r/tifu • u/Ult_simple7645 • 3d ago
TIFU by eating an incredibly spicy pepper in front of a girl S
So today I was out on a date with a girl I’ve liked for a long time. So I finally took her out and we were having a great time until I took her to dinner. We went to a nice Mexican place and I ordered chicken fajitas, and this is when it all went wrong. I noticed that on the side there was a pepper (I asked and it was a Serrano pepper) and while trying to impress her, I ate almost the entirety of the pepper. The spiciest thing I can handle is a jalapeño so I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea, but anyway I took a huge bite and tried to chew and swallow. I swallowed a tiny bit of it before almost throwing up. I spit it out and tears and some snot rolled down my face and I had to ask the waiter if they had milk I could drink. I also had to ask for my dates water and I ordered a sorbet to help cool my mouth. This is either something we will laugh about in 5 years or something she might not wanna go out with me again after crying from a pepper. I’m typing this up while she “runs to the bathroom” so I imagine when she comes back it will be pretty awkward
TL;DR I ate a hot pepper in front of my crush,cried and nearly threw up,had to ask for milk in a restaurant,and drunk her water and had some ice cream to help me cool my mouth down
UPDATE:First I would like to say thanks for all the comments and I hope you guys got a good laugh over my misfortune and here’s the update,so yes she did eventually come back. The rest of the date went surprisingly well. She actually ended up laughing it off and started making jokes about it. When she came back I said “I think I handled that well” and she started laughing hard so I might have clutched.I felt like it was one of the times where laughter was the best medicine Y’know?She was in the bathroom for a long enough time for me to think that she might have texted or called a few people and told them about me but she came back so I’m hoping she was always planning on returning. Anyway I dropped her off and about an hour later she texted me a picture of a glass of milk. After that I think she’s a keeper,so I’m gonna ask her out again tomorrow,so wish me luck!
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u/turbocomppro 3d ago
What girl is impressed by what you can eat?
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u/aussie_nub 3d ago
None. They were either already impressed enough that it doesn't matter, or they were put off by you.
Time will tell which camp OP is in.
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u/iamblamb 3d ago
Can’t wait to hear the update! Aren’t Serrano peppers only slightly spicier than jalapeños?
Edit: I could see this being a really cute thing in the future if you two stick together, whereyou take her back there and try and eat the same pepper every year.
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u/Unreal2427 3d ago
Aren’t Serrano peppers
No
Around 4x spicier
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u/opa_zorro 3d ago
Depends, they can be milder or crazy hot. I’ve grown some that were inedible for me.
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u/stache_box 2d ago
A casual friend had some purple banana peppers(allegedly) like this! On a pizza, finely diced up they were just almost too spicy, we put some fruit with it and it was sick! We traded pizza for peppers(and occasionally some other ingredients) for a while one summer. A good summer that was.
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u/iamblamb 3d ago
Not to spice shame anyone but jalapeño peppers aren’t hot. 4x spicier than not hot in my mind equals slightly spicier.
You act as though it’s in a different league all together. A jalapeño is roughly 3 times spicier than a poblano but that doesn’t mean they aren’t firmly in the same category of spiciness. What I mean is that it’s not like making the jump from jalapeño to habanero.
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u/Zamzummin 3d ago
Jalapeños have gotten much milder over time because they switched to varieties that grow larger and faster. As a consequence, they’re much less spicy now. I can eat a supermarket jalapeño like a bell pepper but a smaller farmer’s market jalapeño definitely has some sting.
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u/iamblamb 3d ago
There’s definitely still a range to it, but I guess what I’m saying is that both jalapeños and Serranos at their hottest are still at the shallow end of the spicy pool.
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u/Zamzummin 3d ago
Agreed. Though personally I don’t fuck with anything above scotch bonnet / habanero.
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u/Emerald_Encrusted 2d ago
Habanero burns. This comment chain has reminded me of a TIFU that happened in my younger years, perhaps I'll write about it soon.
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u/WeaverFan420 1d ago
Same, I don't eat anything raw above a habanero. It's the perfect happy medium for me.
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u/gwaydms 2d ago
They tend to get hotter as the weather does too.
