Not so much. First my mouth and throat are on fire, then as I eat more my nose and eyes start to run. You’d think this would stop me but no, I keep eating because the food tastes so delicious you can’t help yourself. The next dish arrives at the table and its chicken and potato with a red colored pepper sauce and the “numbing” peppers. This is how they described the peppers. You are not supposed to eat them. Anything that comes into contact with the peppers gets infused with their essense.
So we go straight from the fish to the chicken and 30 seconds later my lips and mouth are numb. Who knew! At this point they bring the rice to the table…ah sweet Guan Yin, have mercy on my mouth. After we move onto other dishes my mouth calms down, most of the feeling returns. I grab another piece of chicken in my chopsticks and pop it in my mouth. This time I get the full flavor of the chicken before my tongue goes back into the abyss of numbness.
Now we are back in the office 2 hours and several meetings later and there is still a slight numbing sensation on my lips even after washing them very well. Ah, I love new experiences!”