Online Backlash Follows Complaint About Tiny Grilled Shrimp Bought in Patong

A social media complaint about very small grilled shrimp allegedly bought in Patong, Phuket, has prompted widespread discussion and criticism online.

Facebook user “พ่อครัว ตัวลาย” posted photographs of the shrimp in the group “พวกเราคือผู้บริโภค” (“We Are Consumers”). The post included a caption alleging that a seafood shop in Phuket reheated unsold food, saying: “If it doesn’t sell, reheat it. Reheat it again and again. Polio shrimp.”

The post’s wording referred to repeated reheating, while the accompanying photographs showed shrimp that appeared extremely small. The Thai headline describing the post said the shrimp was about the size of a pen and that the buyer initially thought it looked like “polio shrimp,” a colloquial comparison used in the post and subsequent online discussion.

The images and comments attracted a large number of shares and reactions, turning the complaint into an online controversy. The available report does not identify the shop by name, provide the purchase date or price, or independently verify whether the shrimp had been reheated repeatedly.

It also does not include a response from the business, local authorities or public-health officials. The reported issue is therefore based on the customer’s social media post and the reaction it generated, rather than on a confirmed inspection or official finding.