A new dish diffusing mysterious mist has charmed its way in the mouths of young people in Ho Chi Minh City, sparking health safety concerns from medical professionals.
A strange ‘mist’ has been billowing out of mouths and noses of customers crowding Ho Chi Minh City eateries.
The dish, called “snack khoi,” or nitrogen snacks, can be served in different flavors based on the guest’s order, including blueberry, kiwi, peach, passion fruit, and more, according to an eatery owner in District 10.
Asked about the smoke, a waiter said that it is created by pouring liquid nitrogen into the dish, telling customers not to hold the bottom of the cup but the top when serving due to the substance’s rapid freezing properties.
The frozen snack is crispy and sends smoke billowing out of the mouth as it cools on the tongue, a customer shared after taking a bite.
A cup of the nitrogen snack costs between VND25,000 (US$1.1) and VND27,000 ($1.2).
Besides attracting young people, the new food fad has also raised worries among many due to the existence of liquid nitrogen.
Under normal atmospheric pressure, liquid nitrogen is formed between -210 degrees Celsius and -196 degrees Celsius, Doctor Nguyen Hong Son, deputy chief of the otolaryngology department at Ho Chi Minh City-based Military Hospital 175, said.
“Thus, eating such a cold dish may severely damage the soft tissues of one’s mouth and throat and could even lead to frostbite,” Dr. Son warned.
According to a post on a local newswire in May, a student of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, after eating the dish, suffered from sore throat and began to lose his taste of food.
A local expert admitted that nitrogen is not toxic in nature, but high amounts of the substance can reduce oxygen density and thus may cause suffocation, especially in closed rooms.
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