“I Could See Every Ounce Of Pain On His Face”: Chef Maliciously Complies With Arrogant Customer’s Request For An Extremely Spicy Steak

How do you feel about spicy food, pandas? Personally, I’m a huge fan. I grew up eating lots of Tex-Mex that packed a punch, and I’m a connoisseur of spice. My kitchen is always stocked full of a variety of hot sauces, spicy salt, gochujang, jalapeños, wasabi, red pepper flakes and more. And while I love a nice ghost pepper tortilla chip or breakfast taco doused in habanero sauce, I also know my limits. There is a time and a place for having spicy-food induced sweats, and it’s usually wise to start small when it comes to adding heat. You can always add more, but once you’ve gone too far, you might have serious regrets…

Below, you’ll find a story that one former chef recently shared on the Malicious Compliance subreddit about how she had to teach one customer a lesson after he proudly proclaimed that no one had ever made a dish too spicy for him. Enjoy reading how he was served a dish that made him put his foot in his mouth, as well as some of the replies that amused readers shared on Reddit. Then, if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article featuring an act of delicious, malicious compliance, check out this story next!

Experimenting with spicy food can be a dangerous game

Image credits: Zeeshan Nelson (not the actual photo)

But after one customer bragged that no one has ever made a dish too spicy for him, this chef decided to take him up on the challenge

Image credits: Ann Zzz (not the actual photo)

Image credits: AnnaStills (not the actual photo)

She went out of her way to prepare his steak as hot as possible and then sat back to watch him struggle through it

Image credits: Nathan Dumlao (not the actual photo)

Image credits: u/Lightfairy

Spicy food is a pretty divisive topic. Some people can’t get enough of it, while others seem to think that one jalapeño will kill them. According to several studies, people with thrill-seeking personalities seem to enjoy spicy foods the most. So if you like roller coasters, adventurous traveling, skydiving, and scary movies, you might be prone to enjoying hot sauce as well. But another interesting study found that men and women tend to enjoy spicy food for different reasons. Women typically just enjoy the thrill of eating something hot, whereas men often are doing it for attention. They want to look impressive, and they want to brag about their tolerance for spicy food once the burn has worn off.

It seems like in this particular story on Reddit, that’s exactly what the man was doing. He wanted to brag about his incredible tolerance and later get attention or praise for being able to handle himself so well. But what he doesn’t realize is that most women simply don’t care. As impressive as it may be to eat a hot pepper without drinking any water, it doesn’t make you a great partner. And especially on a first date, treating the restaurant staff poorly and being extremely arrogant is going to reflect way worse on yourself than eating some spicy food.

There have been a few other interesting correlations found among spicy food lovers, though. Apparently, one survey of 2,000 Americans found that 76% of spicy food lovers enjoy trying new things, 66% of them are more content with their lives than milder eaters, and 62% of them consider themselves attractive. Perhaps these thrill-seeking individuals just have higher levels of confidence? We should all consider ourselves attractive, but in the case of this first date story, I think the man may have had a bit too much confidence. Being sure of yourself is great, but when it turns into being pompous and arrogant, you might as well have skipped the date altogether.

Bragging about your tolerance for spice may seem tempting, but some people can’t help that they just can’t handle the spice, and there’s nothing wrong with that either. If you grew up eating relatively mild cuisine and never had the opportunity to try spicy foods until you were older, the sudden heat might seem overwhelming to you. Or you might be building it all up in your head, if it seems like foreign, uncharted territory. “Although you feel like it’s burning [when you eat spicy foods], it’s actually a trick of the mind,” assures Chef Bill Phillips, a spicy foods expert and associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America. “It’s more of a sensation of heat than something physical. Interestingly, spearmint actually hits on the same receptor, creating a sense of cold.”

And although spicy food eaters seem to find themselves attractive, there doesn’t seem to be any conclusive evidence on whether it makes others find a person more enticing. On the other hand, being rude to restaurant staff has been well documented as a red flag and a turn off for many daters. “When it happens to a complete stranger, being rude can be viewed as completely uncalled for and disrespectful,” Omar Ruiz, LMFT, told Well and Good. “If they can treat [another] person without regard, what will stop them from treating you the same way?” 

We’re glad to hear that the chef ended up having a friendship with the woman on this date and that she never had to deal with this entitled patron again, but at least she got a good story out of it! We would love to hear your thoughts on this malicious compliance in the comments down below, pandas, and then if you’re interested in checking out another similar article, we recommend reading this Bored Panda story next!   

Readers applauded the chef for her malicious compliance, and many were inspired to share their own personal experiences with spicy food

The post “I Could See Every Ounce Of Pain On His Face”: Chef Maliciously Complies With Arrogant Customer’s Request For An Extremely Spicy Steak first appeared on Bored Panda.