Hairy crab season is here! The hairy crab is one of Ningbo’s absolute favorite and most traditional foods, but as high season rolls in sellers might be tempted to do just about anything to squeeze out an extra few rens.

One person reported that their mother had purchased a hairy crab at a market in our fair city whose claws were tied with 31 meters of string. The soaking-wet string accounted for 20% of the crab’s weight, and with market prices as high as they are we can only assume that it wasn’t because of the seller’s hard-line stance on crustacean safety.

While we are certain that this is an isolated incident and that vendors in Ningbo would never do anything dishonest, it comes just a week after reports of a Qingdao restaurant using the old “gotcha with the fine print” fooling customers into paying  38 RMB per shrimp rather than per dish, with one man’s final bill coming to RMB 1,520.

Be careful out there friends, and enjoy the season of the glorious hairy crab! Just make sure to read the fine print.