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u/iamblamb 2d ago
It feels like it’s always 100 around here this time of year.
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u/gwaydms 2d ago
Here too. It isn't actually, but the humidity is high.
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u/iamblamb 2d ago
I’m down in Louisiana. It kissed 100 last week. Really not looking forward to august when we get 100 degrees with 100% humidity. :(
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u/Unreal2427 3d ago
I've never eaten a Serrano
But a jalapeno to habanero is a TOTALLY different league. I don't find jalapeno peppers hot either.
And ghost pepper is worse than habanero
And the Carolina reaper hot sauce I doused my steak in didn't feel any worse than ghost pepper but I reckon the Carolina reaper sauce was diluted.
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u/iamblamb 3d ago
I agree with what you’re saying. I’m a big heatonist guy and I’m convinced that your genetics, recent meals and what you’re saucing all play a role in how you register spiciness. For me Ghost pepper doesn’t put the hurt on me like other peppers do. I also think once you get past ~500k scovilles the amount of extra spiciness you register diminishes.
Regardless of all that scoville units are an attempt to objectively measure an abstract thing like spiciness.
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u/Pierrot-Ferdinand 2d ago edited 2d ago
Your perception of how spicy something is depends on where it falls on your dose-response curve. Someone who can barely tolerate a jalepeno might perceive a serrano as maximally spicy, whereas someone with a higher tolerance will perceive them both as roughly equally mild because the dose isn't strong enough to activate their receptors. It's a very non-linear relationship.
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u/iamblamb 2d ago
That makes a ton of sense. I’ve tried telling some people that a jalapeño barely registers as spicy for me and it’s a split between people who get it and people who look at me like I’ve got an ear in the middle of my forehead.
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u/WestOzWally 2d ago
I feel I had to scroll down too far to see someone write this.
While I can handle Carolina Reapers, I do have family and friends whose tolerance is a lot less than mine. Some struggle just with some pepper sprinkled in the food. It really does depend on an individual's tolerance.
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u/monkeysuffrage 2d ago
You gotta build up to it if you're not used to it. I would have no problem bc I'm doing Carolina reaper hot sauce daily. But when I was 10 it would have kicked my ass
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u/Jesuswasstapled 2d ago
I made some sambal oolek and I used a food processor vs a mortar snd pestel. Full jalapeños minus the stem in. Pulverized including the seeds. That shit was and is super hot. I can handle heat.
You're right in those jarred pickled jalapeños have no heat. But a fresh pepper fully mashed including rhe seeds is enough to wake you up.
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u/iamblamb 2d ago
I normally get mine at the local farmers market and they’re not very hot. Obviously I can’t speak to your experiences since I don’t know your tolerance or the specific breed of pepper you ate but I will say that I’ve heard of sweet and spicy peppers getting cross pollinated and producing a pepper way spicier than either source pepper.
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u/netz_pirat 2d ago
"remember our first date? That pepper wasn't even the hottest thing at that table"
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u/WeaverFan420 1d ago
There is a range of spiciness, but yes, on average, serranos are slightly spicier. I've had jalapenos and serranos that were very weak. I've also had some of both that were very spicy. I've had some jalapenos that were hotter than some serranos. The bell curves overlap. But the median of the serrano curve is to the right of the median of the jalapeno curve.
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u/2020ismybiotch 3d ago
Reminds me of the scene in Batteries Not Included where he eats a hot pepper and then takes the gallon of milk from the girl he's trying to impress and has to start chugging it due to the heat of the pepper.
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u/August_T_Marble 2d ago
Upvoted for Batteries Not Included.
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u/VenomRush24 2d ago
I loved that movie as a kid this is the first time I've seen it mentioned in nearly 20 years!
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u/archerysteak 3d ago
Honestly, if she's a keeper, she'll probably find the whole thing hilarious in hindsight. Just play it cool, laugh it off, and don't sweat it too much.
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u/Unreal2427 3d ago
Ok so get this
A seranno pepper is 10000 to 25000 scossville units regarding how spicy it is
A habanero is 300000
A ghost pepper is 1000000
A Carolina reaper is 2000000
You need to "work your way up" with very spicy chilli. The other day I doused my steak with Carolina reaper hot sauce and practically died on the spot. You can't just jump from a jalapeno (roughly 8000 units tops) to a Serrano (30000 units).
