

With China descending into total madness, some sharp tourists are fleeing abroad this week, taking with them bundles and bundles of instant noodles.

31% of Chinese tourists will bring the convenient if toxic snack with them when traveling overseas, according to a recent study by Alitrip, Alibaba’s travel booking website, and wacai.com, a personal finance management app. Another 58% will just buy them when they reach their destination.

While 589 million tourists will be traveling around the mainland during Golden Week, another 6 million are also heading abroad, mostly to South Korea, Thailand and Japan.

So, according to our math, that’s nearly 2 million packages of MSG and wheat flour going overseas. However, that estimation is likely far too low, because 50% of those instant noodle carriers, also responded that they usually brought three to five packages with them to satisfy their hunger over a five-day trip.



Instant noodles have always been a popular option for Chinese tourists, leaving them with more time to shop and sightsee at their destination, and with more money in their pockets. Many prefer to slurp packages of Master Kong in their hotel rooms as an escape from the unfamiliar and pricey local cuisine.

In response to this popular practice, in 2013, luxury resorts in the Maldives stopped providing hot water for Chinese travelers. During his visit to the Maldives the next year, Chinese President Xi Jinping brought up this international incident and urged Chinese travelers to “Eat less instant noodles and more local seafood.”

Seems like they didn’t get the message.



In the event of emergency, instant noodle cups can also be used as a weapon.

[Images via Xinhua]

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