Have you ever heard of the Darwin Awards? They're awards given out to hapless nincompoops for outstanding achievement in foolishness — acts that move the human race backwards. When the world says "you really shouldn't" these people say "YES I WILL!" As far as I'm concerned, people who eat dangerously spicy food belong in this category.
I'm not talking regular spicy. I don't mean legendary Thai restaurant in Los Angeles that made you cry spicy. I mean sign a waiver before eating spicy. That's what the owners of the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Massachusetts have you do before they'll serve you their Pasta Plate from Hell. Think it's just a publicity gimmick? Then why did one pasta-eater need an ambulance last week?
The Pasta Plate from Hell was part of the annual Hell Week, when East Cost Grill creates a special, extra-spicy dish. This year's fiery plate contained Naga chili pepper — AKA "ghost pepper" as in "eating it can turn you into a ghost." It hits the high end of the Scoville "hotness" scale and is one of the hottest peppers in the world.
I'll admit, spicy food can do you some good. There's nothing for a cold like hot and sour soup. And it's tasty! But extremely hot food can cause blisters on your lips. And if you really get carried away with the spicy foods you can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure. The unnamed man who needed an ambulance after trying the Pasta Plate from Hell actually passed out.
So let's pretend the East Coast Grill Hell Week is a nature documentary. You might ask yourself, why is some food dangerously spicy? Could the Naga actually be the telling us something — like, "DON'T FREAKING EAT ME?" Is the Naga pepper actually like the puffer fish of the food world? Is that heat actually a warning signal, something you should HEED, perhaps?
Whatever. Look, you want to eat the hot, hot, hot stuff? Go for it, man. But just don't be surprised when it lands you in the hospital. You've been warned.
How spicy can you go? Have you ever tasted a Naga chili pepper?
Image via wstryder/Flickr
