There are many foods that the Maasai prefer not to eat, but there are two general categories which are the very worst: anything cold, and anything spicy. So what better way to spend our day off than a quick tour of Avery Island and its world famous Tabasco Factory. Our friend Ezekiel is more sensitive to both these categories of food than any of the others with us on tour, or at least more vocal about it. So with the help of the rest of the choir we decided to introduce him to Jalapeno ice-cream. Maliaki braved the first spoonful and forced a deceptively encouraging smile so Ezekiel wouldn’t catch on to the horror awaiting him. We all watched with glee as Ezekiel shoved a loaded spoonful into his mouth and then proceeded to dance around the souvenir shop, with his shuka in his mouth trying to rub the taste off his tongue.

When he was at last able to speak again he labeled Jeremy Feser (the main culprit behind the jest) a very bad person, and demanded a soda to help him with his burning mouth. One chili cola later and our work was done. A big thanks to the Reauxs for orchestrating our day of fun and to the McIlhenny family for providing us with a story that becomes more and more amusing with every retelling.