June 9, 2025 • 19 mins
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In this silly story, twins Max and Emma couldn’t be more different—especially when it comes to food. Emma’s a proud foodie, while Max sticks to plain hotdogs. But when a certain hot pepper enters the picture, things spiral out of control—raising questions about who's the real foodie and why firefighters are suddenly involved. One thing’s for sure: this is not your average pepper."
Warning: this goofy story for kids may result in smiles, snorts, and possibly some LOLs. Listen at your own discretion.
To see if the shout-out list is open, visit: lolstorytime.com/shoutouts
Visit lolstorytime.com for merch and other... stuff.
In this silly story, twins Max and Emma couldn’t be more different—especially when it comes to food. Emma’s a proud foodie, while Max sticks to plain hotdogs. But when a certain hot pepper enters the picture, things spiral out of control—raising questions about who's the real foodie and why firefighters are suddenly involved. One thing’s for sure: this is not your average pepper."
Warning: this goofy story for kids may result in smiles, snorts, and possibly some LOLs. Listen at your own discretion.
To see if the shout-out list is open, visit: lolstorytime.com/shoutouts
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Helloel story Time really not a glory time, Rabbis Dandon,
You'll be fine. Follow the whole storyline. Hellol story Time?
Might you love? Released? One Time? Story Time? Hey everyone,
you're listening to well Ol Storytime, the Goofy story podcast
for kids. Today's story is called Too Spicy and features
(00:21):
characters named after Max and Emma and how about some
shows for some other awesome listeners shout out this week too.
Marcus from Australia, JJ and Tommy from Portland, Oregon, Roone
from California, Jackson from Australia, Molly and Leo from Toronto,
Ala who listens with her hamster Clover and Victoria, Canada.
(00:44):
Casey and his brother Carson from Nova Scotia, Canada, Maton,
Danny and Rapa Portnoy from Hillside, New Jersey, Joanna and
Liam Pinkwart from Toronto, and Gabe from Newton, Massachusetts, who
listens every night with his dog Daisy. We'll have more
shutts to come next time, but for now, let's get
(01:05):
into the story. This is the story of Max and Emma,
twins with very different tastes, especially when it came to food.
Emma was what the grown ups called a foodie a
person who loves trying different foods from all over the world,
(01:25):
appreciating the unique flavors, textures, and colors, though some kids
would call it a person who eats weird food even
when their parents aren't forcing them. Max was not a foodie.
Max liked hot dogs. Emma knew how to cook. Her
favorite thing to make was a grilled chicken pesto pinini
with caramelized onions. Max did not cook, though we sometimes
(01:48):
helped take the hot dog buns out of the bag
for dinner. Emma liked having multiple courses appetizers, salads, entrees,
palate cleansers, and the most decadent of desserts. Also liked
having multiple things for dinner, multiple hot dogs. One day,
Emma came to Max with what she thought was some
pretty exciting news. Yo, Max, Mom and dad just said
(02:11):
we're allowed to go to the farmer's market by ourselves today.
Max stood there waiting for his sister to add the
fun part. Emma, did Mom and dad also give us
permission to not go to the farmer's market because that
could be fun too. I'm willing to bet a lot
more fun. Emma loved going to the Farmer's Market every week.
It was a whole experience, a total vibe, as some
(02:34):
might say, vegetables with traces of soil still on them,
fresh herbs that reminded her of her favorite garnishes, and
glass jars filled with jams, honeys, relishes and pickled beets.
But it was also about the people, people who appreciated wholesome,
high quality food. Do they sell hot dogs at the
Farmer's Market? Asked Max. Emma had never seen hot dogs
(02:56):
at the farmer's market before, but who's to say there
wouldn't be a guy say hot dogs there this time?
They might have hot dogs, answered Emma, even though she
didn't actually believe it. But you'll never know unless you
come with me to find out. To Emma's delight, Max agreed,
and surprisingly he did a pretty good job of keeping
the whining and complaining to a minimum, though it was
(03:19):
a little embarrassing when he asked every single vendor at
the market if they had any hot dogs hot dogs
new But I do have some fresh potatoes, or perhaps
I could interest you in a jar of pickles, how
about both? Ever, tried to pickle and potato sandwich before.
You haven't lived until you've had a pickle and potato sandwich.
