A live octopus can be seen crawling out of a food bucket at a restaurant on January 21, the New York Post (NYP) reported, citing footage provided by SWNS.

According to (NYP), customer Liu was having dinner at a hot pot restaurant in Beijing, China, when he was surprised to see molluscs trying to escape from a bucket containing various seafood ingredients.

Wild video of octopus trying to crawl out of restaurant's seafood bucket https://t.co/8rIg9Wk0if pic.twitter.com/T1I2J0Pt5c

— New York Post (@nypost) February 5, 2024

SWNS reported that the octopus' tentacles were seen dipping into another pot of boiling soup before returning to the bucket. The report said the octopus was not meant to be eaten alive, but he nearly ended up in the soup alive. Reportedly, Liu himself had not yet included octopus in his diet. (Related article: Young Americans want to change the world, but are literally afraid to order at a restaurant)

The store said Hot Pot expects customers to prepare many of the ingredients themselves using boiling soup. This is a social form of eating often found in non-Western countries, where different diners combine several ingredients, especially meat and vegetables, into a hot pot to create a meal. according to On the thrill list.

This isn't the first time a customer has been surprised by an octopus while making a hotpot. A life-threatening blue octopus was served to customers at a restaurant in southern China's Guangdong province. South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The diner identified its strange appearance, posted it online and refrained from eating it after a science blogger warned about the dangerous species, according to City Express, SCMP reported.

According to the Korea Herald, in October 2023, a man in Gwangju, southern South Korea, died of a heart attack after choking on a piece of sannakji containing a live octopus. The 82-year-old man was reportedly unable to be revived by paramedics who arrived at the scene after receiving an emergency call.