On Tue, 12 May 2009 15:29:44 -0400, Warp wrote:

> Since Andrew hasn't done this in a long while, I'll do it myself:
> 
> 1) How many habanero chilis can an adult man eat without dying?

1 less than the lethal amount.

> 2) What's the difference between New York and York? What's the
> difference between New Jersey and Jersey?

In both cases, one is newer than the other.

> 3) What's wrong with couch potatoes?

They're uncomfortable to sit on.

> 4) Why is it called a "drive-through" even though you are supposed to
> stop?

You're supposed to stop?!

Jim

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On Tue, 12 May 2009 21:24:41 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

> On the other hand, last weekend I ate a pizza with some chillis on it.
> 
> First my throat was burning. Then my mouth was burning and my nose
> started to run. Then my *lips* started burning and my eyes were
> streaming. And by the time I finished the thing, my *stomach* felt numb!
> O_O
> 
> An entire TWO HOURS later, my lips, mouth, throat and stomach were still
> numb.
> 
> And to think Shelly asks for them to replace the chillis with jalipenos!
> Crazy woman!!

I've got some lovely habanero cheese here. :-)

Spicy food is something you have to build up a resistance to - takes 
time.  Jalapenos aren't that hot, come to think I haven't had them on 
pizza in a while (makes note to self).

Jim

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Anaheim chilles, along with serrano and cayenne are probably my 
favourites to use in cooking (especially with chili).

Jalapeno is what I'll use if there's nothing stronger available.  Good on 
sandwiches from Subway.

Jim

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On Tue, 12 May 2009 16:25:21 -0400, Warp wrote:

>   But I understand that if you get an overdose of capsaicin, you could
>   get
> severe respiratory problems from the shock, among other symptoms. Not
> that the capsaicin itself would cause the respiratory problems, but how
> it affects pain receptors.

Capsaicin is a toxin and not just an anesthetic - too much without a 
tolerance can cause severe problems and can in fact be lethal.

Handling of pure capsaicin requires the use of hazardous materials 
protection gear.

Lethal doses of pure capsaicin that I've read about are about 47 mg per 
kg of the victim.

Jim

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Jim Henderson wrote:
> I've got some lovely habanero cheese here. :-)

That somehow sounds delicious, but I normally don't like the taste of 
habaneros at all (but find jalapenos generally fantastic).  One 
exception was a friend's salsa which was 4/5 onion and 1/5 habanero -- I 
have no idea why it tasted so good (there were probably some 
preparation/ingredients I missed).

No liking habaneros, I do find it useful to keep a bottle of really hot 
sauce around so I can add it to foods in drop-sized amounts and heat 
them up without changing their flavor too much.

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Jim Henderson wrote:
> Lethal doses of pure capsaicin that I've read about are about 47 mg per 
> kg of the victim.

So we're talking like a half-teaspoon of capsaicin here?  That would 
indeed be a scary amount.

Offhand, so you know what causes it to be toxic?  I was only aware of it 
binding to hear/pain receptors and I don't see how this would cause a 
problem except from the body's reaction to it.  Or perhaps it's just the 
case that at some level that reaction generally becomes fatal?

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Kevin Wampler wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Lethal doses of pure capsaicin that I've read about are about 47 mg per
>> kg of the victim.
> 
> So we're talking like a half-teaspoon of capsaicin here?  That would
> indeed be a scary amount.
> 
> Offhand, so you know what causes it to be toxic?  I was only aware of it
> binding to hear/pain receptors and I don't see how this would cause a
> problem except from the body's reaction to it.  Or perhaps it's just the
> case that at some level that reaction generally becomes fatal?

"The large amount needed to kill an adult human and the low concentration of
capsaicin in chilies make the risk of accidental poisoning by chili
consumption negligible." -- Wikipedia

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Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 12 May 2009 15:29:44 -0400, Warp wrote:
> 
>> Since Andrew hasn't done this in a long while, I'll do it myself:
>> 
>> 1) How many habanero chilis can an adult man eat without dying?
> 
> 1 less than the lethal amount.
> 
>> 2) What's the difference between New York and York? What's the
>> difference between New Jersey and Jersey?
> 
> In both cases, one is newer than the other.
> 
>> 3) What's wrong with couch potatoes?
> 
> They're uncomfortable to sit on.
> 
>> 4) Why is it called a "drive-through" even though you are supposed to
>> stop?
> 
> You're supposed to stop?!
> 
> Jim

Heh, two posts in a row in smartbutt mode today? ;)

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>> 1) How many habanero chilis can an adult man eat without dying?
> 
> 1 less than the lethal amount.

WIN!

>> 4) Why is it called a "drive-through" even though you are supposed to
>> stop?
> 
> You're supposed to stop?!

Is this why "drive-by killings" happen?

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Kevin Wampler wrote:

> Offhand, so you know what causes it to be toxic?  I was only aware of it 
> binding to hear/pain receptors and I don't see how this would cause a 
> problem except from the body's reaction to it.  Or perhaps it's just the 
> case that at some level that reaction generally becomes fatal?

What, a neurotoxin isn't leathal? ;-)

Wikipedia claims that severe exposure can cause things such as breathing 
difficulty. It's not hard to imagine how if you get too much of this 
stuff into you, your airways could become so inflamed that you cannot 
actually breathe. This is probably fatal.

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