Emma grabbed some potatoes and added them to her basket. Emma,
(03:42):
I can't believe you're spending your own money on food,
especially this kind of food. You do know the food
at home is free, right? Emma ignored her brother and
kept on shopping. Then they reached a very special part
of the market. This was what Emma most wanted Max
to see. A stand full of some of the words
hot as spiciest peppers, Hot peppers in all different sizes
(04:03):
and colors. Aren't they beautiful? Asked Emma. Someday, I hope
to be able to try one. It's been my ultimate
dream since becoming a foodie. Max could not understand how
someone could dream about eating a pepper. What a silly dream.
There were peppers right there in front of them. What
was stopping her? Did he really have to teach his
foody sister how to eat a pepper? Max grabbed one
(04:26):
from the stand, completely ignoring all the warning signs about
how hot and spicy they were. Emma nearly screamed, Ah,
what are you doing? Don't eat that, but it was
too late. Max had already taken a huge bite Emma
stepped back. Oh no, what have you done? Max shrugged.
(04:47):
What you're not allowed to sample before you buy? Emma
explained that these were hot peppers. The spice would be
kicking in any minute now, making his mouth feel like
it was on fire. But instead of panicking, Max slid up. Wait,
like actual fire, like breathing fire, like a dragon would do.
(05:08):
He imagined people calling him dragon breath away, cooler nickname
than Maxie, which was what people usually called him. To
help get the fire going, he took a few more
bites of the pepper, and then it hit him, well,
something hit him. He got knocked down to the ground.
As he slowly sat up, he realized it was his
sister who had tackled him. Why are you not listening,
(05:30):
she cried, These are really hot peppers. People who are
not used to spicy food should not be eating really
hot peppers. I'm a foodie and even I wouldn't dare
eat one. Whatever you do, do not take another bite.
Max looked up. Well, there aren't any bites left to take.
It's just the stem. Did people eat the stem? Seems
(05:52):
like kind of a weird thing to eat the stem,
But you tell me you're the foodie. You weren't supposed
to eat any of it, cried Emma. Didn't you see
all the signs and the pictures with the flames. Emma
ran over to the guy at the potato stand and
boorrowed his phone. A short while later, Max heard fire
truck sirens. Firefighters burst into the farmer's market, searching for
(06:15):
the fire. Emma told them everything that had happened. Wait,
your brother took a bite of a pepper from the
hot pepper, guy asked one of the firefighters, and you say,
he ate all the bites. He then turned to the others.
Get the hose. We've got a fire to put out.
Max barely had time to ask what's the hose for
(06:37):
before being blasted in the face with water. Now, if
you've never seen a kid having his mouth rinsed out
using a fire hose before, just imagine someone's lips flapping
around like as if a chimpanzee was riding on a
roller coaster. And for any firefighters listening with your kids
right now, please don't try this at home. Max stood
up soaked. He began shaking water off like a dog.
(07:00):
What was that for? My mouth wasn't burning. I only
ate one pepper and it didn't feel like anything. One
firefighter turned to another, Wow, kid eats a hot pepper
from the hot pepper guy and doesn't even flinch. Must
be one of those foodies. The other nodded. Wait, he's
not the foodie I am, said Emma. They looked skeptical.
(07:24):
Are you able to handle a hot pepper from the
hot pepper guy? Emma's head sank. No, well not yet,
she muttered. The firefighters packed up, gave each other high fives,
and walked out of there like superheroes. He only eats
hot dogs, you know, Emma shouted after them, but no
(07:45):
one heard that evening Emma sat at the dinner table,
just picking at her food. Is something wrong, Emma? Her
mom asked. Is it overcooked? Undercooked? Too salty? Not enough salt?
Oh no, did I burn it? What? Emma wasn't normally
one to complain. Even if she didn't like something, she
could usually help fix it. She was a foodie after all,
(08:08):
or so, she thought. I don't know, guys, the food's fine,
I guess, and she should have just stopped there. But
then she added, maybe I could use a little more heat.
It's not very spicy. Max and Emma's parents looked at
each other. Emma had always told them she wasn't ready
for spicy food, but who were they to argue she
(08:30):
was the foodie. Their dad walked over to the fridge
and grabbed a bottle of hot sauce. Max took the
bottle first, poured a few drops on his hot dog,
and took a bite. No complaints, told everyone it tasted good.
So Emma decided to one up her brother by adding
even more hot sauce to her meal. Well, let me
tell you, she hadn't even finished the first bite when
(08:52):
the spice hit her like a ton of bricks. Her
ears felt like they were smoking her mouth. Oh gosh,
her poor mouth. She was afraid to w open it,
for if she did, fire might come out. Emma's mom panicked,
what's happening? What's happening? A phone call was made, and
a few minutes later, another fire truck showed up. Now,
remember before when I told you to picture a chimpanzee's
(09:14):
mouth on a roller coaster, lips flapping about, gums fully exposed.
