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Oddity Central

Can You Handle the Red Dog Saloon’s Ultimate Hot Chicken Wing Challenge?

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 04:37 AM PST

If you’re a fan of spicy food, you may want to try the Red Dog Saloon’s Viper Challenge – eat six chicken wings smothered in sauce made from Naga Viper chillies, known as the world’s hottest chili peppers, in ten minutes. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it?

I mean how hard can it be to munch on six wings in 10 minutes, right? I can go through a whole bucket of spicy wings in half that time. But these are six little piece of Hell that will make you feel like you’re feasting on molten lava. The Red Dog Saloon, in Londons’ Hoxton district, introduced its Viper Hot Chicken Wings Challenge in December 2011, and since then it’s really been separating the men from the boys. The requirements are pretty straightforward: in order to beat the challenge, a person has to eat six hot wings in ten minutes, and last an extra five minutes after taking the final bite without leaving the table or putting any other liquids or solids in their mouth. It’s that Burn Time that really affects daredevils crazy enough to take on the Viper Challenge. Just to give you an idea of how hot a Naga Viper chili is, Tabasco sauce ranks about 5,000 units on the Scoville Scale, whereas the tiny pepper is ranked at 1,359,000 units. That’s 2,500 times hotter than a Jalapeno.

Photo: What’s for Lunch

In order to take on this super hot challenge, clients must first sign a contract which outlines all possible health issues and removes all legal obligations from Red Dog Saloon. Once that’s done with, they’re given a pair of latex gloves for protection, and the chicken wings are served. The burning hot color and the unbelievably potent smell of the Naga Viper sauce are enough to drive any supporters away, and you’re left alone to battle it out on your own. The timer starts when you take the first bite, and as you hurry to get it over with as soon as possible, your lips start to swell, your nose starts running and tears start flowing down your cheeks. And that’s just after the first wing. By the time you start working on the second one, your tongue feels like it’s being stabbed by a thousand needles, your cheeks are numb with pain, and you can swear your throat is on fire. There’s milk and other beverages on the table, but they’re helpless against the burn of a Naga Viper chili. Those who manage to beat this crazy challenge go into the Red Dog Saloon hall of fame and gain bragging rights, but most fail miserably.

And even after the torture eating is over, you’re still stuck with swollen lips, dilated pupils and horrible stomach cramps. The Red Dog Saloon offers its Cold Fusion Milkshake – a delicious blend of ginger, lemon, pineapple and vanilla – as a remedy, but it can’t really numb the pain and you just have to wait until it passes. Even if they manage to eat the whole serving, most contestants can’t hold down the super spicy concoction, so they go outside to throw up. If you’re ever in London and someone suggest taking on Red Dog Saloon’s Viper Challenge, spare yourself the agony and just say “NO!”

Check out this video above, showing a group of spicy food enthusiasts taking on the chicken wings covered in Naga Viper chili sauce, it’s a must watch.

Can You Handle the Red Dog Saloon’s Ultimate Hot Chicken Wing Challenge? was originally posted at OddityCentral.com

The Mind-Blowing Installations of Bloemencorso, an Annual Flower Parade in the Netherlands

Posted: 09 Nov 2012 01:52 AM PST

Held every year in the Dutch town of Zundert, Bloemencorso is the world’s largest flower parade made entirely by volunteers. Millions of flowers are used to decorate giant floats built from steel wire, cardboard and papier-maché.

The Netherlands is inextricably linked to tulips, but at the annual Bloemencorso flower parade, it’s all about dahlias, as these are the only flowers used to decorate giant floats made of steel wire, cardboard and papier-maché. Every year, members of 20 hamlets from the tiny town of Zundert (population 20,000) work hard to win the title of most beautiful flower float in show. Preparations begin months before the big event, as the older members of the hamlets are tasked with planting and growing the colorful dahlias needed to cover the larger-than-life installations. Although Bloemencorso takes place on the first Sunday in September, tents are set up around town in May and June, and from then on, members of the competing hamlets start working on their masterpieces. They discuss design ideas and building techniques, but it’s the three days before the big event that are the most stressful. Because the flowers have to be fresh, contestants can only start applying the dahlias on the Thursday before Bloemencorso. If need be, hamlets will work night and day putting needles through the flowers, and sticking them in just the right spots on the cardboard body of their mobile installations. But all the effort pays off once these mind-blowing creations make their way through the streets of Zundert leaving crowds of spectators in awe.

Photo: Werner Pellis

For the people of Zundert, Bloemencorso is very important, and they will happily give up their days off, to work on the flower floats. The hamlets taking part in the competition are like big families, where everyone knows each other and work together in harmony. To relax after a long day of working on the floats, hamlets will often go out for a beer, or organize all kinds of activities like song contests or barbecues. It might seem like making the best float is a hamlet’s ultimate goal, but it’s actually more about the social cohesion. It takes hundreds of people to create just one of these spectacular flower floats that rise taller than many of Zundert’s buildings, and considerable financial contributions, so a strong bond between hamlet members is crucial.

Photo: Hassel BV

On the day of Bloemencorso, over 50,000 people gather in the streets of Zundert to see the dahlia-covered floats marching through. A professional and independent jury determines which installation is the most beautiful and which hamlet will be crowned winner of the competition. It’s definitely an event you don’t want to miss if you find yourself in the Netherlands in the first week of autumn.