Soba Delivery Drones Tangle Mid-Air, Cause Blackout

During a plan to deliver soba noodles while boiling them in flight, a new service's drone fleet encountered strong winds that tangled the noodles into a massive tower. The mess wrapped around power lines, blacking out the city center, with residents joking they 'got off easy with just tempura flakes.'

2025-08-03

Translations: JA

Daily Surprise

During a plan to deliver soba noodles while boiling them in flight, a new service’s drone fleet encountered strong winds that tangled the noodles into a massive tower. The mess wrapped around power lines, blacking out the city center, with residents joking they “got off easy with just tempura flakes.”

The 22 “Soba Express” drones threading through downtown high-rises promised “zero-second draining” during the lunch rush. Their airframes doubled as cooking pots, maintaining 97°C boiling water for perfectly cooked noodles upon landing. But unexpected gusts pulled the noodles into the air, using the rotors as “chopsticks” to create elaborate knots. The result: a 258-meter “flying braid” hovering over the city.

Power lines barely had time to scream “Oh no, I’m getting tangled!” before being wrapped up, triggering automatic shutoffs at substations. The central district’s 100,000 households were forced into “candlelight lunchtime” from 1:12 PM for up to 34 minutes. Restaurants in the blackout zone shrugged, “Good thing we’re a fresh pasta place.”

Operating company MultiCarbo Foods admitted their weather standards were lax, calling 7.2m/s winds “a gentle breeze,” while emphasizing the “unexpected unity displayed by the noodles” as a new materials science discovery. On damages, they offered no comment, noting “the power company’s calculator is still in the dark.”

Meanwhile, the fire department showcased an unusual technique, spraying “tsuyu” sauce instead of water for fire suppression. The 80°C concentrated broth worked wonders, keeping the noodles soft as they fell to the street. Pedestrians tracked sauce on their shoes but remained upbeat: “Saved on lunch money!”

Experts point to legal blind spots in “aerial cooking.” Aviation law doesn’t prohibit in-flight liquid heating, but leaves unanswered “who owns upper airspace when a pot lid touches a cloud?” Professor Inui of Toto Tech’s Drone Department notes, “This incident eerily resembles the Edo period’s udon rampage when tempura laws were undeveloped,” concluding that history repeats itself with wheat flour.

The city council immediately established a “Noodle System Preparedness Committee.” The chairman declared “We won’t steam up the same mistake twice,” though the aroma of sauce in the chamber extended breaks by 200%. Social media saw “#Noodledemic” trending globally, with carb lovers demanding “ramen light shows next!”

Power was fully restored by evening, but citizens formed a new consensus: “Overcooked soba beats instant food for emergencies.” It was a day when the concept of dry storage got tangled up with the power lines.

Stakeholder Comments

MultiCarbo Foods CEO Yude Metaki: “I never thought making the sky our kitchen would cause such a stir”
Professor Inui, Toto Tech: “The only saving grace was few customers ordered firm noodles”
Fire Truck (personified): “Finally, the day came to fill my tank with noodle sauce”
Mr. 7.2m/s Wind: “Don’t blame me, I don’t control pressure systems”
Power Line A: “Next time, cold noodles please, the hot ones are too much”
The Noodles Themselves: “Blushing at our sudden unity ranking surge”
Office Lady During Blackout: “My selfie ring light was the real savior”
City Council Chairman: “The aroma in the chamber that day was the people’s will”
International Noodle Investor: “Add carbohydrates to the energy mix!”
Carb Loading Society: “This is the true ‘high-carb society!’”