Night the rice flied.
Customers fled from the antics of a poltergeist, in a Wolverhampton Chinese take-away. Owner of the Lotus House, Mr K. Lee said today that spoons, food and a torch flew across his shop in Lea Road, last night. Mr Lee would not discuss the weird happenings any further when contacted today, only to confirm that it did occur.
Police confirmed that they were called to the take-away and were told by customers that utensils, a torch, and food had been seen to float in mid-air. “We can confirm that a number of customers appeared to be frightened at whatever they saw. We were told that a poltergeist was at work although no record of this has been made by the police,” said a senior officer.
Wolverhampton Express and Star, 3rd February 1978.
Flying tonight… at the Chinese quakeaway!
It was enough to make a bamboo shoot. Or send a Chinaman off his noodle. For it wasn’t just the prawns that were crackers the night a ghost turned sour in a Chinese takeaway. Before you could say beansprout, bowls of rice whizzed across the room, chop suey sailed through the air. And frightened customers dived for cover.
The normally inscrutable staff had to duck as platefuls of food flew around the kitchens. Finally a police patrol car was called to the Lotus House in Lea Road, Wolverhampton. But last night the great Chinese Who Flung Food mystery was still unsolved. Takeaway owner K. Lee said simply: “It all very funny business. I not want to talk about it.”
A police spokesman said: “When we arrived there were several rather frightened people outside and Mr Lee has told us that there is some sort of poltergeist haunting his premises. Our men were told of food and even a torch apparently just floating in the air. But I’m afraid investigating poltergeists isn’t quite our beat and we’ve just put it down as an unsolved mystery.”
Daily Mirror, 4th February 1978. (yes it is rather racist in its reporting but it’s next to a photo of a woman with her boobs out, so let’s put it down to 1978). Rather coolly the Lotus House is still there!
Poltergeist puts off customers.
The ghostly happenings at a Wolverhampton Chinese take-away are spiriting away the custom. “My takings have been 25 per cent down since these weird occurrences were made public,” said Mr K. Lee at the Lotus House in Lea Road today. Mr Lee said the activities of a poltergeist at his shop had made customers stay away. “I think people are scared of what they may be forced to witness,” he said.
The take-away hit the headlines yesterday with the disclosure that customers fled in fear after a saucepan, food, cans of drinks and a torch flew from behind the counter. Police, called to the “disturbance” were faced with a genuine Chinese puzzle, and no explanation has been officially recorded.
Wolverhampton Express and Star, 4th February 1978.