In Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, the AWA Nishiizu Hotel was featured on a Japanese TV variety/current events show that showcased the hotel cafe's special "health drink"—a citrus concoction fermented by introducing bacteria from human hands into a vat of summer mandarins and sugar. Apparently employees would just dip their hands into the container and start stirring. From Oddity Central:
"This is a homemade enzyme syrup made from fermented summer mandarin oranges. Since it is fermented using bacteria that are indigenous to the fungus on your hands, you put your hand inside and stir it," the AWA Nishiizu Hotel hotel employee says [on the TV show], as he casually puts his hand inside the syrup jar and demonstrates the process for the camera crew[…]
The fermentation process was never actually questioned on the Beat Takeshi's TV Tackle episode, but it was after people started asking for information on how to make the syrup at home on social media that the 手の常在菌 (indigenous bacteria on the hands) went viral[…]
In a public statement (translated), the hotel apologized for their "lack of knowledge about fermentation."
"Currently, we are asking the local public health center to confirm the manufacturing process, etc., on site. We will follow the appropriate instructions and take appropriate action. In addition, we have stopped providing the fermented juice…"
