Pizza Roulette: A Game Not Suited for the Faint-Hearted

A rising new phenomena in society is the art of challenge eating. Most commonly known in America is the Cinnamon Challenge. In this challenge (typically videotaped for commemoration purposes) a willing victim attempts to ingest a tablespoon of cinnamon. However, once the cinnamon touches the tongue of the participant and they try to swallow, they realize they cannot. Cinnamon is extremely dry and clumps together when added to water. In other words, saliva won't help this spice go down. In fact, in the health community, doctors urge people to stay away from this particular challenge because it may cause health problems. So, why in the world would someone wish to inflict this upon themselves? Well, the inspiration for this extreme act of food pain stems from the restaurant, Hell, in New Zealand.

Who doesn't love a gooey piece of pizza? You might not, if you sample what Hell is offering. Hidden in one of the eight slices of pizza (done only upon request, of course) is a few drops of one of the "hottest chilies known to mankind." The particular cruelty to this challenge is you don't know which piece will end up being more than you expected. Warnings on the health risks of this challenge have also been released. While the videos of these challenges can be extremely funny to watch, they do come with health risks.

What would cause someone to invent these games? Perhaps this change in regard to food is due to the immense privilege of first world countries. Food is no longer just something that we need, it is something that we are able to play around with for our own amusement (or torture). As for me, I think I will stick with food that will not end in someone's tears.


For more information (or to watch the videos) go to:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/13/play-at-your-own-risk-hell-pizzas-scorching-pizza-roulette/
http://www.cbs19.tv/story/17161775/pizza-roulette-goes-viral