ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 2, 1997 TAG: 9701020005
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Off the Clock
SOURCE: CHRIS HENSON
It all started when he was 12 or so. His dad told him a story about a hot pepper eating competition.
There was an American who went to South America whose search for hot peppers led him to an old man's farm. But, in order to bring them back to the states, he had beat the farmer in a hot-pepper eating contest. It wasn't easy, but finally the gringo earned the old timer's respect and a friendship was born.
``Ever since then I've been kind of fascinated with eating hot peppers,'' says Sam Eakin, of Roanoke. Sam runs the Red Coyote Mexican restaurant in the City Market Building downtown.
He'd been looking at the spot for seven years, he says, waiting for a booth to open. He bided his time working as a cook in local restaurants such as La Maison, the Lone Star and Awful Arthur's, setting up menus, making contacts and getting experience in everything from soup to scrod.
These days, Eakin makes a weekly run to a Salvadorean market in Martinsville for secret ingredients. He grows his own peppers and serves 'em up hot Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
His menu of fajitas, burritos, quesadillas and soft tacos combines recipes he has collected from living and working all over America's Southwest, from Texas to California.
"I don't say it's authentic Mexican food," Sam says. "Mostly because I'm not Mexican. I mean, look at me."
"What I'm trying to do is emulate the taquerias in the Mission District of San Francisco," he says. He describes a taqueria as a stand-up joint with Mexican food so authentic you need a translator to help you order. "It's basically good, flavorful food to go. Sort of a Southwestern nouveau cuisine."
That means you won't find a hard taco shell at the Red Coyote. Soft shells only. You'll find specials that are as interesting to pronounce as to eat. And you'll find a burrito grande that's as big as your head. "Everything is made fresh," he says. "It's a lot of work. But it's worth it."
Plus, you'll benefit from a life spent in search of hot peppers.
"Back when it was still open, I went into Pat's Chili Shop," he says. "Pat was showing these three guys these habanero peppers that he had imported to make his chili. Hot peppers! Well, they were betting each other they couldn't eat one.
"Finally one of them says, 'I'll give you $100 if you eat that bag full of peppers.' And I said, 'Hell, I'll do it for $100.'"
The three fellows put $33 each into the pot and Sam went to work on no less than 27 habanero peppers. "It took me about five minutes," Sam says. "They made me sit there for a half hour afterward. I couldn't talk. It was rough."
He says the trick is that once you've eaten the first pepper you're pretty much over the pain of the rest of them. Unfortunately, your mouth isn't the only part that has to deal with them.
"I had the worst cramps of my life," he says. "I wound up calling the Poison Control hot line at about four in the morning to find out if I was going to die. The guy on the phone was laughing pretty hard."
Sam didn't die, but he did a lot of things like it over the next few hours. Still, his near death experience with peppers hasn't soured him on his childhood obsession. "It's my dream," he says. "It's like that guy in the story."
But, how much would it take to get him to eat 27 habanero peppers again? He thinks a minute. Then he smiles like he's about to tell you his deepest truth. "A grand," he says finally. He pauses. He thinks some more. "Naw," he says. "Make that $500."
Some alert Off-The-Clockers may recall our promise to include the "lawyer joke" in this week's installment. This incredibly accurate yarn was sent in by Jim Morrison of Roanoke as an entry for our Yuck Fest Joke Competition. Space did not permit its inclusion until now.
Just so you know, we've run this joke through our legal department. They didn't like it. In fact they've threatened to sue us if print it.
So here it is. The "lawyer joke."
One member of a golf foursome, a banker, learned he was dying. He called his three partners to his deathbed where he told them he wanted to try to take his money with him. He handed each an envelope containing $100,000 and asked that they each throw their envelopes in on top of his coffin just before the dirt is shoveled in to fill the grave. After receiving their pledges to do so, he died.
On the day of his funeral, the three partners were riding back to town from the cemetery when the minister spoke up. "I have a confession to make," he said. "I know ol' Charlie wanted each of us to throw the $100,000 into his grave, but I thought the Lord must have better use for some of that money. So I took out $80,000 for the church's missionary fund and threw in only $20,000."
Then the doctor spoke up. "You know, I had similar thoughts. I kept $60,000 for the hospital building fund and threw in only $40,000."
They drove along in silence for a while and finally the minister turned to the lawyer and said, "Well, Bill?"
The lawyer replied, "Well what?"
"Well, what did you do?" asked the minister.
"I threw in $100,000," the lawyer replied.
"You did, really?" asked the doctor.
"Yes," said the lawyer. "I wrote Charlie a personal check for $100,000 and threw it in."
Until next time, see you in court.
LENGTH: Medium: 100 linesby CNB