Fourteen high school students in Tokyo were admitted to hospital after eating “super spicy” potato crisps, police said.
Around 30 students ate the fiery snacks after one of them brought them to school on Tuesday, Japanese local media reported.
Soon, some of them started complaining of nausea and acute pain around their mouth, prompting emergency calls to the fire department and police.
The 13 girls and one boy who were taken to hospital were conscious and reportedly had minor symptoms.
The company that makes the snack, Isoyama Corp, put out a statement, apologising for “any inconvenience” to customers, and wished the students a swift recovery.
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The company website is full of warnings for those who may wish to try the crisps.
It “forbids” those under 18, external from consuming the crisps which are called “R 18+ curry chips”, because of how spicy they are - and it warns even those who love hot food to “eat with caution”. The crisps are “so spicy that they may cause you pain”, it says.
The spiciness comes from the potent “ghost pepper”, cultivated in northeastern India, where it’s known as bhut jolokia. Although it is used in recipes in India and elsewhere, it’s known to be among the world’s hottest chillis.
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The Japanese firm, in fact, advises people not to "eat the chips when they are alone” and says they could cause diarrhoea if eaten “excessively”.
Those with high blood pressure and weak stomachs “are absolutely prohibited” from eating the crisps, according to the company’s website. It warns people who have cuts on their fingers to be careful while opening the packets.
Those who are “timid or too scared” are also discouraged from trying the snack.
Is it really even “food” at that point? It sounds like something specifically made for people to dare each other to eat it and make YouTube videos lol if it’s that spicy maybe you should have to show ID to get it?
It’s also culture dependent. Japanese don’t really have spicy foods in their cuisine, so on average they don’t have much tolerance to it. As compared to other countries where it might be considered on the high end but not debilitatingly so
Yeah, the hottest japanese curry roux blocks I’ve been able to find stateside barely register as mild from a Thai or Indian curry perspective
My brother is constantly after hotter spices. He sees it as some sort of challenge.
I used to do that when I was in my 20s! I eventually got to the point where I could handle foods so spicy the kitchen staff would come out to see if I would actually eat it or not lol sadly my stomach could not keep up and I eventually had quit before I got an ulcer