The hottest place in town today was the Mercado La Paloma in downtown Los Angeles.
What made it hot was habanero chiles--hundreds of them--heaped before contestants in the third annual habanero eating contest sponsored by Chichén Itzá, the Yucatecan restaurant in the Mercado.
Eight men and two women competed. This took courage, because the winner of a previous contest had to go to the hospital, or so I heard.
Chichén Itzá took precautions by providing jugs of milk to soothe blazing mouths and plates of cochinita pibil tacos, rice and beans to line stomachs before the fire hit.
Each contestant worked from a bowl of 30 chiles, the top amount eaten in previous competitions. There were extras that came in handy because a new record was set this time. The two who tied for first each ate 31 chiles.
First place winner María Durán, from the state of Mexico, said at the start that she expected to eat only 10 chiles. She's at the right in the photo above. Standing behind the contestants is Chichén Itzá chef-owner Gilberto Cetina.
Co-winner Martín Martínez (above), who is from Guanajuato, said he planned to eat "todos" (all) in the 20 minutes allotted. This he did and more, downing 13 chiles in the first five minutes alone. Each top winner will receive $500.
The second place finishers weren't far behind at 27 chiles. They were Octavio Sebastián from Michoacán (at right, above) and Antonio Banderas from Durango state. They'll get $300 each.
Third place was a tie between Scott Wilbur of Irvine, who's not in the photo despite the sign, and Jerry Chitmongran (above) from North Hollywood. They won $200 for eating 17 chiles each.
Contestants next year will start off with 31 habaneros, which is the new official record.
Want to try your hand, or rather mouth, at this? Then circle Father's Day, which is the official day of the competition, on next year's calendar and get in touch with Chichén Itzá. Even if you don't win a prize, you'll at least get lunch, and a T-shirt that says you survived the contest.
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