A California-based woman is suing a Thai restaurant over an intensely spicy dish called ‘dragon balls,’ claiming it caused permanent bodily harm and is ‘unfit for human consumption’. Neurologist Harjasleen Walia alleges she suffered serious health issues after eating the dish on July 15, 2021. Despite being aware of its spiciness and requesting a milder version, she claims the dish caused chemical burns to her vocal cords, nostril, and esophagus. The restaurant, Coup de Thai in San Jose, California, caters to those who enjoy hot and spicy food and denies using excessive chili spice in the dish. They have not received prior complaints about the dish causing medical issues. The lawsuit seeks compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings, and legal costs.

Our Take

I call BS. This woman sounds like the LAST person I’d ever want to hang out with and is also a representation of the decrepit state of things across much of the US. People seem to sue each other for everything over there.

In fact, this whole concept actually ties in nicely to a point I was chatting with my parents about while they were here…

In my experience at least, I’ve noticed that people aren’t out to screw each other nearly as much over here. Yes… there’s bad actors here, I get that. There’s also lots of shady business here in Thailand that’s extremely cut-throat, I get that to.

In general though, I find Thailand is a MUCH more relaxed society when it comes to things like this. Just last week one of my friends made a mistake on his motorbike and dinged a parked car. He left a note with his number, the owner of the car called and got a fair quote to fix the damage, my friend sent him a bank transfer to cover all costs right away. No overselling things. No lawsuits. No anger. No yelling. Just two adults acting reasonably with one another.

If something like this happened in the US, it’s extremely likely that the ‘victim’ would use it as an opportunity to get as much money as possible and try to be the ‘winner’ in the situation. The lady that’s suing the Thai restaurant is a perfect example of that and it couldn’t be more lame.

I get that I’m generalizing here, but if you’ve ever spent any amount of time in Thailand, you know what I mean.