High earnings for crayfish tasters highlight China's new professions

The development of China's new industries has created many novel occupations, offering job seekers a range of opportunities. One such profession, birthed from the burgeoning crayfish e-commerce sector, is the role of the crayfish taster.

Fu Hua, a crayfish taster at a restaurant in Qianjiang city, central China's Hubei Province, has 22 years of experience in the industry. Prior to his work in Qianjiang starting in 2014, Fu ran an aquatic products business in Zhoushan city, in east China's Zhejiang Province.

People taste crayfish at a restaurant in Qianjiang, Hubei Province, June 24, 2022. (Photo/Xinhua)

"I've developed a variety of crayfish dishes that come with different flavors, including spicy, garlic, braised, mustard-cooked, and curried crayfish. These dishes have been well received by customers," Fu said.

In his role as a crayfish taster, Fu tastes crayfish dishes, evaluates the quality of the crayfish meat, suggests new flavors, and even develops new dishes.

To thoroughly evaluate the dishes, Fu consumes over 100 crayfish daily. Between tastings, he drinks milk, mineral water, or tea to cleanse his palate and ensure his sense of taste remains sharp for the next round of sampling.

A crayfish taster, Fu explained, must constantly sample different crayfish dishes and help establish unified standards. Crayfish tasters should avoid smoking and drinking alcohol to maintain an acute sense of taste.

Tasting crayfish inspires Fu to develop new dishes. For instance, while sampling one dish, he conceived the idea of developing a mustard crayfish dish, served cold for the summer.

Skilled crayfish tasters can earn at least 10,000 yuan ($1,387) monthly, according to Fu. The job provides not only a sense of satisfaction but also opens up employment and business opportunities for young people.