RECALLED Ramen: Too Spicy
7Denmark says our beloved ramen is so spicy it can cause “acute poisoning”:
“Three Samyang Foods noodle products were assessed to have dangerous levels of capsaicin, the active component of chilli peppers, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said in a statement on Tuesday.”
It also suggests Samyang Foods’ is a meme stock due to Ramen shortage… Sounds like maybe they’re counting on the Sriracha model 
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I cannot imagine 3X spicy. The regular Buldak ramen is already extremely spicy for the average person.
@lengthynewt That spicy chicken curry Buldak was close to the limit of my tolerance, and over the limit of my preference zone.
@lengthynewt @werehatrack I love it. You can always use less of the sauce packets
@nostromo_ Yeah, that’s what I’ve been resorting to just to finish the package. I only just started liking spicy food a couple years ago. It’s become the bane of my existence how “spicy” can mean anything from no heat whatsoever to hotter than the sun.
@lengthynewt @nostromo_ @werehatrack
I tried that but then they’re kind of flavorless.
@lengthynewt @werehatrack The Curry ones are fantastic… As soon as you drop the noods in the water, crack an egg in. Follow the drain and sautee directions and the egg ends up cutting the spice a bit
@lengthynewt Meh has sold the 3x spicy ones in the past. They are no joke hot, like borderline too hot for me. The flavor was actually pretty good though, but I stick to the 1x spicy ones instead now.
On the other hand, in the realm of very hot sauces they were nowhere near the top. Regular ramen with a few drops of The Bomb is hotter.
@lengthynewt @nostromo_ I can’t bear spicy food. When I ask in a restaurant if something is spicy and the server says not really, I know it’s still too spicy for me. I’ve given up saying I want a dish mild and now say not spicy at all.
That “one chip challenge” did kill a kid.
@blaineg his enlarged heart and myocardial bridging probably didn’t help, and there’s no way to actually pin his death on the chip. I’m not saying the chip didn’t contribute, but it was definitely not the only cause. I’ll assume he also received the vaccine that shall not be named, which has been linked to the increase in cases of myocarditis and pericarditis, particularly among adolescent and young adult males. I guess my point is the chip hasn’t actually killed anyone who didn’t have a pre-existing heart defect or two. You’re more likely to die by choking on a standard tortilla chip.
Wait, there’s a meme stock going on, and a ramen shortage?
Why does nobody tell me these things? I could be cashing in somehow, somewhere!
(I do see that
003230.KS“Samyang Foods Co., Ltd.” stock price has roughly doubled in the last 1-2 months. If someone had told me this was going to happen, I could’ve tried to make money on a foreign stock exchange … because my taxes were probably too boring on my own. And because gambling on individual stocks never goes wrong.)Wait, I just realized that report was from “the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration” — do they know something we don’t? Our food administration is connected with drugs, but the Danish put it with their pets/animals/veterinarians?
I’m intrigued. Almost enough to research it. But I’m also lazy, and should probably quit procrastinating my work.
@xobzoo Well, this only addresses half of your question, but Wikipedia says that the FDA’s purview includes “animal foods & feed and veterinary products.” I don’t know if the Danish one also covers drugs, though.
@agnesnutter @xobzoo Do they cover Danishes? I think it would be awesome to tell people you work for the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Office of Breakfast Pastries, Danish Division. “Yes, yes, I am in charge of the Golden Sultanas. It’s tough, but rewarding work. There’s much more to them than just ordinary raisins. In the administration our colleagues call us D-squared, or sometimes Double D”
OWLS! TOWELS! JOWLS! AWESOME!
I saw them in Costco while reading this story
And this is why I don’t eat spicy foods. LOL
Sounds like a dare
I’ll make a stop at my local Chinese/Korean grocer this week, show them (the Danes) who’s boss
I think the danger is in the Dare:… the ways that kids have killed them selves all over the world is because of a toxic social media interference.
