A famous food vlogger recently came under fire after she posted a video that shows her skinning, gutting and cooking a 200-lb slaughtered alligator.
The vlogger, known as Chef Xiao He, who boasts a following of over 3.6 million on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, generated a wave of negative reactions as furious users accused her of animal cruelty.
The criticism came after Xiao posted images that show her preparing and cooking the dead alligator that she used to make various dishes and even made gelatin and lip balm with alligator oil.
In the clip, Xiao could be seen washing a 200-lb gator in her shower before she proceeded to scale it.
While most of the animal parts that she herself butchered made for meals such as oven-baked meat or soup, some of them even ended up getting turned into candy.
This is not the first time that the skilled chef has served a giant reptile on the dinner table.
Another piece of footage shared previously by Xiao, shows her preparing a crocodile’s head as the main dish of the night which she proudly served alongside other dishes, including a risotto that she apparently made using its blood.
Many online users said they found the choice of food too disturbing.
Xiao attempted to defend her actions by claiming it was no more different than buying crocodile leather handbags.
She said: “The alligator was artificially raised and specifically provided for major leather goods and handbag companies. This is their purpose, [it is] like getting yourself a Hermes crocodile leather handbag, wouldn’t you like it?
“Therefore, we should look at this issue rationally.”
However, the analogy did not convince the public, but instead caused more doubts and disgust.
Netizens accused her of animal abuse and harming the environment, as well as attempting to corrupt social values.
Some even questioned whether she violated any laws or regulations and whether she should be punished.
One Douyin user titled ‘sunny’ said: “It’s true that the scariest animal of all is a human being.”
