On a cool afternoon, Kate Haskell’s classroom was anything but—in fact, it was hot, flaming hot. This was the second annual spicy noodle challenge, hosted by the Asian Culture Club (ACC), but this time with a new twist to the original tradition.
Competitors were able to choose between two levels of competition: either “have your mouth burned” or “have your mouth burned twice as bad,” either a “hot” or “double hot” noodle spice.
Stratifying the competition began as an “idea [the club officers] thought would be really fun after people really enjoyed the event” last year, according to Asian Culture Club advisor, Julie Fox.
With spicy on one side of the room and double spicy on the other, people eagerly awaited to chow down on noodles in hopes of receiving a Dunkin’ Donuts gift card. This year, about 20 competitors came, with tickets available for spectators costing only $5.
Although competitor Santiago Portillo did not win this year, he “didn’t regret [participating]” because “it was fun seeing others going through the same pain as [he was going through].”
Portillo says that he had a plan to win. He planned on not using utensils, instead planning to use his hands to swallow the noodles “as soon as possible so [he could] win the gift card and deal with the pain afterward.” But clearly, he was mistaken. “As someone who isn’t good at eating spicy food, [he] was wrong,” he reflects.
A new addition to the competition was Joseph Luongo, one of Malden High’s art teachers. Fox states that he is “one of the only teachers who participated,” noting that she urges each year other teachers to think about joining the competition. Fox says that “he is a much braver man than [she] is.”
This is not the ACC’s only event, however. The Spicy Noodle Challenge is meant mainly to raise money and awareness for the club’s other activities. Their “biggest” event, according to Ms. Fox, is the Lunar New Year Festival in which they pair up with Chinese Culture Connection.
Chinese Culture Connection (CCC) has been based in Malden since 1999, and has been a long time partner with Malden High students. They focus on improving harmony between cultures, and “build bridges between American and Chinese people through interactive educational programs,” according to their website.
May Hung from the CCC is a collaborator with the ACC, bringing many people from across Boston to perform in the Lunar New Year Festival. The event itself is comparable to a talent show but showcases exclusively Asian culture. The ACC is already preparing for the event, which will take place in February of 2019.
Asian Culture Club is also looking to do more events promoting Asian culture alongside the CCC to further extend the impact of their efforts. They are considering food and clothing workshops, but the details of these events are still not concrete.
In the words of Santiago Portillo, students are “definitely down” to attend future events hosted by the Asian Culture Club.
