Pachamama apologises for saying Chinatown restaurants 'catch, kill, and mix rats into bowls of steaming noodles'

Tanwen Dawn-Hiscox

Deputy Editor

Pachamama Restaurant group has issued a statement apologising for an email in which it implied restaurants in Chinatown serve freshly-caught rats to their customers.

Hot Dinners spotted the email from the restaurant group, sent ahead of the launch of its next venture, Yiu Fat Noodle.

Pachamama's communications team went adrift when it sought to make a joke about the Chinese new year - this year, as is customary, celebrated as the year of a certain animal, which so happens to be the rat.

The email reads: "In order to pay our respects to the cosmic rodent, we have lovingly prepared an array of delightful dishes - selected especially from our brand new menu for Yiu Fat Noodle, which will be opening up in China Town this year. There will be a special guest DJ behind the wheels of steel to keep the party moving along as it should and unlike many China Town restaurants, we intend to celebrate the rat, not catch it, kill it and mix it into a bowl of steaming noodles!"

Though one might venture that there wasn't one,Eater reporter James Hansen questioned the rationale behind the email, Tweeting the following:

Not really sure of the thought process behind a stunt as grim as this https://t.co/1tcfdV4st9
— James Hansen (@jameskhansen) January 22, 2020

The group later issued the following apology: "We pride ourselves at Pachamama Group for having a diverse and fun loving team, with our two founders being from Central Asia themselves and diversity being at the core of our business. We have many friends and neighbours in China Town and eat there regularly. We would be heartbroken to think that we offended anyone. Our newsletter tends to be fairly tongue in cheek, but looking back we can understand how this might have not come across as intended and we can only apologise deeply."

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