On a recent day in the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi, a 26-year-old year man named Liu Juyou had a very similar thought. Just what in the world was in those noodles?

While at a routine traffic stop to deter drunk driving, Liu took a urine test, reported the South China Morning Post, and was shocked to find he tested positive for opiates. He claimed he had never used any drug like that in his life, but police weren’t convinced. On Sept. 3, they threw him into detention, where he stayed for 15 days.

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Liu swore it had something to do with the noodles — they had been too good. So, reported the Independent, he asked his family to test out his theory. Would they eat the noodle shop’s noodles? They did, took a drug test — and tested positive for opium.

The police then started looking into the noodle shop’s owner, who confessed he had been adding parts of a poppy plant to his noodles so customers would keeping coming back. The owner, only called “Zhang” in reports, conceded he bought 4.4 pounds of poppy buds for a little less than $100. He then mashed it into a fine powder, which he poured into his noodle mix.

Many Asian chefs have no qualms about adding chemicals to food, especially MSG, a popular food additive that enhances flavor but can make your mouth burn and tingle. But opium?

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It’s unclear whether it had the desired effect on customers, but Liu obviously liked the noodles so much he eventually tested positive for narcotics. Police told the South China Morning Post that “chemicals from poppy, even poppy seedpods, could build up in the body — enough to get a positive for opiates on a drug test.”

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Despite the apparent evidence to substantiate Liu’s story, the police reportedly wouldn’t budge on their charges against him, saying it was a top priority to punish drug users.

Indeed, the Chinese government has been coming down pretty hard lately on anyone caught with drugs. Jackie Chan’s son was just busted for smoking weed, and Chan confessed he was “very ashamed.” Chan’s son was detained with a 23-year-old Taiwanese actor, who wept and retched at a news conference, swearing he would never smoke pot again.

“I am a very bad example!” Kai Ko sobbed. “… In the future, every day I will slowly mature and this will be an ugly scar I will bear. Sorry everyone, sorry to all. I am the worst, most harmful role model.”