This is the million-dollar question. There are three prevailing theories regarding the authenticity of the .
Unlike a crab or a lobster, an eel is serpentine. Its movements are mammalian in their twisting desperation. Viewers project human-like fear onto the eel. Watching it rise from the boiling liquid is visually analogous to a drowning victim breaking the surface. This triggers a strong empathetic response: we want the eel to win, even though we know it is destined for dinner. Eel Soup Viral Video Original
A smaller subset of redditors believes the eel was already dead, but that the soup contained a massive amount of acidic or spicy ingredients (like wild ginger or chili oil) that causes muscle spasms post-mortem. This is scientifically possible—reptiles and fish often exhibit "post-mortem movement" due to sodium channels in their cells firing. However, the violent, coordinated thrashing in the video suggests a living creature, not a reflexive twitch. This is the million-dollar question