For most people, even the smallest bite of a raw chili pepper means a flushed face and a rush for a gulp of water. But Manuel Quiroz can guzzle down dozens of Mexico’s spiciest chilies, rub them on his skin and even squeeze their juice into his eyes without as much as blinking.
The 54-year-old Mexico City taxi driver said on Saturday that he has made thousands of dollars with his talent and wants to become the world champion chili eater. But first he needs to find an organisation that can crown him with that title.
”Chillies don’t sting me. They don’t affect me. It’s just like eating fruit,” Quiroz said at a market in the Mexican capital.
Shoppers stared in amazement as he crunched on a habanero, the hottest chilli pepper in a country that likes its food spicy.
Quiroz said he discovered his talent when he was seven-years-old and grew up betting people that he could eat more chillies than they could. He never lost.
”I’m the best. No one can rival me,” he said.
His biggest windfall came when he entered a competition organised by a local television station and took home the $2 000 purse.
Quiroz said he plans to try to get his abilities recognised by Guinness World Records. To his knowledge, no one in the world can swallow more chillies.
”Chillies are the pride of Mexico,” Quiroz said. ”The world chilli-eating champion has got to be here.”
Quiroz said he has never been examined by a doctor to find out if there is a medical explanation for his extraordinary endurance to the spice.
”Why would I go and see a doctor?” he said. ”There is nothing wrong with me. Eating chillies makes me feel great.” – Sapa-AP