WASABI!

That little inocuous pile next to your sushi. What a daft green colour for such a powerful heat...but it doesn't last long. Chili burns for hours afterwards, but with the long-lasting effects of chili, you swallow it and it's gone.

I always challenge people to wasabi eating competitions but the stuff is powerful, it's all talk...then last week Sam took me up on it. It escalated. We got to eating a piece about half the size of my thumb. The last bit didn't just feel like having my tongue stapled, the feeling scratched all the way from the front of my head to the back and down my neck.

Herb sez:

"Wasabi activates your ANKVT1 receptors (or something) and they are on thermoceptive neurons, which apparently, link into your sympathetic nervous system, which makes you do things like make your hair stand on end and pee. So you be careful with that stuff! After your scalp feels weird, you'll probably pee everywhere! But at least your pupils will dilate, so you can see it really clearly."