A woman has come under heavy criticism in China after she was caught filing a young girl’s toenails on a table inside a sushi restaurant, with horrified diners claiming nail clippings landed near shared condiment bottles.
The incident reportedly took place on 12 July at a Hama Sushi outlet in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and quickly went viral after a customer recorded the scene and shared it online.
In the video, the woman can be seen sitting cross-legged in a booth while a girl, believed to be around four or five years old, sits beside her with one shoe placed on the seat.
The child is then seen resting her foot on the dining table while the woman calmly files her toenails in full view of other customers.
According to the person who filmed the incident, pieces of toenail and skin were seen flying onto a shared soy sauce bottle, prompting widespread disgust among diners.
Following multiple complaints that evening, restaurant staff confirmed the incident had taken place.
The outlet said it immediately disinfected the table and surrounding area after the customers left and disposed of all tableware used at the table in accordance with hygiene procedures.
The footage triggered a wave of criticism on Chinese social media, with many users describing the behaviour as unhygienic and inappropriate.
Some questioned whether the woman should be held responsible for the restaurant’s cleaning costs, while others remarked that the incident was “dirtier than bringing pets into a restaurant”—a reference to ongoing debates in China and Hong Kong over pet-friendly dining establishments.
The video continues to circulate online, reigniting discussions about public hygiene and proper etiquette in shared dining spaces.
