Imagine sitting at the dinner table and your dining colleague begins sweating profusely. Their face transitions to the color of an apple. They may start banging their fist on the table and guzzling water like they just finished a 5k in the Sahara Desert.
At first glance they look like they’re about to start an oral presentation that they didn’t prepare for. But that’s not it. No, they just ate something very spicy.
Of all the innumerable compounds in food, none elicit a bodily response quite like capsaicin, the ingredient that makes chili peppers spicy. It’s a source of joy, fear, pain and desire that many eaters can’t fully understand.
Some revel in the fire, coming out of the smokestack unscathed, while others degrade into a pile of ash. It’s all because everyone has a varying degree of tolerance to capsaicin, even though we all feel spice the same way.
Capsaicin binds to never receptors (called TRPV1). These receptors alert the brain with warning signals in the same way as if our mouths were actually on fire. The result is our body trying to cool itself down, even though no physical heat is present. We start to sweat, tear up, etc.
For some, perhaps many, this sensation provokes the relase of endorphins (which aid in pain relief) and dopamine (which causes feelings of pleasure). This is why so many of us are eager to try that new sauce we saw on the latest episode of Hot Ones.
Asian cuisines are particularly fond of balancing fire with flavor, as many traditional ingredients pack the capsaicin. Ramen and noodle dishes are especially popular vehicles for fire alarm level spice.
Buba Noodle Bar in Manchester recently offered a ramen challenge for those with an inclination toward eating spicy food. It was called the Hellfire Ramen, and it featured ghost peppers, carolina reapers, scorpion pepper and fresh Thai chile. Eat the whole thing and you received a t-shirt and a $50 gift card.
At least one brave fire eater completed the task, but many more waved the white flag and likely experienced some gasto-intestinal upset in the aftermath.
The Hellfire Ramen challenge may be over, but many there are still many other ways to feel the burn at Buba. Most notably, there’s the “Angry Noodles,” a dish described as “super spicy” followed by four fire symbols. Buba’s hand-massaged noodles are served with spicy ground chicken, bok choy chili oil, soy sauce, sesame oil and lots of chopped scallions and sesame seeds.
The first step is to get yourself very hyped-up. Then, everything must be mixed together. The first several bites will be hot but bearable. You might even think that you’re spice tolerance was higher than you thought.
As you work your way through the bowl you’ll feel yourself talking longer breaks in between mouthfuls, water guzzling becomes more frequent and you start to feel hot. You dig deep into the sauciest parts of the dish and the chili oil assaults your lips. Now you’re lips are tingling, and you’re not sure how you feel about it.
You’re in a bit of pain and you’re mouth is buzzing like a worker bee but there’s no intention of stopping. The well-balanced combination of chili, umami-rich soy and nutty sesame along with well-cooked noodles pulls you in like a vortex.
Before anyone knows what happened, you’ve abandoned the chopsticks and you find yourself scraping up every last bit of flavor with a fork. Then you lean, back, peer into the completely empty bowl and pat yourself on the back.
All that’s left to do is plan your next visit.
Find Buba Noodle Bar at 36 Lowell Street in Manchester, NH. They’re open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.
References:
https://helix.northwestern.edu/blog/2014/07/your-brain-capsaicin
https://www.businessinsider.com/eating-spicy-food-capsaicin-hot-pepper-side-effects-2017-10