Ireland is changing. The Land of Meat and Two Veg is dead and gone and, along with Corn-beef and Cabbage, is in the grave. The new culinary climate is all sundried, cosmopolitan, and seemingly safe. But, don't be fooled - beneath the facade lies a seedy underbelly of food fetishism where each curry is seen as a means to get the next high and chilli peppers are eaten by the dozen.
The fetishists eat till they sweat from their eyes and weep like babies. They could be your mother, your brother, your husband, your lover. We're talking about "food masochists".
The cult of the chilli seems to have spread from the US where "Chilliheads", as they call themselves, number in their millions. They want their food hot and what's more they want it to hurt.
Unlike the short-lasting impact of "hot" substances such as mustard, pepper or ginger, the burn from the chilli pepper is guaranteed to last long after the meal is finished. The post-chilli experience is related to the endorphin rush, usually triggered by the feelings of pain or fear. A number of web-linked sites tastefully called The Ring of Fire, feature such names as Death Row, Virtual Pain, Religious Experience and Chilegod, reflecting the extent of the hot food phenomenon.
On these shores the number of chilliheads is on the increase. Like a B-horror movie where the hero suddenly realises that zombies have taken over the bodies of his nearest and dearest, this breed pop up among friends and family, work colleagues and associates. "Hot food? Sure, I enjoy the pain," they happily nod. "Oh, yes, it's like the ultimate drug," they murmur wistfully. Angus, a friend, proclaimed excitedly: "I really hurt myself eating a curry the other night. Look!", pointing to his mouth, "I've even got burns on my tongue!"
The source of this madness lies with the peppers themselves. Spread by Christopher Columbus on his travels, there are now over 100 types of chilli pepper - from the habenero and tabasco to the jalape no and cayenne. It features most prominently in the countries of Central America, South-East Asia and the West Indies where hot food helps to counteract the heat. Capsaicin is the chemical in the peppers which causes the heat. Pure capsaicin is soluble in alcohol but does not dissolve in cold water which is why drinking water does not relieve that burning sensation.
Hardcore chilliheads believe that the only way to relieve the burn is to take advantage of the painkilling properties of the peppers themselves, by eating even more! Capsaicin raises the temperature in the body and starts one sweating, the body's natural cooling process. The person will initially feel pain, but after a certain level of pain is reached the body produces endorphins, the natural morphine which induces a euphoric feeling or a natural "high". It's said to be an aphrodisiac, as well as being addictive.
Herein lies the secret of the pleasure in the pain. Chilliheads speak of the benefits of eating chilli peppers - as well as clearing up sinuses and speeding up metabolism, they boast of its curative powers. The endorphin rush is many times stronger than any painkiller on the market.
It's said to relieve the pain of PMS and arthritis and even the effects of stress and menopause. This is what the thrill-seeking modern man strives for - the hormone "rush". The fear experienced when sky-diving produces the same pleasurable aftermath as the pain of eating chillies. Some say that this thrill-seeking satisfies a primal instinct for danger.
JUST as Stone Age man fought to survive, modern man feels the urge to inflict pain and fear on himself to feel more alive. The levels of pain that chilliheads will go through can also be seen acts of pure machismo. One friend admitted that he finished a curry that was far too hot to eat "out of pride".
So, whether genetically programmed or just downright stupid who knows, but the chilliheads claim that eating hot food is, like sky-diving, a "safe danger". Casualties arise only from not using gloves while cutting the chillies.
However, dabbling with capsaicin is not for the faint-hearted, as the urban myth surrounding Dave's Insanity Sauce illustrates. This popular hot sauce - with a cult following - has enjoyed much success since it was claimed that a man had died of a heart attack at a tasting. The sauce now carries a health warning.
A media lie or a cunning marketing ploy? What is true, though, is that capsaicin acts as the base for the pepper-spray assault weapon which the US Food and Drug Administration has banned (unlesss you have a permit).
Some companies even supply capsaicin extract, as a product called Pure Cap, where a waiver must be signed before the sale. For hot food fans this adds to the allure, like a James Bond movie in a bottle, a drop of chilli sauce can provide both danger and love all in one mouthful.
Hot Places:
Bangkok Cafe, Parnell Street: Thai food is quite hot and spicy. Try the fishcakes for a kick. They will customise their dishes to any level of hotness at your request.
The Maharajah, Greystones: The only restaurant I know which serves Phall. This is a curry based on the paste of chillies. It's said to make a vindaloo look like a korma.
Hot Websites all part of the Ring of Fire
Death by Curry, described by Empire magazine as "a sweeping tale of one man's epic quest to kill himself with a subcontinental cuisine."
Chilli Heads, the official chilliheads site. Voted one of the "Best of the Internet", it tells you anything you want to know about chillies.
Mo Hotta Mo Betta - Mexican hot food, including facts and information on many pepper products.
Hot Sauces available to order on the Ring of Fire websites at http:// chile.netrelief.com:
Blair's After Death, a cajun sauce made with red ripe habaneros, cayenne chillies, chipolte, key lime juice and garlic. Worth the visit just for the can-canning skeletons.
Dave's Insanity Sauce and Spontaneous Combustion, the hottest sauce on the market made from tomato sauce, onions, hot pepper extract, hot peppers, vinegar, spices, soy oil, garlic and salt. Chilliheads are waiting for the release of his Private Edition, Limited Reserve, packaged in a wooden coffin and wrapped with yellow "caution" tape.
Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally, hailed as one of the hottest sauces in the world, is made using either habaneros or jalapenos.
Hot Moment
The chillihead craze was comicly reflected in the El Viaje Misterio de Nuesetro Homer episode of The Simpsons. Homer eats chilli made with Guatemalan insanity peppers which results in hallucinations. Inspiration came from Carlos Castenadas's The Teachings of Don Juan, one man's peyote-inspired spiritual search.