Woman sues Bay Area restaurant over spicy dish 'dangerous to life'

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https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/bay-area-restaurant-sued-chemical-burns-18207827.php



A customer has sued a Los Gatos restaurant, alleging that an appetizer was so spicy that it gave her chemical burns on her vocal cords, nostril and esophagus, requiring her to seek medical attention.

The lawsuit, which was filed at the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County on July 3, asserts that the customer has had ongoing health issues and loss of earnings since visiting Coup de Thai restaurant back in July 2021. At the time of her visit, the customer says she ate “Dragon Balls” — a spicy chicken appetizer prepared with dried Thai peppers — and instantly “felt her entire mouth, the roof of her mouth, her tongue, her throat and her nose burn like fire,” the lawsuit reads.

Thai chilis, which are also known as bird’s eye chilis, can range from 50,000 to 250,000 heat units on the Scoville scale, according to Thrillist. For reference, jalapeños range between 2,500 and 5,000 heat units.

“Harjasleen Walia was poisoned, made ill and burned necessitating medical care,” the lawsuit, which was first reported on by Bay Area News Group and reviewed by SFGATE, said. “Her throat and voice has been damaged. She incurred permanent injuries and will forever be damaged to her body.”

Walia is suing more than two dozen people, including the Coup de Thai owner, the chef, the server and anyone else who “influenced, designed, prepared, or participated in creating the Dragon Ball dish,” the lawsuit says. Coup de Thai declined to comment to SFGATE on the lawsuit, but a supervisor at the restaurant told Bay Area News Group, “We do not use too much chili spice in Dragon Balls,” and that the restaurant had no previous reports of the dish causing someone to seek medical attention.