Well do that again, but this time with Emma. After
the firefighters had finished renting her mouth, they handed her
a glass of milk. Totally forgot the milk last time.
One said, milk is your best friend when it comes
to spicy food. There's something in the milk that does
(09:36):
something to the something. I don't remember the science, but
trust me, it helps. The firefighters gave themselves more high
fives as they made their way back to the truck.
Emma glared at her brother, who was bone dry happily
eating a hot dog with even more hot sauce on it.
How does your milk not feel like it's on fire,
she asked, Tell me about it, said Max, piling on
(10:00):
the hot sauce. But I still can't breathe fire. How
am I supposed to earn the nickname dragon breath if
I can't even breathe fire. Emma wouldn't wish what she
had just felt on her worst enemy, But as much
as she tried not to, Emma couldn't help but envy
her brother. Being able to handle a pepper from the
Hot Pepper Guy was her ultimate foodie goal, and yet
(10:21):
here was Max, someone who didn't even care about food,
acting like putting something spicy in his mouth was no
different than breathing in some fresh air at bedtime. Their
dad told Emma a story. But the first time he
ate spicy food as a child. The year was nineteen,
I don't even know, and someone had just handed me
a plate of chicken wings. But what they failed to
(10:41):
tell me was that these chicken wings were the super
spicy kind. Well, I took one bite, and at first
everything was okay. But then it hit me. My mouth
started to feel like I had just kissed the sun,
like with one of those long, smoochy kind of kisses. Girl,
My ears were smoking, My no was running like a faucet. Gross, Dad,
(11:03):
I didn't need to know that part. The point is
I wasn't ready for all that spice. You can't start
with the hottest stuff. It's like trying to climb Mount
Bubbado when you haven't even climbed Mount Fluefalou. You have
to work your way up small mountains first, then the
big ones. Emma had never in her life heard of
(11:24):
Mount Bubbado or Mount Flufalou. Dad, are you saying I
need to find myself the ant hill of spice? Now
you are ready to begin in the morning, I'm gonna
decided no better time than the present to begin training
herself to handle spicy foods. When her brother walked into
the kitchen, he did a complete double take. Are you
(11:45):
eating nachos for breakfast? Isn't that a little weird? Amma
explained her plan. It's like training to climb a really
big mountain. You want to climb Mount Bubbadoo or fluefe Loof,
but you're not ready yet, so you climb a smaller mountain.
Then each day you climb a mountain slightly bigger than
the day before. Before you know it, you can eat
(12:06):
a whole ghost pepper without crying for your mommy. Max
wasn't sure what was up with all the mountain talk,
but he was excited to hear about ghost peppers. Speaking
of ghost peppers, I had Mom buy a whole bottle
of hot sauce made from ghost peppers. Maybe that'll get
me breathing fire. Ghost peppers are the third hottest pepper
in the world. You know. Emmo wins at the thought
(12:27):
of her brother tossing back a ghost pepper like it
was a cracker. Max took the jar of salsa Mo's holding. Wait,
the label says milder than mild. There's also a picture
of a penguin shivering. Are you sure you're not starting
out a little too easy. You might not think Max
was wrong for saying that, After all, mild means the
(12:49):
opposite of spicy, And yet five minutes later, there he
was calling the fire department again. Hot hot, Why does
it feel so hot? Chose the least spicy salsa, and
my mouth still feels like it's on fire. The firefighters
giggled when they arrived and saw the label on Emma's
jar of salsa. How was this girl sweating so much
(13:11):
after eating mild salsa? It looked like a rain cloud
had just dumped a gallon of water on her. And
how is the boy sitting next to her adding ghost
pepper hot sauce to his morning hot dog? Wow, I've
never seen a kid eat a hot dog for breakfast before.
Must be one of those trendy things the foodies are
all doing. And is that ghost pepper hot sauce he's
(13:32):
putting on it? Oh? Look at that, not even a
hint of smoke coming out of his nostrils. This kid
knows how to do it. They were already climbing back
into the fire truck when Emma hollered after them. It
was a hot dog guys, a hot dog. Eating a
hot dog for breakfast does not make someone a foodie.
The firefighters paid no attention to this, nor did Max.
