My mom once ordered some Thai curry for me while I was sick, and asked for it to be made “double Thai hot.” The server thought maybe she was playing a prank on me and requested that my mom get me on the phone to prove that I actually wanted the food that spicy. I told the server to tell the chefs to imagine that they hate someone and are trying to kill them with spiciness, then double that.

That was some of the best food I’d ever eaten, and by far the spiciest until I started doing food challenges. Now I have GERD…