Another time I took a fat chomp out of a habanero when I was 14 with no tolerance to spicy food and was in absolute and total agony. I was growing chilli at the time and got the labels for the "mild" and "ridiculously hot" mixed up
ANOTHER time I took a big tablespoon out of ghost pepper extract and proceededly to violently contort my body in a fit of agony on the floor while screaming for an ambulance.
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u/mic_n 3d ago
You were being an idiot and got yourself in trouble for it. If you were doing it to try to impress her, you've failed miserably.
So if you're both able to laugh at how much of an idiot you were being trying to show off to her, then that's part of a healthy relationship. If it's a dealbreaker, it probably wasn't going to be a great deal anyway.
Think of it like a pretty reliable early relationship litmus test. She probably thinks you're an idiot (you are, but I'm presuming you're a guy, and we're all idiots), so that's established, now it's just a matter of whether she thinks you're a lovable idiot.
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u/Silver_Rarity_999 3d ago
First off, if she really likes you, then she won't give a damn how tough you are when it comes to spicy food. Also don't skip the spicy food, start slowly and work your way up the Scoville scale, before you know it, you will be able to eat Habanero peppers like chips.
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u/drytendies 2d ago
This is cute and you will look back on it as a fond memory in the future whether yall date or not.
I have a similar embarrassing story when I went on my first date with my future wife.
She had never had calamari and I convinced her how good it was and thought it would impress her for me to order it. I assured her that it was delicious especially because of it being deep fried.
They brought out a whole, cooked but not fried, octopus. I was mortified and she was disgusted. She went to the bathroom for what felt like 30 minutes.
I didn’t think I’d see her again.
We’ve been married for 5 years and have a kid. It’s not one of our favorite stories to laugh about.
Cheers.
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u/hxhdubsjs 2d ago
my bf did this with wasabi. Popped the whole thing in his mouth on an impulse to impress me. Boy did he regret it later. I laughed at him plenty, and it wasn't a deal breaker but .... far from impressive. In future, don't try so hard!! :)
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u/Flipinthedesert 2d ago
If she comes back and laughs it off, then you know that you found a good woman.
If not, then be glad you dodged a bullet.
This is a good FU.
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u/stache_box 2d ago
Hah, if she’s cool then she’ll be cool, ya know? And laugh.
Anyway, reminds me of a similar thing where I went to an Indian restaurant and asked “have the cook make it as spicy as they would have it!” in the trying to impress a date move. Ended about the same but with mango lassi instead of sorbet!
It was obscenely spicy and I broke into an awful cold sweat, but damn that was some of the tastiest food I’ve ever put in my mouth. All the waiters and my date were encouraging me to stop eating it but I couldn’t. Not a chance.
My date thought I was silly dumb in a cute way, but an otherwise halfway decent person so we went on many dates after that! All the waiters and owner, which were all family and worked there for years, haven’t let me live it down. 😂
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u/LandImaginary3300 2d ago
Peppers are actually the plants poison
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u/iamblamb 2d ago
Poison is a strong word. They only register as spicy to deter mammals from eating them since a lot of us are herbivores and would crush the seeds rendering them useless for growing another plant in the future. Birds don’t register capsaicin and they eat the seeds whole and eventually poop them out with the addition of fertilizer.
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u/GloomyKerploppus 2d ago
Well at least you showed her you have guts and will take chances to impress her. If she decides to stay with you, I recommend you don't be so stupid in the future. Good luck.
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u/Purple_Apartment 3d ago
People start writing reddit posts on a date? When she is in the bathroom? Lol
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u/Dissastronaut 3d ago
I did this in front of a whole family when I was staying with them in Nicaragua because the 9 year old gave it to me and I wanted to look tough. Ended up throwing up in front of all of them and while I thought it was funny as hell, they were seriously worried.
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u/bdavid81 3d ago
I used to think serranos were hot... Got pretty used to them though, now they're a good snack in the fall when I harvest.
I ate my first Reaper last year.... Mistakes were made. It was a rough night following that day.
