SHANGHAI, March 24 — A Shanghai restaurant has sparked online ridicule after justifying the high price of a half chicken dish by claiming the bird was raised on music and milk.
A video posted by a businessman and influencer with 270,000 followers showed him reacting in shock to the dish’s 480 yuan (RM292) price tag, according to a report published in the South China Morning Post today.
When he questioned staff about the chicken’s upbringing, they confirmed it had been raised listening to music and consuming milk.
The restaurant identified the bird as a rare “sunflower chicken” from Guangdong province, fed with juice from sunflower stems and flower heads.
This breed, known for its premium quality, is reportedly priced at over 200 yuan per kilogram, with whole chickens selling for more than 1,000 yuan at restaurants.
A representative from the sunflower chicken farm later clarified to mainland media that while the birds do listen to classical music, they are not fed milk.
The influencer criticised the restaurant for misleading claims, saying he could accept the high price but not fabricated stories.
His post quickly drew sarcastic reactions online.
“Amazing the bizarre stories one can make up to sell products,” one commenter said, while another quipped, “Can my chicken be priced at 1,888 yuan if it listens to Shanxi music?”
Some users linked the controversy to Shanghai’s reputation for expensive goods, referencing past viral cases like a Japanese toast loaf that sold for 98 yuan in the city — twice its price in Japan.
Shanghai residents’ per capita disposable income in 2024 was reported at 88,366 yuan, double the national average.