On Saturday afternoon I experienced the very cold and the very hot. They were not equally redemptive. My dear old friend Poney flew in from Ithaca on Friday, and on Saturday we went with Jiwon up to Red Rock Beach in Marin. Many people go to Northern California beaches, but not many go in the water. The water's circulating down from the Gulf of Alaska, and compared to the Atlantic coast, it's frigid. Surfers here wear wetsuits year-round. Anyway, I followed Poney into the roiling surf, and we baptized ourselves in the Pacific. Once all the way in, shocking cold turned downright invigorating, and once back in the sun, I was rewarded with full body tingles.
From the beach, we drove in to San Francisco to eat. We hit a Mexican place near Mission & 25th, and while waiting for our food, curious Poney started eyeing the bowl of green chiles on the table. He grabbed one and took a bite. I did the same, chewing and swishing it around my mouth. As my mouth started to get hot, I swallowed. It got hotter, and HOTTER.
45 seconds in, my eyes fill with tears. I try ice water, but of course it does nothing. At the one minute mark, it starts to feel like a chemical burn. The next five minutes feel like five hours. Five excruciating hours. When it finally starts to subside, I am grateful as I wipe my runny eyes and nose, and breathe into my tensed muscles. And then the food came, and it was great. Whew, did that ever hurt.
Posted by Jason at May 23, 2005 11:28 PM | TrackBack