Sugar and Spice
I have a passionate love affair with food, but I would never take on the heavyweight eating challenges featured in this month’s Palate feature. Still, I couldn’t resist just a taste. So, while interviewing Buffalo Wild Wings Market Street manager Brandy Whisler about the Blazin’ Wing Challenge, I decided to see what the fuss was all about.
Fifteen minutes later, my lips still tingled, but my mouth had gone numb. In the place of that fire, a dull headache had set in.
So what did I do? The next day, I went to The Flaming Rooster to try their “Oh Hale Naw!” dry rub challenge. The other diners crowded around just to get a glimpse of the single fire-flecked tender I’d mustered up the courage to order.
It wasn’t bad. Then I breathed. It was like a dragon exhaling. The pain lasted a good 30 minutes, and I’m pretty sure the beginnings of a fever blister appeared at the edge of my upper lip.
Looking at the restaurant’s “Wall of Flame” marking man’s triumph over biology, I noticed that they were, in fact, almost all men.
But men aren’t all spice. This month, we explore their many sides.
– Jennifer Bardoner, editor
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