In the spirit of ridiculous food challenges, I've decided to build up my tolerance for spicy food. I think it's possible. When I was a kid, I was a total spice wuss, and now I can eat like a real man. Maybe that's just the senses dulling with age, but the last few times I've ordered the "hot" wings at the neighborhood wings joint I barely noticed the spice. (Of course, when I took a step up and got extra hot they made me cry.) The goal is to down a five star dish at PeemKaew Thai by July 1st. I knocked it up to four on Tuesday and it was only a little past my comfort level—plenty of snot, but no tears. So my training for this challenge consists only of putting as much hot sauce as I can stand on everything I eat. Can one develop a resistance to capsaicin? Or does it only happen as a child—if you're not born in India you'll never be able to eat real Indian food?

And if I can do the five stars at PK, can I beat El Jefe at the wings joint?