You wouldn’t give this level of spicy
to a baby and I’m sure all of us have a Ghost 
Pepper type horror story that felt like dying ( I mean if you have enough grey hairs)
Anyways, I saw this story too and noted it was from the animal industry of Denmark but imagine it’s coming out the State of New York… or Massachusetts… if enough physicians agree they actually have a “say” in their government.
And I’m not advocating for any kind of political system btw, just putting it into scale… I live in Florida and Polk County is bigger than the State of Rhode Island…
@shells There are counties in some western states that are bigger than Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. And Dade County is also bigger than Rhode Island, and has a larger population.
@shells @werehatrack Bigger than Rhode Island isn’t really an impressive benchmark.
Unless maybe you’re talking about a sandwich, or pizza.
I like to double or triple up on Bulak 3X packets leaving the orphaned noods to their fate. Using minimal water for the cook, I add a couple of finely chopped Carolina Reapers and a double handful of Sichuan peppercorns.
Makes a memorable meal, let me tell you, or it would if I could remember anything beyond the first couple of spoonfuls.
I should get out of the ICU in a few more days. My gastroenterologist says, I am likely to recover once my liver stops quivering. My proctologist isn’t so sure.
@Jackinga
If you say so …
@Jackinga There seems to be some disagreement about the exact LD50 value for capsaicin, but one reputable source puts it as 47mg/kg via the oral route, measured in mice. YDMV. If you have spent the last several years building up a tolerance to capsaicin powder, of course, you may have a chance of beating a Sicilian in a pepper-eating battle to the death.
@Jackinga @werehatrack Just beware going up against Thais or Koreans, or people from some parts of India.
@Jackinga @werehatrack
Is there a standard size for mice?
@blaineg @werehatrack Funny you should ask. Lab mice are a highly inbred strain labeled 57BL/6, which are all genetically mostly identical. Their size depends on the age of the individual mouse.
Males are slightly heavier than females of the same age.
And then there are feeder mice, which one can purchase frozen as food for reptiles, etc. They are roughly classified by weight.
Well, YUM! Pass the sauce!
So any mice that didn’t survive the 50% kill rate for the lethal dose (LD50) of capsaicin would presumably already be sufficiently seasoned.
Well, DOUBLE YUM!
And hold the sauce!!
@Jackinga @werehatrack I shoulda known!
I was being a bit over the top in my sarcasm regarding my chili capacity and eating habits, of course. I grew up eating hot as did my father and his father before him and as does my son today.
Truth is I am indeed a recovering chili-head.
About 30 or so years ago, I had a Indian co-worker, let’s call her Dr. Asha Patel, with whom I occasionally sat with in the company cafeteria along with others. I had a reputation for eating spicy foods including black pepper and chilis. I didn’t do it for show or to elicit comment, but rather because I happened to really like them.
I had just gotten back from a business trip to Monterrey, Mexico, where I had met with some executives from Pemex, the Mexican Oil conglomerate. One of those folks gave me a small jar of a pickled pepper, which he and his wife had gathered in the wild in the deserts outside of town. It was, to put it mildly, and exceptionally hot pickle. I loved it.
As I was telling the story that fateful day, I was wolfing down something or another to which I was adding copious quantities of hot sauce – some sauce drenched on each and every bite.
So Asha on hearing this story at the lunch table said that she too had just made a batch of pickled peppers and offered to bring me a jar. I gladly accepted the offer.
A few days later…
Little did I know that this was the beginning of the end of my chili eating days.
Asha presented me with her jar of pickled peppers at the lunch table. I opened the jar and sampled a few. Not bad. I had had hotter.
So I proceeded over the next few minutes to eat about 3/4’s of that pint jar. I suffered the consequences many hours later.
And, kids, ever since I developed a severe lower GI allergy to green chili peppers. On eating just one in a few hours I will be in agony as my lower GI tract cramps and generally raises hell.
I tolerate hot red sauces and copious quantities of black pepper, which I buy by the pound, OK. I tolerate green bell peppers OK. I cannot eat a jalapeno without paying a severe price, not even when cooked as a popper.
