By Mike Hall

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

As with many things, there is a right way and a wrong way to eat a spicy hot Porubsky pickle.

And the first-timers were easy to tell from the veterans as a film crew recorded the reactions of people on S. Kansas Avenue taste- testing the pickle slices Friday.

“The secret is not to breathe in,” said Cory Ingham, a veteran.

He said he often brings the hot pickles to his office for holidays. Eating them becomes a contest to determine who can eat the most, as well as keep them down.

“That’s always like a test of manhood,” Ingham said.

Some of the taste-testers likely will be included in a documentary about C.W. Porubsky’s Deli & Tavern at 508 N.E. Sardou Ave. The film will be titled, “Porubsky’s — Transcendent Deli.”

Porubsky’s is one of 24 finalists in the Eight Wonders of Kansas Cuisine competition, sponsored by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. A Topeka institution for 60 years, Porubsky’s is known for its cold cuts, chili and hot pickles.

Matt Porubsky, a grandson of the founders, Charlie and Lydia Porubsky, is working with David Kitchner to produce the documentary. Matt is a natural as an entertaining interviewer, throwing in remarks to pickle eaters, such as, “What’s the spirituality of this pickle?” and “You’ve got to talk through the pain.”

Many who passed by on the sidewalk declined the offer of a chance at stardom by getting red in the face eating a pickle slice.

Some who tried, failed. One young man had to spit his pickle out after chewing it a little.

“No way,” he said. “Ridiculous. I like spicy food. That is beyond spicy.”

But the ability to endure, and even enjoy, the experience wasn’t limited to those testing their manhood. A number of women took the test and passed easily.

Former Topeka City Council candidate Beth Cooper, on her way to lunch, was the first to eat three slices. That began a competition of sorts among hot pickle eaters. Washburn University professor Tom Averill, told that Cooper had eaten three, took the challenge and ate four. Then, in an effort to secure the record, he ate a fifth.

But it didn’t last. Along came Lester Herzog, who ate 10. Cooper, returning to work after her lunch, asked if her record of three still held. When told the record was 10, she decided not to launch a challenge. She did, however, take one more slice.

Many tasters did a poor job of hiding the fact they were in pain. One of the few honest ones was 5-year-old Alicia Lynn Miller. Her father allowed her to take a small bite of one of the slices. When Porubsky asked if it was too hot, she said no.

However, two minutes later, she told a Topeka Capital-Journal reporter, “I was kidding.”

Averill, claiming to be an aficionado, explained the appeal of eating such spicy treats.

They cause a shock to the system that causes the body to produce endorphins, he explained. Endorphins have a calming effect on people, he said.

Mike Hall can be reached at (785) 295-1209 or mike.hall@cjonline.com.