Re: [CH] Chile as terrorist weapon
CH2060@xemaps.com
Sun, 07 Oct 2007 18:25:41 -0400
Peter,
I noted your self-proclaimed immoderate lurker category, so you might
appreciate this little story.
-- Your article reminds me of the Wai-Wai Fire Noodles of a few years
back.
The Bangkok Bistro (www.bangkokbistrodc.com/location), a rather
authentic Thai
restaurant in Georgetown, DC, held a couple of special dinners for
chileheads (only).
Normal Menu
-------------
Thiner normal menu had many items with zero chiles (which could be a
little hot).
There were several dishes marked with one chile - these might be too hot
for some of the Moderate Corps.
There were a few dishes with two chiles - these had *serious* heat.
There were even a couple dishes with three chiles!
Now, one must understand these are not Chinese chili ratings, these
are Thai-level ratings.
IMHO, a rating of one of these Thai chiles somewhat exceeds three
Chinese chili ratings.
And two Thai chiles is beyond the capability and comprehension of
nearly any Chinese
(American) kitchen - even pure Chinese chile oil is not this hot.
One is given a polite "interrogation" if one attempts to order a
three-chile dish.
CH Dinner Menu
-----------------
This was a multi-course dinner. Although there were some "milder"
appetizers, it basically
started with three-chile rated items. It then proceeded to the
four-chile rated items. These items
are not on the normal menu, and are not normally available. My
eloquence is insufficient to
describe the impact these four-chile items. -- However, about 1/3 of
the way through the dinner,
there was introduced -- for real -- a FIVE-CHILE side dish, the
Wai-Wai Fire Noodles.
At first taste, I seriously wondered "Why -- oh, Why,Why am I even
attempting to eat this!".
However, I could not stop, but could only nibble some from time-to-time.
By the end of the
dinner, I did manage to consume almost all.
Now, some of you out there might think I am exaggerating, but those of
you who know me are
aware that, well, I can tend a bit to the extreme. If anyone who was at
one of these dinners is
tuned in, please do chime in.
AndyB
phirsch@nypl.org wrote:
>> From today's NY Times:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/world/europe/04briefs-chili.html
> Britain: Spicy and Terror-Inducing
>
> By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
> Published: October 4, 2007
>
> A Thai restaurant cooking up a big pot of bird’s eye chili brought road
> closures and evacuations in the Soho area of London after passers-by
> complained that a noxious chemical was burning their throats and the
London
> Fire Brigade sent a chemical response team, a police spokesman said.
> Firefighters closed off roads, sealed buildings and donned special
> breathing masks to ferret out the source of the acrid smell, The Times of
> London reported. Smashing down the door of the suspected source — the
> restaurant — they emerged carrying a pot containing about nine pounds of
> bird’s eye chilies that had been left roasting. The restaurant owner said
> it was for a batch of nam prik pao, a Thai chili paste. There were no
> arrests. “As far as I’m aware, it’s not a criminal offense to cook very
> strong chili,” the police spokesman said.
>
>
> Peter Hirsch
> (immoderate lurker)
>