On a particular Sunday night, I was messaged about an opportunity to test out spicy ramen. You're probably thinking it was from a random phone advertisement by this point. In reality, an acquaintance, from one of many organizations I'm a part of, offered me it to me. The restaurant he was working at -- Nishiki Ramen -- was looking for people to participate in a marketing campaign related to their upcoming dish. On the participants' end, our reactions and progress with the dish would be recorded to help with that

With the prospect of having free food, and spicy at that, how can I possibly refuse that? After accepting the offer, I was told that I needed to be at the restaurant by 2 p.m. As the week moved forward, I was actually filled with anticipation towards doing this. I wasn't actually aware of the details of the challenge at the time, but to be honest I was more concerned about on how spicy and tasty it would be. This was fairly relevant for me, as I always took pride in ordering some of the spiciest meals at restaurants. Heck, the last challenge I ended up doing was the six-minute Blazin' Wing Challenge. Not only did I manage to beat the challenge, but I did in less than three minutes.

When Wednesday came around, I immediately headed over to Nishiki Ramen -- which is in the Convoy District -- and arrived there slightly late, due to taking public transportation. As I arrived, I was immediately handed a release form for the use of my image for the campaign and liability agreement of sorts if I were to get sick afterward. After getting that squared away, I got to see the others try out the dish and see hear their opinion on the dish. It was pretty consistent before I tried it: the taste was enhanced by the spices the spices that were used, but they couldn't go on because of how overwhelming it was and that the broth itself was quite hot.

At that point three of the participants quit around a third of the way, with noticeable tears and congestion. You'd think that would deter me, but it actually made me that much more excited for the ramen.

Then it was my turn. Like those who were before me, I was given fifteen minutes to finish this dish. I decided that the first thing I should do was to eat all the meat present in the dish, as I felt it would give me a proper taste of the meal than the noodles. And it definitely didn't disappoint. As I went along towards the noodle, I felt the heat of the broth and keenly felt how it would be an issue. I resolved to carry out the noodles as much as I can out of the broth, which consumed time but got me through it cleanly.

Thirteen minutes go by and I'm left with and I'm left with the broth. Unfortunately due to the shape of the bowl, it was difficult to drink out it and I ran out of time. On the bright side, I did finish a majority of the bowl and gained a lot of respect for not quitting. If anything, one of the restaurant �workers called me a monster for having successfully finished that much, to begin with. It also helped that I ended up getting paid for getting involved too.

As this tale comes to a close, I urge my fellow spicy food lovers to attempt their upcoming challenge at Nishiki Ramen. As their greatest selling point for this dish is that if anyone completes the challenge, you will have that dish for free. That's an opportunity you should NOT pass up! My only advice is to come ready with an empty stomach and enjoy the kind of pleasure any great dish can give you.