The popular Thai food restaurant, 'Coup de Thai', located in Los Gatos, California, is facing a lawsuit. A customer claims to have suffered "permanent bodily harm" caused by one of her extremely spicy dishes, the famous "Dragon Balls".
Harjasleen Walia, a San Jose area neurologist and customer of the restaurant, filed the complaint with Superior Court of Santa Clara County, alleging negligence and emotional distress. Understand the situation below!
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Pepper, lots of pepper
According to the lawsuit, Walia visited the restaurant on July 15, 2021 and ordered the "Dragon Balls" appetizer, despite not tolerating very spicy dishes.
The dish consists of Meatballs chicken breasts, prepared with green onion, kaffir lime leaves, coriander, pepper and rice.
Coup de Thai's online menu alerts customers to the dish's heat level, accompanied by an image of a Red pepper, indicating its level of spiciness.
Shortly after trying the dish, Walia reported an intense burning sensation in her mouth, throat, nose and roof of the mouth, describing the experience as “intense burning, as if you were catching fire".
The suit states that the client suffered chemical burns to her vocal cords, middle turbinate of her right nostril, and esophagus, resulting in permanent damage to her body.
(Image: Google Maps/Marti L./Yelp/playback)
The lawsuit also mentions that the restaurantI was not prepared to deal with the client's adverse reaction. It further states that more than two dozen individuals, including waiters, chefs, bartenders and shoppers, can be held responsible for having influenced, designed, prepared or participated in the creation of the dish offensive.
The Thai hotness scale rates the pepper used in Dragon Balls between 50,000 and 250,000 heat units. heat, making it significantly spicier than the jalapeño pepper, which ranges between 2,500 and 5,000 units of heat.
The Coup de Thai restaurant is known for attracting customers looking for intense gastronomic experiences and promises “true revolutions of the senses” with its thai cuisine authentic.
Dragon Balls are popular items on the menu and have received rave reviews from many happy customers, who have described the delicacy as "heavenly".
Claimant client, Harjasleen Walia, is seeking general damages in addition to compensation for medical expenses, loss of earnings and legal costs arising from damage caused by the dish spicy. As of writing, neither Walia nor Coup de Thai have publicly responded to the request for comment.
The case is drawing attention to the responsibility of restaurants to provide clear information about levels of pepper in dishes, in addition to emphasizing the importance of customers being aware of their dietary preferences and personal restrictions before making their requests.
Still, the controversy surrounding Dragon Balls highlights the fine line that separates offering authentic culinary experiences and ensuring customer safety and satisfaction.
The outcome of this process could have significant implications for the food industry and for restaurants offering spicy dishes.