(13:54):
He was now busy drinking straight from the ghost pepper
hot sauce bottle. Is there seriously no smoke coming out
of my ears yet any signs of glowing embers at
the back of my throat? Like this is getting pretty ridiculous,
don't you think where's my fire? I'm a frown at
the sight of her brother making it look easy. It
felt so unfair. After school, Amma stopped by the farmer's market,
(14:17):
not to buy anything this time, but to say goodbye.
This is it for me, friends. I think I'm done
with food. I mean, I'll still eat it, but there's
no use in caring about the fresh as tastiest foods
and ingredients when you're probably just meant to be eating plain,
boring hot dogs. But don't worry about me, everyone, I'm
sure there are other exciting hobbies out there, like learning
(14:38):
how to use a yo yo, or I don't know,
quilt making. Emma looked over at her friend, who sold
potatoes at the potato stand. It looked like he was
eating a ghost pepper. Oh man, see, everyone's just eating
ghost peppers like it's nothing. If I tried to do that,
I probably explode. Clearly, I'm not the foodie I thought
I was. Ato guy walked over to Emma. Of course
(15:02):
you're a foodie. You love food, all sorts of different foods.
You appreciate the textures, the colors, the smells, and how
the flavors mix together in beautiful, magical ways. So what
if you don't like spice? Very few kids do. That
doesn't change anything. The potato guy grabbed a pepper from
the pepper guy's stand and handed it to Emma. Here,
(15:25):
give this one a try. Emma started to back away.
What kind of sick, cruel joke was this? She had
just had her mouth rinsed out with a fire hose
again because she had just tried eating the least spicy
salsa ever made. The potato guy leaned in, don't worry,
this one isn't spicy. It looks like a hot pepper,
But this one is different. This pepper is special. You see.
(15:49):
Normally I can't eat ghost peppers either. Heck, I once
cry eating mild salsa. But this pepper I'm holding right here,
This one makes it so I can eat a ghost pepper.
It has seeds inside that have a special compound that
gets released when you bite into the pepper. It works
to protect your tongue and stomach from the spice. Think
of it as a spice shield if you will. But
(16:09):
if you try it, keep an eye on the calendar
because it only lasts for about a week and then
it starts to wear off. Emma was hesitant, but decided
to trust the potato guy. She took one bite of
the pepper and felt nothing, no heat. She took another
bite and still felt nothing. Incredible. Then came the real test.
(16:31):
She grabbed a ghost pepper from the Hot Pepper Guy's
stand and took a bite. Emma paused for a moment
and waited. Her mouth felt okay, her throat felt okay.
That other tube that connects the throat to the stomach
and sounds kind of like snuffle off agus felt okay,
and her stomach felt okay. Oh mg, had she just
tossed back the third hottest pepper in the world like
(16:52):
it was a biscuit. Emma had never felt happier spice
or no spice. She was a proud foodie again. Beg
angleefully skipping home, reminding everyone along the way that she
was a foodie. Hey you there, lady watering the flowers,
I am a foodie. Oh oh okay, then well I'm
good for you. Emma had done it. She'd eaten something
(17:17):
spicy and hadn't needed the fire department to come. And
it was all thanks to that strange little pepper whose
name she did not know. If it were up to me,
I'd name that pepper shield deep pooh. Emma suddenly frozen
her tracks. Wait a second, she said to herself, this
explains everything. No wonder Max has been able to eat
(17:39):
hot sauce like it was apple sauce. That must have
been the pepper he ate when he joined me at
the farmer's market last week. It was those last two
words that made Emma quiver last week. Had the potato
guy just said that the pepper special protection only lasts
about a week? And hadn't it now been just about
a week since Emma had brought her brother to the
farmer's market. Oh no, I have to get home. By
(18:03):
the time Emma turned the corner, she realized she was
too late. This time, there was not one, but two
fire trucks parked outside of her house. One of the
trucks had a hose connected to a milk truck, and
there was a firefighter chasing a boy around Emma's front yard.
