The spiciest food I ever had was at a Thai restaurant in Greenwich Village a few years ago. They had a heat rating system -- 1 through 10, 10 being the hottest. My friend, who I'm convinced had inferior tastebuds because his sense of smell was so bad, insisted on getting a whole fish, rated 6. One bite set my mouth, lips and throat on fire for the next couple of
hours. Everything I ate after that burned my mouth, including water. Of course, milk wasn't an option, and they generally don't keep blocks of cheese or vats of sour cream on hand in most Thai restaurants. Never again.
I should mention that my tolerance for heat is quite high, perhaps higher than it was then. I don't go around swallowing whole habaneros, like my ex-boyfriend used to, but I use Tabasco like water, put hot pepper flakes in most any Italian dish I prepare involving garlic, and make a spicy beef vegetable soup that could unclog a drain.
