We used the 2x Spicy Samyang Noodles brand

As a student, I’ve tried so many brands of instant ramen that I can list at least six of them from memory.  I’ve had ramen ranging every flavor imaginable and always leaned toward purchasing flavorful, spicy ramen.  Despite being a giant fan of spice, I have never officially competed in a competition to devour the spiciest ramen in existence—until now.  Recently, I had the opportunity to compete in a spicy ramen challenge that asked contestants to consume a popular Korean brand of spicy instant noodles in under two minutes.  While various versions of the contest exist online, the one I was challenged to compete in only crowned an individual the champion if the entire bowl was finished in under two minutes.

I had never sampled these noodles before but from popular opinion, they were famously spicy but delicious.  I was hoping that the latter would hold true especially when there was only two minutes to consume an entire package.

The ramen has a sauce package that boasted 2x the spice from the original flavor

Some of the other rules included eating not only the noodles drinking the broth the noodles were soaking in.  Additionally, contestants were allowed to use aids such as a glass of milk, water and even a bowl of rice to help moderate the spice levels.  Immediately after the competition, there would be Pepto-Bismol and a series of other heartburn medications to help relieve the damaging aftermath of the spice.

At home, I would typically enjoy a bowl of spicy ramen but without the time-crunch felt at the competition

During the competition, I was quite nervous; the winner of the challenge would compete in a second competition with previous year’s winners.  I also had not eaten a proper breakfast, meaning that there was less in my gut to counteract the intensity of the ramen spice.

Food4: Myself and another individual at the competition devouring a bowl of potentially the world’s spiciest instant ramen. 

Following the competition, one friend quotes that my lips were “about the size of Kim Kardashian’s post-botox”.  My lips were unequivocally tingling, burning, and painful at the same time.  However, I did somehow manage the complete the contest in under two minutes.  Overall, this was a fun challenge with friends that can be done in the comfort of your living room.  Several moments during the competition, my friend and I would exchange looks through a layer of tears in our eyes as we managed to suppress the heat of the noodles.

Are you a spice fanatic? You should try this challenge at home.  Without the two-minute time limitation, I believe the challenge would be a lot more enjoyable for most people.  For your next social event, consider having a spicy ramen station to spice up your entire party.