Famous American actor Timothée Chalamet spotted selling moldy tofu on a Chengdu street stall

A video of famous American actor Timothée Chalamet selling moldy tofu on a Chengdu street stall has gone viral online — mainly because the scene looked so bizarre that many viewers initially thought it was AI. 😂

The moment happened during Chalamet’s first promotional trip to China for his upcoming film Marty Supreme. While visiting Chengdu, he spent time experiencing local culture: drinking traditional gaiwan tea in People’s Park, watching public square dancing, and eventually stepping into one of China’s most recognizable short-video memes — the moldy tofu street stall skit.

The food in question is called mei doufu, a traditional fermented tofu snack popular across southern China, especially in Sichuan, Hunan, and Guizhou. Fresh tofu is left to naturally ferment until a thick layer of soft white mold grows on the surface. Although it looks unusual, the mold is safe and part of the fermentation process. The tofu is then mixed with chili powder, salt, liquor, and spices before being packed into jars. The flavor is intensely savory and often eaten with rice.

The viral meme comes from real street vendors selling mei doufu. Curious pedestrians often poke the fluffy mold layer, prompting the vendor to yell dramatically: “Don’t touch it! If you ruin it, how can I sell it?”

Chalamet recreated the scene almost perfectly — apron on, shouting the famous line in Sichuan-style Mandarin while theatrically slicing the tofu with a ping-pong paddle, a playful nod to his ping-pong player role in the film.

The crossover between a Hollywood star and a hyper-local Chinese meme was so unexpected that many people initially assumed the video was AI — until more clips from the Chengdu event confirmed it actually happened. 😆