That boy, of course, was Max. His face was red,
he was dripping in sweat, and it appeared as though
(18:24):
smoke was coming out of his ears. I'll go ahead
and spare you all the details about his nostrils. But
the weird thing was that Max didn't see him upset
at all. He actually seemed happy. Emma. Something happened and
I can finally taste the spice. It's so incredibly hot
and it's so awesome. I took the third hottest pepper,
the second hottest pepper, and the world's number one hottest
(18:47):
pepper and put them all together, and now look what
I can do. Max opened his mouth again, this time
allowing some flames to come out. The fire fighters acted
quickly with their hose before the neighbor's favorite rose bush
caught on fire. Meanwhile, the remaining firefighters were just standing
there cheering for Max. Go dragon breath, Go, Dragon breath, Go,
dragon breath, Go go the end. That's the story, and
(19:16):
as always, I hope you enjoyed it. Now Here is
your question of the week. What level of spice are
you comfortable with? Mild, medium, hot, or dragon breath. That's
all for now. We'll catch you on the next one.
Helloel story Time really not a glory time, Rabbis Dandon,
You'll be fine. Follow the whole storyline. Hellol story Time?
Might you love? Released? One Time? Story Time? Hey everyone,
you're listening to well Ol Storytime, the Goofy story podcast
for kids. Today's story is called Too Spicy and features
(00:21):
characters named after Max and Emma and how about some
shows for some other awesome listeners shout out this week too.
Marcus from Australia, JJ and Tommy from Portland, Oregon, Roone
from California, Jackson from Australia, Molly and Leo from Toronto,
Ala who listens with her hamster Clover and Victoria, Canada.
(00:44):
Casey and his brother Carson from Nova Scotia, Canada, Maton,
Danny and Rapa Portnoy from Hillside, New Jersey, Joanna and
Liam Pinkwart from Toronto, and Gabe from Newton, Massachusetts, who
listens every night with his dog Daisy. We'll have more
shutts to come next time, but for now, let's get
(01:05):
into the story. This is the story of Max and Emma,
twins with very different tastes, especially when it came to food.
Emma was what the grown ups called a foodie a
person who loves trying different foods from all over the world,
(01:25):
appreciating the unique flavors, textures, and colors, though some kids
would call it a person who eats weird food even
when their parents aren't forcing them. Max was not a foodie.
Max liked hot dogs. Emma knew how to cook. Her
favorite thing to make was a grilled chicken pesto pinini
with caramelized onions. Max did not cook, though we sometimes
(01:48):
helped take the hot dog buns out of the bag
for dinner. Emma liked having multiple courses appetizers, salads, entrees,
palate cleansers, and the most decadent of desserts. Also liked
having multiple things for dinner, multiple hot dogs. One day,
Emma came to Max with what she thought was some
pretty exciting news. Yo, Max, Mom and dad just said
(02:11):
we're allowed to go to the farmer's market by ourselves today.
Max stood there waiting for his sister to add the
fun part. Emma, did Mom and dad also give us
permission to not go to the farmer's market because that
could be fun too. I'm willing to bet a lot
more fun. Emma loved going to the Farmer's Market every week.
It was a whole experience, a total vibe, as some
(02:34):
might say, vegetables with traces of soil still on them,
fresh herbs that reminded her of her favorite garnishes, and
glass jars filled with jams, honeys, relishes and pickled beets.
But it was also about the people, people who appreciated wholesome,
high quality food. Do they sell hot dogs at the
Farmer's Market? Asked Max. Emma had never seen hot dogs
(02:56):
at the farmer's market before, but who's to say there
wouldn't be a guy say hot dogs there this time?
They might have hot dogs, answered Emma, even though she
didn't actually believe it. But you'll never know unless you
come with me to find out. To Emma's delight, Max agreed,
and surprisingly he did a pretty good job of keeping
the whining and complaining to a minimum, though it was
(03:19):
a little embarrassing when he asked every single vendor at
the market if they had any hot dogs hot dogs
new But I do have some fresh potatoes, or perhaps
I could interest you in a jar of pickles, how
about both? Ever, tried to pickle and potato sandwich before.
You haven't lived until you've had a pickle and potato sandwich.
Emma grabbed some potatoes and added them to her basket. Emma,
(03:42):
I can't believe you're spending your own money on food,
especially this kind of food. You do know the food
at home is free, right? Emma ignored her brother and
kept on shopping. Then they reached a very special part
of the market. This was what Emma most wanted Max
to see. A stand full of some of the words
hot as spiciest peppers, Hot peppers in all different sizes
(04:03):
and colors. Aren't they beautiful? Asked Emma. Someday, I hope
to be able to try one. It's been my ultimate
dream since becoming a foodie. Max could not understand how
someone could dream about eating a pepper. What a silly dream.
