The Chili Soup Challenge!

the first challenge the #8

Me and Gus with #8

Ed with #8

A few weeks ago I got a text from a friend saying "Ed and I are thinking of going to the spicy noodle place in Causeway Bay for a number 9, you keen for a rematch? Also Ed says hiccups are acceptable in a chili eating competition!" It all started the other night after way to many drinks we were at a friends apartment and all he had to eat was saltine crackers, chili paste and wine! So the chili challenges started... how much chili paste can you eat on a cracker? After a large spoonful Gus got the hiccups and I said he lost the competition. So I met Ed and Gus in Causeway bay and we went in to the restaurant. We tried to order a number 9 bowl of soup, there are 9 levels of hottness of soup at this Szechwan restaurant. The waitress actually said NO to us, another patron who translated for us (the waitress only spoke cantonese) said that she was afraid we would waste the food. So after some persuasion we convinced her to give us a number 8! I ordered mine with pork belly and tofu. They don't serve beer so we got 3 Tsing Tao beers at 7-11 to drink with the soup, hopefully making it a little easier to eat. Words cannot describe how hot this soup was! painful frikin hot, numbness, Gus was sweating, Ed turned red!
The waitresses were standing around looking at us shaking their heads, they seemed to be very concerned about me and wanted me to stop eating the soup! We were talking about giving up half way through, but only if everyone would agree, but suddenly Ed was almost finished and I knew that I could not give up. I am just a little competitive... I picked up my bowl of soup and drank it, it was soooo hot! But I ended up powering through and finishing 2nd with Gus finishing a few seconds later! We sat there in shock for a few minutes and recovered from the soup, you actually feel alright a few minutes after, until the next day...not saying anymore on that point. After leaving the restaurant we decided we needed icecream and a foot massage. By the time we reached the foot massage place we were discussing the #9, "we should have done it, it can't be much worse".  Soooooo a week or so later... Our friends were in Hong Kong sailing and after going on about it to Sophie she decided that Ellis and her had to try the #9 before they left Hong Kong.

getting ready for the #9 

When the day finally came to do the #9, I have to say I did not want to do it! Ed and I were sending each other messages trying to make a plan to order everyone else the #9 and ordering ourselves a #6. But the colour would have been wrong the more chili the soup gets more red. I thought about adding food colouring when they were not looking. Then I heard that Ed was talking to Gus about ordering me a #9 and getting #6 else for everyone else. In the end we decided that we all had to do the #9. 

Ellis suffering through the #9 soup

My #9 soup

So the day of the challenge I was pretty hungry and ended up having a huge salad at about 4, then a protein bar, and then we were all suppose to meet at 7 and everyone was late so ended up getting one of the those eggy waffle ball things and then an orange juice. So by the time everyone showed I was kinda full...We all met outside 7-11 and Sophie being on good form was already sorting out a King Robert round...ie a mickey of dodgy vodka and 3 red bulls and 6 cups. 

We wondered to the restaurant, but forgot to buy beer so Sophie and Ed went to get it. (She was last to say not it). We ordered #9, I got mine with pork belly, tofu and mushrooms. Ellis, Sophie and Jesse got theirs with chicken. Gus and Ed got beef. We also order the 3 kinds of chicken wings to go with the soup. Ok... so I thought that the #8 was hot and the #9 would not be very different! I was so wrong it was way hotter! It felt like 20 times hotter, my face went numb. Sophie touched her eye by mistake and looked like she was going to die. I started crying, we had to buy 3 packages of tissues cause everyone was sweating. Some of us looked like we might vomit... But Ellis was amazing he finished about 10 minutes before the rest of us. Suddenly he got up and walked outside, we thought he was going to vomit. But as it turned out he went searching for the next King Robert round but failed all 3 7-11 in close vicinity were out of King Robert...crazyness Next to finish was Ed followed by Angus then Sophie then Jesse and last me (I was really full already!) I didn't think I was going to make it through the bowl. I am pretty happy I finished the bowl and at least I know I will never have to try it again I look forward to going back next time and ordering a normal bowl like everyone else in the restaurant! The 2 times we went know one else had ordered at 8 or 9, crazy gweilos! oh I have a video but going to have to figure out how to edit it first. 

#9 challenge completed! Jesse, Ellis, Gus, Me, Ed and Sophie