2007 Canada Day

July 1, 2007 The Third Annual that's Beijing Chili Pepper Eating Contest garnered the undivided attention of a huge Canada Day crowd this past Sunday. After 5 minutes of non-stop chili eating carnage, Adam and Yulin Zhao walked away with the coveted crown of Chili King and Queen of Beijing by choking down 60 peppers, besting a field of 11 contestants hailing from Canada, China, USA, Australia and France. Second place and the title of Beijing’s Pepper Prince went to James, who ended up with 37 peppers in his gut. In third place was Jessie, who managed to inhale 29 peppers. Each contestant was awarded gift certificates to continue their spicy obsessions at Beijing's best Indian, Malaysian/Singaporean and Thai food hotspots: The Taj Pavilion, Cafe Sambal and Purple Haze Thai Restaurant & Bar. Contestants also received a copy of Immersion Guides newest release, “Spicy Chinese Cuisine” – A Restaurant Ordering Guide as well as a that’s BeijingI like it Hot and Spicy! t-shirt courtesy of Plastered t-shirts.

The final tally:
Yulin Zhao 60
Adam 60
James 37
Jessie 29
Maggie Huang 21
Jason 21
Jone Luo 20
Lily 20
Terry 16
Yoyo 12
Petter Swartz 10

Photos by Simon Lim