Warning: Some of the information I’m about to share may disgust you. Be advised there are mentions of organ pain, toilet usage, nausea, and vomit
I’m sure you all have known that every year, Paqui gives out an extraordinarily hot chip challenge. This year, I decided to partake in it, most likely due to a few years ago when I did a similar one, but I did not finish the entire chip. This year, it featured a chip with two of the hottest peppers known to man; Scorpion Pepper and Carolina Reaper.
Being someone who loves spicy food, I wanted to see how this one chip can be. It’s especially eye-catching because it says it turns your mouth blue. I got a pack at a gas station near where I live, and the cashier read the rules, telling me that side effects include nausea, vomiting, cramps, etc. I was full-on ready to tackle this challenge, needless to say.
A few days later, and I go for it, but wanting to have some things to cool me down, I pour a glass of milk, a glass of white wine (apparently someone told me that it balances out the spice), and a slice of wheat bread. I eat the entire chip down within seconds, and then several more seconds go by, and I start to feel the heat and my organs start to flare up. Then I start to become numb that I start aggressively tapping my foot on the ground (yeah it’s that spicy). I kept tasting nothing but capsaicin for the rest of the night. Even 3:45 minutes in and when I drank milk, wine, and ate bread, it did nothing at first. I didn’t go for ice cream because I didn’t want to risk anything more. I also didn’t have water at first because I heard that it could end lame your mouth and make it even more painful. Eventually, the burning did subside, and I was left with this blue tongue and a burning sensation in my stomach. I went for my first trip to the bathroom to get rid of some urges and pain. It did work for a little bit, but just to be safe, I took a couple of papaya enzymes to make sure my stomach can properly digest.
Very late in the night, I woke up with intense pain in my stomach, that I went to the bathroom to purge again. It was painful, but I thought that would be just the end of it. I was wrong. After going back to bed, I had intense pain again, and I rushed to the bathroom to purge. I stayed for almost two hours that time because I kept feeling a lot of pain; there was nothing more to purge out of me, or so I thought. I went back to my room, assuming everything that just passed, but then I felt more pain. That time, I started to sweat. A few minutes go by and I’m in the bathroom. That time, I retched into the bathroom sink. I did it a few more times before I finally got it all out of me. It was very spicy, and I tasted capsaicin and stomach acid as I cleaned the sink. The last time I threw up was nine years ago, so it was probably a long time. After I brushed my teeth, I finally went back to sleep. By that point, it was almost 7:00. Waking up a few hours later, I felt much better.
Honestly, the one chip challenge is probably a one-and-done type of challenge for me. I’m not sure if it was because of the chip, or the milk and wine mixture, or all of it, but throwing all that stuff up actually made me feel better-ish. I don’t have any more pain in my stomach, but still, I think that was a sign to never do that again. I’m still a spicy kind of guy, but after what happened, I may need to stay away from spicy foods for a little while. All I can say that the one chip challenge was good to try and tackle, but probably best for my organs not to do it again.