The 25-year-old Haidilao franchise is popular with customers for its complimentary gel manicures, a wide range of delicious dipping sauces, and, of course, the iconic "noodle dance".
If you haven't had a hot pot at the Haidilao, here's what it looks like:
Unfortunately for one woman, her trip to Haidilao also involved an unexpected surprise, when she was accidentally slapped in the face during the noodle dance.
Enjoying her tea
A video of the noodle slap mishap was shared by one Ashley Ge on the popular Facebook group Subtle Asian Traits on Sunday, Dec. 30.
In the video, which has more than 17,000 reactions and 13,000 comments at the time of writing, a young woman in the foreground of the scene sips what appears to be tea.
Behind her, a Haidilao employee performs the noodle dance, swinging the noodle dough around while turning in place.
Gif via Facebook / Ashley Ge.
The woman does not appear to be paying attention to the noodle performance, and had no way to expect what happened next.
Sudden slap
The Haidilao employee tries to swing the noodle over and behind the woman's head, but suffers a miscalculation.
Instead, his left hand and the noodle he holds hit the woman solidly in the face.
Gif via Facebook / Ashley Ge.
As a result, the cup she is drinking from drops from her hand and breaks after hitting the table, while she gasps in surprise.
You can watch the full video here:
[video mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2020/01/Screen-Recording-2020-01-02-at-11.05.29-AM.mp4"][/video]
Not the first time this has happened
The tea-sipping woman is not the first to have suffered this fate, nor is it likely that she will be the last.
In May 2018, another diner had a noodle mishap at Haidilao, although she was paying attention and managed to dodge it at first.
Gif via Nestia.
Unfortunately for her, it was not enough, as the noodle hit her across her eyes just a few moments later.
While the original video is no longer available on Facebook, you can see it below:
Be careful out there, hotpot lovers.
Top image via Facebook / Ashley Ge.