Are You Spicy Enough For Moon?

Moon Krapugthong takes her cooking seriously. In discussing her fifth annual spicy contest at , the Manayunk merchant adopts a solemn countenance.

"In the kitchen, it gets scary. The contestants don't want to give up... And we have to test everything still. So it's not just entertaining us. We've got quite the assignment," she said.

Throughout February, eaters at the Main Street Thai restaurant can challenge themselves to see how much spice they can really handle. Daily, customers think they can withstand Krapugthong's spicy onslaught.

"When a customer asks for 10-star," which is super hot, "the kitchen is like, 'Really?' American standard or Thai standard?" she said, adding she often keeps her spice at a more conservative level most of the year. "Don't underestimate our food. It can be really, really spicy."

Started in 2005, Krapugthong came up with the idea to give customers that spice they demand. "Why don't we challenge them and have them compete against each other?"

The contest's buzz, and its rules, have grown over the past decade. After a hiatus for a few years, Krapugthong reinstated the contest for the first time since 2008.

Now, there's waiver agreement and several protections against contestants trying to gain the upper hand, like: "Contestants may not chew gum, ingest pills of any kind, drink milk or consume any other type of 'special' drinks/liquid that might contain sugar or other substances that provide relief from spicy food or numb the taste buds."

The preliminary round started Jan. 23 and lasts until Feb. 29. Customers order off a three-course prix fixe menu for $20. Waiters judge contestants on how much and how well they polish off the Tom Yum soup or Num Tok salad and the entree choice of basil fried rice or crazy noodles (the dessert is a reprieve—Kanom Touy).

Waiters and Krapugthong are tough judges.

"If I see your face and you cry all the time to finish the dish, but the other person who finishes the dish has the same stars and is not crying—of course, he has higher tolerance and gets more points," she said.

Points are awarded, and the leaderboard will be updated weekly on the Chabaa Thai Facebook page. The top 10 advance to the final round March 13, where a new slate begins. That slugfest is a 40-minute spice faceoff among the finalists. However, there are no ties, so on-the-fly wrenches could appear from the Chabaa panel.

Two eaters accepted the challenges Tuesday night and opted for the spicy beef salad. Both contestants, from Conshohocken and Center City, came to Manayunk specifically for the meal. The wait staff was impressed, but one eater was clearly sweating more than the other.

For a serious contest, there's a serious prize—$1,000 for first place ($500 in cash, and a $500 donation to the winner's charity). Second ($300) and third place ($100) receive rewards split in half between gift cards and cash.

Like in most competitive endeavors, you either possess natural abilities or you don't. Krapugthong's big tip: Don't wipe your face.

Krapugthong emphasized this contest is for amateurs—Kobayashi won't walk through the door.

"We ask if it's too much, you've got to quit. You've got to know where to stop," she said.

For more information on the contest, visit Chabaa Thai's website.