The 2025 Western Cuisine Skills Competition, hosted by the Chinese Culinary Association and officially certified by the Worldchefs Federation, took place on the 19th at the Suzhou International Expo Center. However, the event took a bizarre turn when a group of Chinese middle-aged women, seemingly unaware that the displayed breads were competition entries, enthusiastically grabbed the breads from the judging table, hugging and devouring them on the spot, leaving contestants stunned.
A video circulating on Chinese social media shows the women excitedly approaching the table piled high with a variety of breads—French baguettes, soft European breads, donuts, croissants, bagels, small buns, and soufflés. With gleaming eyes, they scooped up the breads and even began tasting them before anyone could intervene.
The competition featured 32 teams of chefs from five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, judged by an internationally certified panel. The bread display was part of the judging table, but within seconds, it was emptied by the women. Contestants were left helpless, unable to stop them, watching their meticulously prepared creations vanish before their eyes.
Netizens reacted with disbelief and embarrassment, saying the incident made Chinese participants look bad in front of international judges. Some joked that the women must have had high blood sugar or diabetes, yet suddenly seemed able to eat endlessly, sarcastically calling it “a miraculous recovery.”
