiwan May 27, 2023. PHOTO REUTERS Since the ramen was launched, some experts have expressed worries about the potential ecological impact of bottom trawling fishing tactics as well as possible health risks.
But the customers at the restaurant differ.
The hairstyle is cute but fierce! The fossils of 450 m-old sea scorpions have been found in China.
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 a chance, said Digell Huang, 34, who works as a genetic counsellor.
I am very honored to have this opportunity to taste it, she said, as she was eating from a bowl of isopod-topped noodles.
Digell Huang, 34, one of the two reserved customers, takes photos of the giant isopod ramen on May 27, 2023 in Taipei, Taiwan. PHOTO REUTERS A scholar, however, warned against potential health risks, saying the largely unknown species may contain toxins or heavy metals such as mercury.
The species 'Bathynomus jamesi' has been recognized officially in Taiwan last year and there is not much data on it, said Huang Ming-chih, a biotechnology associate professor specializing in deep-sea invertebrates at the National University of Tainan.
The best practice would be to do more research, build a complete database and then allow people to eat, it would be better that way.