I can sometimes get away with eating a poblano, if it has no heat at all. A favorite breakfast used to be eggs steamed inside a poblano with cheeses, ham and cilantro, huevos Ranchero French style, a’ la Jacques Pepin, but it is like playing Russian roulette with pepper instead of bullets, for me.
I cannot lay the blame fully on capsacin, for I tolerate most red sauces without issue. There is probably some other alkaloid or possible terpeneoid associated with spicy green chilis to which I am allergic.
Call it the Revenge of Chantico, the Aztec goddess of fire, if you like, but I must sadly call it “nevermore.”
@Jackinga Wow. That’s kind of sad!
@Jackinga @Kyeh Peter Jackinga ate a peck of pickled peppers…
But yeah, impressive but sad.
A much less impressive story, I discovered some years ago that I must have some sort of allergy to the Vietnamese cilantro used in our local Pho restaurants. Regular cilantro is fine. But there’s a certain dish (forgot the name offhand) rich in Vietnamese cilantro that is delicious to me. But half an hour later I will be doubled over in the fetal position, with intense cramps, nausea and fever, wishing my life would end, until it makes it out the other side.
We have some very close Vietnamese friends who make sure they only put regular cilantro in their dishes when we go over for dinner. No reaction at all, except that I am stuffed when we leave because it tastes so good.
Life is a mystery.
@Jackinga @Kyeh @mehcuda67 I had no idea that Vietnamese cilantro was different.
@Kyeh @mehcuda67 I think you are describing ngò gai (Vietnamese) for culantro, Eryngium foetidum, which I love in pho along with as much cilantro as they will give me, and that I can cram in.
I buy culantro from time to time at a local Korean Farmer’s Market that has an exceptionally wide and varied green grocery. It has a stronger flavor that is similar to cilantro, although it is an entirely different plant species.
If you read the Wikipedia link on Eryngium foetidum above, you will learn that culantro is used as a phyto medicine for various ailments and has anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, and myriad other anti-properties. It does contain tannins and saponins along with some specific compounds such as Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid (CGA) [both hydroxy-cinnamic acid derivatives], and kaempferol, a phenolic flavenoid, along with other phyto-chemical bits. Perhaps it is one of these or as yet some undisclosed other component to which you react.
Culantro is a perennial and I am just thinking of planting some in a deck box, if I can find a reliable seed source.
We buy cilantro in multiple bunches from the Korean Farmer’s Market (usually 5 or 6 bunches for ~$2), bring it home, wash it, trim off the stem tips, and place the bunches in a large jar, to which I add carbonated water, and place a plastic grocery bag with a paper towel on top over the whole container to keep the humidity as constant as practical. In this way I can keep cilantro for a week or more, if I change the water regularly. **
I had planted several window boxes of cilantro this year, but it isn’t doing well as the boxes are too near a bird feeder and get run over constantly by squirrels looking for seeds. I am wondering if culantro growing would be a better bet.
Let me say that I feel for you and your allergy to culantro, for I know how miserable green chilis can make me feel. I think you described the symptoms all too well.
I loved the Jackinga ate a peck of pickled peppers… line. I wish I had been clever enough to think of it. So I extended it a wee bit:
Jackinga partook of a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Jackinga partook;
If Jackinga pigged out on a peck of pickled peppers,
Why the heck is Jackinga in painful pangs and paroxysms produced by the peck of pickled peppers Jackinga polished off?
**This reminds me of a recent Meh offer for that food sterilizer gadget which uses UV and O3 to make electrooxidative (EO) water.
I got one and intend to see if it will extend the life of cilantro, if it is pretreated with the EO water after washing and before storage as described above.
I also intend to see if washing and EO water treatment and sealing in a vacuum chamber bag would make a better way to store cilantro for longer periods.
Culantro is a bit more robust than cilantro, on storage, so maybe that would be an all around better way to go, eh?
@Jackinga @mehcuda67 Wikipedia says
So I would hate it even more!
@Jackinga @Kyeh @mehcuda67 It would be interesting to see if it triggers the same receptors in those who find any trace of cilantro revoltingly soaplike. (I’m not one, so I can’t tell.)
