So if you know me, you know how I’m constantly on the lookout for a bargain. Be it clothing, food, furniture, you name it, I’m looking for a great deal. As it happens, a friend recently informed me of a way to get a lot of vegetables for an extremely low price from a farm near Ndola.

So two other friends (Western friends that is) and I decided to get this box of vegetables and split it up and see what kind of joy would come from new foods. This week the box arrived. All kinds of great things appeared: onions, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, potatoes, corn, and several other things – including eggplant, which I was very excited to make in remembrance of my China days!!

Among these items was a bag of tiny green jalapeño looking peppers. And this is where the great fun began. The three of us decided to have dinner together and opted for a Chinese stir-fry, sweet and sour kinda deal. We included all these random vegetables, along with these tiny little green peppers we were unsure about.

As we began our meal, I was the first to take a bite of one of these peppers. Again, if you know me, you know my extremely low tolerance for spicy foods. Immediately my throat, tongue, and entire mouth were on fire. My eyes were watering and my face felt like it was burning. I grabbed for the water, but if any of you have experienced this, you know that water does not solve this problem. I told my friends the peppers were hot. They asked how hot. I just said I thought they were hot and explained my low tolerance for spicy foods.

So they both speared a pepper and took a bite. And let’s just say that my low tolerance was not the issue. These peppers were HOT. They both also immediately grabbed for water, and we started shoving rice in our mouths, hoping that would relieve some of the pain. After about ten or so minutes, our mouths had finally cooled and we were able to actually enjoy the food we were eating. Quite tasty when you leave out those tiny little pretty looking green peppers!!

However, I received ridicule for the rest of the evening because my warning was not strong enough about the intensity of these peppers. I finished the meal with tears in my eyes, partly from the peppers, party from laughing about the hilarity of the entire situation.

My only question is this: Why on earth are these peppers grown here? Zambian food is one of the non spiciest things I have ever tasted in my life. I’m still pondering that one. So a laugh till you cry evening, followed with the absolutely perfect ending: Harry Potter Number 6!!! And the decision to ask for those peppers to be omitted from future boxes of vegetables we purchase!