There were peppers right there in front of them. What
was stopping her? Did he really have to teach his
foody sister how to eat a pepper? Max grabbed one
(04:26):
from the stand, completely ignoring all the warning signs about
how hot and spicy they were. Emma nearly screamed, Ah,
what are you doing? Don't eat that, but it was
too late. Max had already taken a huge bite Emma
stepped back. Oh no, what have you done? Max shrugged.
(04:47):
What you're not allowed to sample before you buy? Emma
explained that these were hot peppers. The spice would be
kicking in any minute now, making his mouth feel like
it was on fire. But instead of panicking, Max slid up. Wait,
like actual fire, like breathing fire, like a dragon would do.
(05:08):
He imagined people calling him dragon breath away, cooler nickname
than Maxie, which was what people usually called him. To
help get the fire going, he took a few more
bites of the pepper, and then it hit him, well,
something hit him. He got knocked down to the ground.
As he slowly sat up, he realized it was his
sister who had tackled him. Why are you not listening,
(05:30):
she cried, These are really hot peppers. People who are
not used to spicy food should not be eating really
hot peppers. I'm a foodie and even I wouldn't dare
eat one. Whatever you do, do not take another bite.
Max looked up. Well, there aren't any bites left to take.
It's just the stem. Did people eat the stem? Seems
(05:52):
like kind of a weird thing to eat the stem,
But you tell me you're the foodie. You weren't supposed
to eat any of it, cried Emma. Didn't you see
all the signs and the pictures with the flames. Emma
ran over to the guy at the potato stand and
boorrowed his phone. A short while later, Max heard fire
truck sirens. Firefighters burst into the farmer's market, searching for
(06:15):
the fire. Emma told them everything that had happened. Wait,
your brother took a bite of a pepper from the
hot pepper, guy asked one of the firefighters, and you say,
he ate all the bites. He then turned to the others.
Get the hose. We've got a fire to put out.
Max barely had time to ask what's the hose for
(06:37):
before being blasted in the face with water. Now, if
you've never seen a kid having his mouth rinsed out
using a fire hose before, just imagine someone's lips flapping
around like as if a chimpanzee was riding on a
roller coaster. And for any firefighters listening with your kids
right now, please don't try this at home. Max stood
up soaked. He began shaking water off like a dog.
(07:00):
What was that for? My mouth wasn't burning. I only
ate one pepper and it didn't feel like anything. One
firefighter turned to another, Wow, kid eats a hot pepper
from the hot pepper guy and doesn't even flinch. Must
be one of those foodies. The other nodded. Wait, he's
not the foodie I am, said Emma. They looked skeptical.
(07:24):
Are you able to handle a hot pepper from the
hot pepper guy? Emma's head sank. No, well not yet,
she muttered. The firefighters packed up, gave each other high fives,
and walked out of there like superheroes. He only eats
hot dogs, you know, Emma shouted after them, but no
(07:45):
one heard that evening Emma sat at the dinner table,
just picking at her food. Is something wrong, Emma? Her
mom asked. Is it overcooked? Undercooked? Too salty? Not enough salt?
Oh no, did I burn it? What? Emma wasn't normally
one to complain. Even if she didn't like something, she
could usually help fix it. She was a foodie after all,
(08:08):
or so, she thought. I don't know, guys, the food's fine,
I guess, and she should have just stopped there. But
then she added, maybe I could use a little more heat.
It's not very spicy. Max and Emma's parents looked at
each other. Emma had always told them she wasn't ready
for spicy food, but who were they to argue she
(08:30):
was the foodie. Their dad walked over to the fridge
and grabbed a bottle of hot sauce. Max took the
bottle first, poured a few drops on his hot dog,
and took a bite. No complaints, told everyone it tasted good.
So Emma decided to one up her brother by adding
even more hot sauce to her meal. Well, let me
tell you, she hadn't even finished the first bite when
(08:52):
the spice hit her like a ton of bricks. Her
ears felt like they were smoking her mouth. Oh gosh,
her poor mouth. She was afraid to w open it,
for if she did, fire might come out. Emma's mom panicked,
what's happening? What's happening? A phone call was made, and
a few minutes later, another fire truck showed up. Now,
remember before when I told you to picture a chimpanzee's
(09:14):
mouth on a roller coaster, lips flapping about, gums fully exposed.
Well do that again, but this time with Emma. After
the firefighters had finished renting her mouth, they handed her
a glass of milk. Totally forgot the milk last time.
One said, milk is your best friend when it comes
to spicy food. There's something in the milk that does
(09:36):
something to the something. I don't remember the science, but
trust me, it helps. The firefighters gave themselves more high
fives as they made their way back to the truck.
Emma glared at her brother, who was bone dry happily
eating a hot dog with even more hot sauce on it.
How does your milk not feel like it's on fire,
she asked, Tell me about it, said Max, piling on
(10:00):
the hot sauce. But I still can't breathe fire. How
am I supposed to earn the nickname dragon breath if
I can't even breathe fire. Emma wouldn't wish what she
had just felt on her worst enemy, But as much
as she tried not to, Emma couldn't help but envy
her brother. Being able to handle a pepper from the
Hot Pepper Guy was her ultimate foodie goal, and yet
(10:21):
here was Max, someone who didn't even care about food,
acting like putting something spicy in his mouth was no
different than breathing in some fresh air at bedtime. Their
dad told Emma a story. But the first time he
ate spicy food as a child. The year was nineteen,
I don't even know, and someone had just handed me
a plate of chicken wings. But what they failed to
(10:41):
tell me was that these chicken wings were the super
spicy kind. Well, I took one bite, and at first
everything was okay. But then it hit me. My mouth
started to feel like I had just kissed the sun,
like with one of those long, smoochy kind of kisses. Girl,
My ears were smoking, My no was running like a faucet. Gross, Dad,
(11:03):
I didn't need to know that part. The point is
I wasn't ready for all that spice. You can't start
with the hottest stuff. It's like trying to climb Mount
Bubbado when you haven't even climbed Mount Fluefalou. You have
to work your way up small mountains first, then the
big ones. Emma had never in her life heard of
(11:24):
Mount Bubbado or Mount Flufalou. Dad, are you saying I
need to find myself the ant hill of spice? Now
you are ready to begin in the morning, I'm gonna
decided no better time than the present to begin training
herself to handle spicy foods. When her brother walked into
the kitchen, he did a complete double take. Are you
(11:45):
eating nachos for breakfast? Isn't that a little weird? Amma
explained her plan. It's like training to climb a really
big mountain. You want to climb Mount Bubbadoo or fluefe Loof,
but you're not ready yet, so you climb a smaller mountain.
Then each day you climb a mountain slightly bigger than
the day before. Before you know it, you can eat
(12:06):
a whole ghost pepper without crying for your mommy. Max
wasn't sure what was up with all the mountain talk,
but he was excited to hear about ghost peppers. Speaking
of ghost peppers, I had Mom buy a whole bottle
of hot sauce made from ghost peppers. Maybe that'll get
me breathing fire. Ghost peppers are the third hottest pepper
in the world. You know. Emmo wins at the thought
(12:27):
of her brother tossing back a ghost pepper like it
was a cracker. Max took the jar of salsa Mo's holding. Wait,
the label says milder than mild. There's also a picture
of a penguin shivering. Are you sure you're not starting
out a little too easy. You might not think Max
was wrong for saying that, After all, mild means the
(12:49):
opposite of spicy, And yet five minutes later, there he
was calling the fire department again. Hot hot, Why does
it feel so hot? Chose the least spicy salsa, and
my mouth still feels like it's on fire. The firefighters
giggled when they arrived and saw the label on Emma's
jar of salsa. How was this girl sweating so much
(13:11):
after eating mild salsa? It looked like a rain cloud
had just dumped a gallon of water on her. And
how is the boy sitting next to her adding ghost
pepper hot sauce to his morning hot dog? Wow, I've
never seen a kid eat a hot dog for breakfast before.
Must be one of those trendy things the foodies are
all doing. And is that ghost pepper hot sauce he's
(13:32):
putting on it? Oh? Look at that, not even a
hint of smoke coming out of his nostrils. This kid
knows how to do it. They were already climbing back
into the fire truck when Emma hollered after them. It
was a hot dog guys, a hot dog. Eating a
hot dog for breakfast does not make someone a foodie.
The firefighters paid no attention to this, nor did Max.
(13:54):
He was now busy drinking straight from the ghost pepper
hot sauce bottle. Is there seriously no smoke coming out
of my ears yet any signs of glowing embers at
the back of my throat? Like this is getting pretty ridiculous,
don't you think where's my fire? I'm a frown at
the sight of her brother making it look easy. It
felt so unfair. After school, Amma stopped by the farmer's market,
(14:17):
not to buy anything this time, but to say goodbye.