@Kyeh @mehcuda67 @werehatrack There is some good evidence that aversion and dislike of cilantro owes in part to genetic modifications in the OR6A2 gene on Chromosome 11. The gene affects the olfactory senses as well as other things.
That coupled with the fact that OR6A2 notwithstanding, there are some who just don’t care for that particular taste/odor. Unlike me, there are people who have especially sensitive and discriminating senses of taste and smell. And if you happen to fall into or near this class and if you hate cilantro, then you REALLY HATE cilantro.
Cilantro flavor is most pronounced in the roots then the stems and finally the leaves. All of this plant including the seed is edible, btw, and though we don’t usually get or eat the roots of purchased cilantro, it has been used in cooking since prehistoric times. There is evidence of cilantro being used in Egyptian bread as well as more recently in Belgium beers (mostly as the seeds there, viz., corriander).
Cilantro oil contains primarily 2-decenal (a 10 carbon linear, unsaturated aldehyde) and some 2-dodecenal (a 12-carbon linear, unsaturated aldehyde).
These two moieties are most likely the main offenders for the cilantro-hating set.
The citrusy odor/flavor is owing to a terpenoid moiety called linalool (sweet, tropical accented, complex odor and flavor: spicy wood, lavender-like, bergamot oil (bergamot oranges) and is used as an odorant in soaps, detergents, shampoos, and lotions.) A related compound pinene is also present all be it in smaller quantities.
linalool
@Kyeh @mehcuda67 @werehatrack @Kyeh @mehcuda67 @werehatrack
My first writing of this timed out before I could finish my composition and editing. Now I can’t delete that partial reply above.
Here’s what I meant to post.
There is some good evidence that aversion and dislike of cilantro owes in part to genetic mutations in the OR6A2 gene on Chromosome 11. The gene affects the olfactory senses as well as other things.
That coupled with the fact that OR6A2, notwithstanding, there are some who just don’t care for that particular taste/odor. Unlike me, there are people who have especially sensitive and discriminating senses of taste and smell. And if you happen to fall into or near this class and if you hate cilantro, then you REALLY HATE cilantro.
Cilantro flavor is most pronounced in the roots then the stems and finally the leaves. All of this plant including the seed is edible, btw, and though we don’t usually get or eat the roots of purchased cilantro, it has been used in cooking since prehistoric times. There is evidence of cilantro being used in Egyptian bread as well as more recently in Belgium beers (mostly as the seeds there, viz., coriander).
Cilantro oil contains primarily 2-decenal (a 10 carbon linear, unsaturated aldehyde) and some 2-dodecenal (a 12-carbon linear, unsaturated aldehyde).
These two moieties are most likely the main offenders for the cilantro-hating set. They are described at the 1 ppm level as: “Waxy, fatty, earthy, coriander, mushroom, green with a pork fat nuance”
The citrusy odor/flavor is owing to a terpenoid moiety called linalool (sweet, tropical accented, complex odor and flavor: spicy wood, lavender-like, bergamot oil (bergamot oranges) and is used as an odorant in soaps, detergents, shampoos, and lotions.) A related compound, pinene, is also present in smaller quantities.
@Jackinga @mehcuda67 @werehatrack I do hate cilantro, although I don’t mind coriander as a seasoning, in baked goods, especially. But interesting that bergamot is in that family, because I don’t love it either.
Ramen storage rack. Formerly a CD rack.
@blaineg Brilliant!
@blaineg I like how it’s going above capacity.
@pakopako I hadn’t notice that.
i didn’t even know there was a 3x one. now i need to eat it. i love the 2x stir fry ones.
i wish they used thai chilis or etc instead of basically pepper spray, but they’re still damn good.
@axemurderer Have you seen the review of pepper spray as a condiment?
Even if it’s a fabrication, it’s funny.
@axemurderer @blaineg this one?
@axemurderer @djslack That’s the one.
Also:
@blaineg today I learned that laughter makes pressing coffee much more difficult. I would like to not have to learn that again.
@djslack From Reddit: