A test of bravery or sheer craziness?
What is it about some men (people really, but in my
particular experience it was all males) and the need to prove they can eat the
hottest of foods without blinking an eye? The following is a scene witnessed a
few times in my life, but nothing will ever match that first time it occurred.
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| Image credit: Pixabay |
Several years back we used to frequently gather at a friends'
home. One night a group of approximately six of us were sitting around the
kitchen table having a few drinks and laughs. Suddenly, my friend's husband
comes over with some recently picked jalapeno and habanero peppers from his
impressive garden. A few of us looked on curiously at what was about to unfold
but, being a bit unsure, we continued our discussion.
As we're giggling over the stories and jokes being told, out
of the corner of my eye I see my friend's hubby and another guy each pop one of
the hot peppers into their mouths. It turns out these two men were having a
private little contest to see who could eat the pepper without being the first
to flinch.
After a few moments, the rest of the table caught on to what was
going on and conversation came to a standstill as we watched in awe as their
two faces turned pink, then transformed into a deep red; eventually, they
finally took on a slight purplish tint. Finally, one of them gasped and grabbed
a beer to drown out the heat, then begged for a glass of water; the other guy
also finally called "uncle" and he too took on a beer chaser.
The expressions on their faces as this was occurring was so
darned funny! They acted so brave, while inside it was clear they were in
agony. The rest of us, while awed and full of disbelief, couldn't help but
burst out laughing at their quandary. We didn't feel too badly though because
the two of them brought it on themselves.
The next thing I know, they're at it again, but this time
another guy decided to join the fun. The rules changed; they decided the first
one to take a drink loses. The third friend takes a bite and tries really hard
to disguise the fire so obviously burning in his mouth, but he's failing
miserably. Yet, he forges ahead and takes the next bite despite his pain.
Tears
are streaming down his cheeks and once again he takes yet another chomp of the
pepper. The first two look at each other with a knowing nod, then join back in;
their tactic was different, they opt to eat the full pepper at once. Suddenly,
we're sitting there watching three grown men gasping for breath, turning red,
and crying their eyes out; subsequently we watched their jaws clench in pain as
each desperately strove to "win."
As stubborn as they all were, the third guy finally gives in
and chugs down a full glass of water, which he can barely drink. The tears are
coming hard and fast by now. The second two finally relent and each chug down
another drink.
To this day, while not really understanding the why of this
"contest", admittedly, it was rather funny, but I couldn't help but
question if it was pure bravery or sheer stupidity. Later on, out of bizarre
curiosity, I took a piece of pepper and just dabbed my tongue on it, and boy
was it hot! To this day I'll never understand how they were able to sit there
chewing on these extremely hot peppers, trying to act nonchalant.
That evening was the start of a routine ritual -- at least
for a time. Each time, as more peppers came into maturity, the guys would sit
around that same kitchen table, each trying to outdo the other. What was even
more amazing is eventually the gardener's little girl joined these contests.
Then again, she was eating raw onions as a toddler -
definitely her father's daughter.
