A lawsuit by a San Jose doctor claiming the Dragon Balls appetizer at a Los Gatos Thai restaurant was so spicy it burned her internally is set to go before a jury next year.
Harjasleen Walia sued Coup de Thai in July last year in Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleging the dish scorched her vocal cords, esophagus and the inside of her right nostril.
-JD
I love good Thai food. Might have to drive to San Jose and try this place. She needs some Carolina Reaper therapy.
ReplyDeleteThrow in some Scorpion Tail for a finish.
DeleteWait a minute... The inside of her right nostril?
ReplyDeleteAfter the first jolt of pain she probably snorted some up in there.
DeleteI am sure it had one of those little pepper symbols next to the dish. So she was fore-warned.
ReplyDeleteI worked with a couple of guys who, when we went to a Thai place for lunch, would ask for "extra spicy". The waiter would ask the round eyes if they really knew what they were asking for. These two guys were constantly talking about some new pepper or sauce they had discovered, looking for the hottest. I stopped at eating one of those little black peppers in Kung Pau Chicken - once.
ReplyDeleteI used to work close to a Thai restaurant. I would go in every now and then and order the Green Curry xtra hot. I'd take it home and I'd know it was good batch when I opened it up if my eyes started tearing up.
ReplyDeleteExactly
DeleteJD
Burned her tender, petit nose? Them dragon balls must be some bad-ass shit since a photo reveals her schnoz is as big as a C-17
ReplyDeleteAnd only one nostril. Either that other nostril is one tough mofo or she's making all this up.
DeleteUsed to frequent another Bay Area Thai restaurant. First time there I ordered the red curry.
ReplyDelete"How hot you want?"
"What's the scale?"
"1-5."
"Make it a 4."
"No. You white boy. 3 for you. Next time maybe hotter."
"OK."
Three was plenty hot!
Those sound delicious, I have had food that was too spicy for me, I just stopped eating it. Problem solved.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, the company sent me to Milwaukee to oversee a vendor. We went for lunch to a recommended Thai place called “The King and I.” They had a dish called volcano chicken, and you could order it #1, 2, 3 or 4 spicy. The Chinese engineer with us who told us he was used to hot food said that #3 was all he could tolerate. I ordered #2, and it was about as spicy as I could tolerate. I made the mistake of asking the waiter if he had a spoonful of #4 to try. One little nibble felt as if I were pepper sprayed.
ReplyDeleteLike most other fruits, peppers are slightly acidic (with a few exceptions like Cayenne). But even 100% pure capsaicin doesn't cause physical burns or tissue damage. A common lemon is much more acidic than any pepper. That's exactly why capsaicin is used in pepper sprays. It causes the sensation of burning and heat even though it's not reacting chemically with your skin or eyes. The active ingredient is relatively inert.
ReplyDeleteThis woman and her witness should know this since medical doctors are all basically specialized organic chemists.
My take? This legal suit seems beneath any physician I'd trust. This woman and her witness doctor-friend are either petty scam artists or she has a grudge. I'm leaning towards the latter. And $35K? The money involved is petty cash to a medical doctor with a successful private practice. Either excuse makes me doubt their credentials. If Dr. Walia and her "expert witness" have nothing more to offer than "Oh, it hurt me bad!" along with "I agree and here's some photos of gross things", then they're frauds. I say they pay libel damages to the chef and then the State pulls both their medical licenses for being petty idiots.
Thai “bird’s eye” chili peppers are on the hot side. In my opinion, they're a little too hot to eat by themselves. I like very spicy wings, but not so hot that the meat's flavor is masked. So I generally don't care for Thai chilis, habeneros, and anything higher on the Scoville scale than about 50K. They're all good peppers, but they can be easily overused. That said, I was pleasantly surprised when I tried "Blair's MegaDeath Sauce with Liquid Rage". Very tasty stuff. But also very hot. Highly recommended! Unless you're a "Headache Doctor" with a fake DEI-degree from NYU.
My latest favorite is "Shit The Bed" sauce from those crazy guys Down Under. Very tasty, very spicy.
ReplyDeleteAnother Micky D's Hot coffee lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to be on that jury. Sadly, for civil suits I understand it’s just a majority for a decision. IANAL.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter(5'10" and 120lbs) worked in a Thai restaurant for a while. They started calling her by a Thai nickname she didn't understand but noticed they mostly used it when they asked her to get something off a high shelf. She finally got them to admit they were calling her "step ladder"
ReplyDeleteNot quite the same as Thai, but I checked out the new Indian (dot) restaurant next door to my favoritebar and grill. Ordered Masula Curry Chicken, range 1 -3, I went with 2 and it was plenty spicy.
ReplyDeleteAnd Henry Lee, I did the same thing when I was younger, loved peppers and hot stuff, but those Thai peppers in Kung Pau Chicken or other are not for eating.