# A Friend Has Challenged Me To Eat A Raw Carolina Reaper - Surely I Can Game This And Do It Safely? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216 "2018-10-19T16:17:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/81 "2018-10-22T04:50:10Z")
I simply would not do this. Real pain for a virtual item? If he wants you to suffer to get this virtual item, and sees you dousing this in KY or whatever, he’s gonna be like a genie and screw you over so what you wished for is meaningless. The jokes gonna be on you. I would do this for nothing less than cold hard real cash. A lot of it. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/82 "2018-10-22T05:02:53Z")
I may be accused of contrarianism - I don’t mind. Peppers this hot have no food-related reason to exist. No food, past present or future, is better with these than with more “ordinary” hot peppers. They are purely an amusing game for plant breeders, similar to giant pumpkins, or to carrots that look like Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/83 "2018-10-22T11:22:41Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > One other thing about being around hot peppers: The oil in them will stick to your skin. You may feel a mild sensation in your fingertips, but those nerves are very hearty. If you rub your capsaicin-tainted fingers on a more sensitive area, that area may feel a lot of pain. The capsaicin is typically concentrated around the seeds, so be extra cautious when handling those. Wear gloves and be very careful. If you accidentally touch your eyes or nose, you may experience a lot of tearing, mucus production, coughing, and sneezing. FWIW, the capsaicin-containing “danger juice” is secreted by the placental tissues in the fruit; the light-colored ribs that the seeds are attached to. Some people have the misconception that the heat is all in the seed, but only because some of the capsaicin is deposited on them from the ribs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/84 "2018-10-22T17:05:42Z")
Super-hot peppers do in fact have a legitimate food use: You can turn them into a sauce or a powder, and spice a dish using a very small amount of it. This is especially useful if you don’t want the actual flavor of pepper in the dish, just a moderate amount of heat (however much counts as “moderate” for your taste). About three years ago, my mom accidentally grew some habaneros in her garden (not as hot as Carolina Reapers, but the same order of magnitude). I dried and powdered them, and have been giving about one shake per serving in dishes I like spicy. I’m still on that original batch. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/85 "2018-10-22T17:19:13Z")
sugar…pure raw sugar, after ingestion. seen it, it works. Dairy, not so much. My cite is from watching MANY “HOTTEST FOOD CHALLENGES”. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/86 "2018-10-22T20:21:14Z")
While the pepper causes no direct physical damage, the consequences of the pain you are experiencing can cause damage in rare circumstances. Inflammation, seizures, trouble breathing. My recommendation is to get a habanero pepper, and, using a fork (so you don’t touch the pepper than your eyes) put it in your mouth and chew it for a full minute before spitting it out. This will give you and idea of what you are in for. It will pass relatively quickly. You will inevitably ingest a little. Consider it training before you actually commit your whole digestive system to the enterprise. If you are ok, than the next day repeat the whole thing, but this time swallow it. If you have no severe consequences, you may be ok for a reaper. Knowing what you are in for, developing both experience and a tolerance is a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/87 "2018-10-22T21:26:59Z")
> [@mistymage](#): > > We grow Ghost Peppers because, unlike Habaneros (yucky tasting) and Jalapenos (not enough heat), we like the taste and the heat. We dry and powder them to preserve them plus make salsa and hot sauce. Turning them to powder involves my dehydrators set up outside because otherwise the teargas effect can really hurt you. > > I put a sprinkle of the various colors (GP comes in various colors, heat and taste) into just about anything we eat. I accidentally made a pasta dish using GP salsa (instead of just salsa) and boy did it have a Bite but… the whole big bowl got ate. > > It burns your mouth for a second or 3 but I have not noticed it affecting my throat, tummy or other nether regions later unlike what too many Jalapenos or Pepperocini can do. > > A month ago hubby’s BFF challenged Middle Child to eat a GP fresh off the plant and he ate one, too. They both threw up less than a half hour later 😃 I forgot to add in my post that the Reaper and Ghost pepper are definitely a better tasting peppers than the Habanero by a long shot. The Reaper had a beautiful sweet fruity back hit that I quite enjoyed and Mrs.Renfro’s makes a mighty fine ghost pepper salsa. For those of you poo-pooing the “legitimacy” of these peppers; just because you may not like the heat don’t assume no one else does. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/88 "2018-10-22T22:31:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > About three years ago, my mom accidentally grew some habaneros in her garden (not as hot as Carolina Reapers, but the same order of magnitude). I dried and powdered them, and have been giving about one shake per serving in dishes I like spicy. I’m still on that original batch. Habaneros are great just straight-up as salsa. My favorite Mexican restaurant (specializing in Yucatecan food) served a sauce/salsa that was just roasted habaneros, bitter orange juice, garlic, and salt, and it was fantastic. They also had a pico de gallo type of thing with habaneros and bitter orange instead of jalapenos/serranos and lime juice, and the stuff was absolutely addictive, too. I’m surprised by the poo-pooing of habaneros here. I think they are delicious peppers, and I actually like them more than ghosts (even though I grew ghosts this year instead of habs. Ghosts have this bitter edge to them that I don’t really like.) Scorps and reapers, though, it’s close. Of that style, fataliis are my absolute favorite, but I’ve had to grow them from seed, as nobody seems to stock them around here, so I only grew them a couple of years when I had that kind of patience and attention to detail. Those are fantastic fricking peppers! But of all the ones I’ve ever grown, I was actually most impressed by the chocolate Trinidad scorpions, and that’s one of those stupid 1M+ Scoville peppers. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/89 "2018-10-23T14:13:02Z")
I never tried that many Scoville at once, but if I had to, I would try to get a powerful analgesic or local anesthesic well spread over my mouth beforehand. Go to your dentist for advice: you will not be able to talk for two hours, but the pain should be bearable. Cocaine might also be an option, though it tastes bitter. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/90 "2018-10-23T14:37:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m surprised by the poo-pooing of habaneros here. I think they are delicious peppers, and I actually like them more than ghosts (even though I grew ghosts this year instead of habs. Ghosts have this bitter edge to them that I don’t really like.) Scorps and reapers, though, it’s close. Of that style, fataliis are my absolute favorite, but I’ve had to grow them from seed, as nobody seems to stock them around here, so I only grew them a couple of years when I had that kind of patience and attention to detail. Those are fantastic fricking peppers! But of all the ones I’ve ever grown, I was actually most impressed by the chocolate Trinidad scorpions, and that’s one of those stupid 1M+ Scoville peppers. honestly I’m past the whole “use as hot a pepper as possible” phase. anything habanero like and hotter is just so damn hot that the dish is borderline inedible long before the subtle differences in flavor become apparent. plus, it seems like the hotter a cultivar is bred to be, the more fragile the plant becomes. I can start jalapeno plants from seed in March, and they’ll be fruiting by June. Cayennes not much later. Habanero plants will just sit there dropping flowers on the ground until late August, then I’m buried in the things. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/91 "2018-10-23T14:49:15Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Why do people grow these things? Sounds like they’re just too hot to use in cooking. People can and do become inured to the heat. I have a friend who truly loves ghost peppers, and anything less to him barely registers. Back in third grade he got in trouble for giving a classmate a pepper from his lunch. The kid was crying for an hour. I had to testify to the principal that the kid had begged shamelessly for a bite, and insisted that he liked them. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/92 "2018-10-23T15:33:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Habaneros are great just straight-up as salsa. My favorite Mexican restaurant (specializing in Yucatecan food) served a sauce/salsa that was just roasted habaneros, bitter orange juice, garlic, and salt, and it was fantastic. They also had a pico de gallo type of thing with habaneros and bitter orange instead of jalapenos/serranos and lime juice, and the stuff was absolutely addictive, too. > > I’m surprised by the poo-pooing of habaneros here. I think they are delicious peppers, and I actually like them more than ghosts (even though I grew ghosts this year instead of habs. I find habaneros to have kind of a woody flavor. They really need to be combined with something sweet/fruity to offset it. Renfro’s has a pretty good mango habanero salsa. They’re okay in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, too. Otherwise, I don’t much care for them. I’ve never actually tried ghost peppers, but if they have a bitter note, that would probably put me off of them regardless of the heat. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/93 "2018-10-31T03:53:51Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > While the pepper causes no direct physical damage, the consequences of the pain you are experiencing can cause damage in rare circumstances. Inflammation, seizures, **trouble breathin** g… Bolding mine. When I’m exposed to something that has a lot of capsaicin, I will sometimes start to cough as those fumes hit my bronchial tubes. I think it’s time for an update. Has the challenge taken place yet? Does HeyHomie need to be added to the “in memoriam” thread? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/94 "2018-10-31T04:25:39Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > I may be accused of contrarianism - I don’t mind. > > Peppers this hot have no food-related reason to exist. No food, past present or future, is better with these than with more “ordinary” hot peppers. They are purely an amusing game for plant breeders, similar to giant pumpkins, or to carrots that look like Jesus. FYI: Giant pumpkins aren’t grown for human consumption; while their flesh is edible, it’s stringly and spongy, and doesn’t taste good. They are grown for the seeds, and I’ve heard that ducks and chickens love the flesh, and that some people who keep poultry grow them in the pen for this very purpose. I, too have a jar of dried hot peppers that I think may have been habaneros or some other extreme hot pepper species. I paid $3 for some powder in a 4-ounce jar, and have used less than 1/4 of it in, oh, 5 or more years, and I regularly put a tiny pinch of it on pizza. I couldn’t imagine eating those peppers straight; I once grew a habanero bush, just because, and the STEMS had heat in them. I was not expecting that. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/95 "2018-10-31T04:27:30Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I never tried that many Scoville at once, but if I had to, I would try to get a powerful analgesic or local anesthesic well spread over my mouth beforehand. Go to your dentist for advice: you will not be able to talk for two hours, but the pain should be bearable. Cocaine might also be an option, though it tastes bitter. The dentist would probably advise not to do it. A local anesthetic this powerful could eliminate the gag reflex. I recently swallowed a spoonful of honey for a sore throat, and was surprised at how well that worked. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/96 "2018-10-31T04:29:14Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Bolding mine. > > When I’m exposed to something that has a lot of capsaicin, I will sometimes start to cough as those fumes hit my bronchial tubes. > > I think it’s time for an update. Has the challenge taken place yet? Does HeyHomie need to be added to the “in memoriam” thread? The first time I ever had wasabi, I ate a pea-sized piece of it because I didn’t know what it was. Let’s just say that I was very surprised at how big the nasopharyngeal cavity is. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2018, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/97 "2018-10-31T13:52:32Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Happily, 151 rum is an excellent choice. Also a big bowl of oatmeal to dilute the stuff that doesn’t break down as it moves through your system. And a few Tums chewed up and swallowed with whole milk beforehand will protect your tooth enamel from any ensuing barf. > > If you have to chew it then be ready with some cold, strong alcohol to rinse your mouth with. Rinse twice with that and gargle with whipping cream. > > Have a bucket and a stack of towels ready for the inevitable barf and drool. If your hair is long consider cutting it or at least tying it back. > > Preparation “H” is, as it says, preparatory. Use it before you need it. I bet you throw the best parties. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/98 "2018-11-01T05:42:45Z")
I knew a Stripper named “Carolina Reaper”. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/99 "2018-11-01T10:34:50Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I knew a Stripper named “Carolina Reaper”. Was she hot? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216/100 "2018-11-01T15:04:35Z")
Anyone see the picture of Carolina Reapers on Wikipedia? I swear that they are giving us humans the finger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-friend-has-challenged-me-to-eat-a-raw-carolina-reaper-surely-i-can-game-this-and-do-it-safely/823216.md?page=6)