Foodies pretend to be mourners after funeral home’s noodle dishes go viral

Erlong Funeral Home’s dish of rice noodles topped with minced pork and peanuts has become a sensation

The funeral home provides meals for mourners at its canteen (stock image) (Getty)

Foodies are reportedly posing as mourners just so they can taste a funeral home’s food, after their dishes went viral.

The home in southwestern China’s Guizhou province has unexpectedly become a hotspot after its canteen’s noodle dish was popularised on social media.

Erlong Funeral Home’s canteen is meant for grieving families, serving inexpensive but apparently delicious noodles.

People who want to sample the food, particularly a popular dish that comes topped with minced pork and peanuts, are resorting to deception as the venue is not open to the general public.

The craze started after a local blogger shared in February that his mother had taken him there for a meal, according to the South China Morning Post.

“At first, I was hesitant because it is quite far from downtown, but my mother was adamant,” one diner said. “After trying the rice noodles, I found them absolutely delicious.”

“Many people rave about our rice noodles because our chefs are exceptionally skilled,” a funeral home worker told the Post. “We use only fresh ingredients, our broth is simmered with pig bones for hours, and our chilli sauces come from a secret recipe.”

An employee at the canteen initially said despite the popularity they had no plans to open to the public. However, the BBC has since reported the funeral home would offer 50 bowls of the noodles to some members of the public at its premises, provided they did not disturb genuine mourners.

Videos showing the sought-after rice noodles and the long queues at the funeral home have amassed over five million views on a major Chinese social media platform.

“Their chefs could start a restaurant on their own, calling it Funeral Home Rice Noodles,” one user wrote on Xiaohongshu.

“My friend says the food at this funeral home is so good. The queue for food is longer than the queue to lay flowers for the deceased,” another said.

“I didn’t get to eat the noodles, because my friend’s mum didn’t know anyone who was holding a funeral service.”

The unexpected dining craze has sparked a flood of humorous reactions, with users joking about the irony of lining up for food at a place meant for mourning and reflecting on the fleeting nature of life over a bowl of noodles.

On Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, a user posted a photo of the dining hall’s tickets alongside an image of a crowd waiting in line for food. “I heard the noodles here were very good,” they wrote, according to the BBC. “I thought about how short life was and got another bowl.”