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u/nano11110 3d ago
Why did you do it? For the same reason male wolves tangle with porcupines if there is a female wolf watching.
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u/CuddieRyan707 2d ago
Man I know first hand the power of the Serrano. At the restaurant I bartend for we ran out of jalapeños for spicy margaritas and so I found some other peppers in the back and I was like what about these? And the cooks were like no bro don’t do that. I was like are they worse than habaneros? They said no so I was like Ight fuck it. They kept telling me no so I was like I’ll eat a full one to prove it cause they were smaller than jalapeños. I bit that shit to the STEM. Oh my god I was in pain man. I love spicy food but good lord. And in the 45 mins of suffering I dealt with I still had to hold down the bar. 0/10 wouldn’t recommend
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u/inide 2d ago edited 2d ago
You need to start eating more spicy food, you're missing out. Once you can tolerate the heat, some chilis have an amazing flavour. My favourite is African Birds Eye chilis, a really fruity taste with a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness. They go great on a sandwich with cheese, I usually do 2 or 3 chopped chilis per sandwich.
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u/ForsakenAmbassador0 2d ago
Things happen on dates. You are right, if she's the right person for you, it will make a funny story for the future. I hope she showed concern. It's completely understandable. Maybe ask her for a makeup date where there is no 'hot food' and ask for a do-over. If she says no need for do-over but will be lovely to see you...great....off to a good start.
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u/hogliterature 2d ago
this reminds me of the story of the guy who downed a bottle of hot sauce in a job interview
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u/MattieShoes 2d ago
It's only awkward if you make it awkward. Own it, clown on yourself. Be sure to point out it was an attempt to impress her and just how badly that backfired.
Also, serranos aren't that hot. Hotter than jalapeños sure, but not crazy.
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u/GreenAccomplished577 2d ago
If you like spicy, start out slow and build up your tolerance. I use crushed reaper pepper on the regular now. I can get a level 10 spice at a Thai restaurant and enjoy the taste and the spice. You'd be surprised how flavorful some peppers can be once you're used to the heat.
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u/PreviewVersion 2d ago
I love the update! You gotta ask her sometime when you're more comfortable with each other what she was doing in the bathroom for that long. Was she taking the biggest shit? Was she talking smack about you to her friends? Was she trying to google remedies for spicy peppers? Was she asking Reddit "is a guy eating a spicy pepper and almost throwing up on the first date a red flag?"
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u/Electrical-Voice5186 2d ago
Ensure she knows she is with a complete irrational thinker. You're an angel for being transparent. But also, LMAO, what a story.
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u/toucheenemigo 2d ago
The night I proposed to my now wife, my family, her family all together eating dinner under the guise of mine and her birthday dinner, as it’s the same week. Her dad had ordered roasted jalapeños with dinner, he tried one and said they were really hot. So of course she had to try one, causing her to run off to the bathroom. Unfortunately we had already signaled the waiter to clear for the proposal. She came back and I proposed while she was attempting to cool her mouth with her birthday ice cream.
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u/albino_kenyan 1d ago
you should have demonstrated your manliness by denying that it was hot, then doubled down by eating another one.
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u/WalmartSlimGuerilla 1d ago
If she really likes you this won’t matter to her, if she’s on the fence about you unfortunately this will probably affect her opinion of you negatively my man
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u/Limp_View162 22h ago
on my like 2nd date with my husband we went to this fancy restaurant that i hadnt been to but he had. I got this ravioli thing and when it came out it had this big flower on it. i asked what it was and the waitress informed me it was an onion flower and it was edible but very strong flavored. so she turns around to go do her thing and i look my man straight in the eye and pop the whole thing in my mouth. he's laughing and i am suffering with the most onion taste i have ever experienced. to top it off he makes eye contact with the waitress and she came back to check on me and i had to admit i immediately ate it. lmaooo it was so embarrassing at the time but 7 years later its a silly story i tell because it was really funny.
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u/sagetrees 2d ago
Serrano isn't even that hot. Jesus OP maybe don't take dates to mexican/indian/korean/thai restuarants for a first date.
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u/Jabrony_Hawk 3d ago
lol did she come back? She definitely just talked to her friend about it in the bathroom 🤣