This is it for me, friends. I think I'm done
with food. I mean, I'll still eat it, but there's
no use in caring about the fresh as tastiest foods
and ingredients when you're probably just meant to be eating plain,
boring hot dogs. But don't worry about me, everyone, I'm
sure there are other exciting hobbies out there, like learning
(14:38):
how to use a yo yo, or I don't know,
quilt making. Emma looked over at her friend, who sold
potatoes at the potato stand. It looked like he was
eating a ghost pepper. Oh man, see, everyone's just eating
ghost peppers like it's nothing. If I tried to do that,
I probably explode. Clearly, I'm not the foodie I thought
I was. Ato guy walked over to Emma. Of course
(15:02):
you're a foodie. You love food, all sorts of different foods.
You appreciate the textures, the colors, the smells, and how
the flavors mix together in beautiful, magical ways. So what
if you don't like spice? Very few kids do. That
doesn't change anything. The potato guy grabbed a pepper from
the pepper guy's stand and handed it to Emma. Here,
(15:25):
give this one a try. Emma started to back away.
What kind of sick, cruel joke was this? She had
just had her mouth rinsed out with a fire hose
again because she had just tried eating the least spicy
salsa ever made. The potato guy leaned in, don't worry,
this one isn't spicy. It looks like a hot pepper,
But this one is different. This pepper is special. You see.
(15:49):
Normally I can't eat ghost peppers either. Heck, I once
cry eating mild salsa. But this pepper I'm holding right here,
This one makes it so I can eat a ghost pepper.
It has seeds inside that have a special compound that
gets released when you bite into the pepper. It works
to protect your tongue and stomach from the spice. Think
of it as a spice shield if you will. But
(16:09):
if you try it, keep an eye on the calendar
because it only lasts for about a week and then
it starts to wear off. Emma was hesitant, but decided
to trust the potato guy. She took one bite of
the pepper and felt nothing, no heat. She took another
bite and still felt nothing. Incredible. Then came the real test.
(16:31):
She grabbed a ghost pepper from the Hot Pepper Guy's
stand and took a bite. Emma paused for a moment
and waited. Her mouth felt okay, her throat felt okay.
That other tube that connects the throat to the stomach
and sounds kind of like snuffle off agus felt okay,
and her stomach felt okay. Oh mg, had she just
tossed back the third hottest pepper in the world like
(16:52):
it was a biscuit. Emma had never felt happier spice
or no spice. She was a proud foodie again. Beg
angleefully skipping home, reminding everyone along the way that she
was a foodie. Hey you there, lady watering the flowers,
I am a foodie. Oh oh okay, then well I'm
good for you. Emma had done it. She'd eaten something
(17:17):
spicy and hadn't needed the fire department to come. And
it was all thanks to that strange little pepper whose
name she did not know. If it were up to me,
I'd name that pepper shield deep pooh. Emma suddenly frozen
her tracks. Wait a second, she said to herself, this
explains everything. No wonder Max has been able to eat
(17:39):
hot sauce like it was apple sauce. That must have
been the pepper he ate when he joined me at
the farmer's market last week. It was those last two
words that made Emma quiver last week. Had the potato
guy just said that the pepper special protection only lasts
about a week? And hadn't it now been just about
a week since Emma had brought her brother to the
farmer's market. Oh no, I have to get home. By
(18:03):
the time Emma turned the corner, she realized she was
too late. This time, there was not one, but two
fire trucks parked outside of her house. One of the
trucks had a hose connected to a milk truck, and
there was a firefighter chasing a boy around Emma's front yard.
That boy, of course, was Max. His face was red,
he was dripping in sweat, and it appeared as though
(18:24):
smoke was coming out of his ears. I'll go ahead
and spare you all the details about his nostrils. But
the weird thing was that Max didn't see him upset
at all. He actually seemed happy. Emma. Something happened and
I can finally taste the spice. It's so incredibly hot
and it's so awesome. I took the third hottest pepper,
the second hottest pepper, and the world's number one hottest
(18:47):
pepper and put them all together, and now look what
I can do. Max opened his mouth again, this time
allowing some flames to come out. The fire fighters acted
quickly with their hose before the neighbor's favorite rose bush
caught on fire. Meanwhile, the remaining firefighters were just standing
there cheering for Max. Go dragon breath, Go, Dragon breath, Go,
dragon breath, Go go the end. That's the story, and
(19:16):
as always, I hope you enjoyed it. Now Here is
your question of the week. What level of spice are
you comfortable with? Mild, medium, hot, or dragon breath. That's
all for now. We'll catch you on the next one.
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