What a dummkopf!<\/p>\n
A German tourist tried to squeeze a Times Square taco spot for $100,000 \u2014 claiming his northern European tongue suffered \u201cnonstop pain\u201d from dangerously spicy salsa \u2014 but a judge said \u201cnein\u201d to his lawsuit.<\/p>\n
Faycal Manz, a self-described spice-intolerant traveler from Schemmerhofen, Germany, claimed he suffered \u201cdiarrhea, nausea\u201d and \u201cmouth\/tongue blisters which cause nonstop pain\u201d after loading up three tacos at the Los Tacos No. 1 in August 2024, according to his lawsuit.<\/p>\n
A German tourist tried to squeeze a popular taco spot for $100,00 \u2014 arguing his northern European tongue suffered \u201cnonstop pain\u201d from too-spicy salsa. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY<\/p>\n
\u201cAs there is no possibility for me to eat tacos in my small german hometown, I was looking for a good Taco restaurant in NYC,\u201d he wrote in his self-filed lawsuit in Manhattan federal court.<\/p>\n
But the self-described \u201ctoo special\u201d experience turned too spicy, Manz wrote, calling the Mexican salsa \u201cdangerous,\u201d compared to his Germanic diet devoid of spice.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor someone like me living in Germany and eating nothing spicy, it was a very big shock physically and mentally,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Despite admitting he never asked staff about the heat \u2014 or even bothered to sniff the sauce before dousing his dinner \u2014 Manz argued that the restaurant failed to warn him of every possible harm to him, including that Mexican salsa might actually be hot.<\/p>\n
But Manhattan federal court Judge Dale Ho wasn\u2019t biting.<\/p>\n
Manz\u2019s aversion to spice and flavor is his own burden to manage, not society\u2019s at large, the judge wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor someone like me living in Germany and eating nothing spicy, it was a very big shock physically and mentally,\u201d said German tourist Faycal Manz, who took a picture of his tongue during the incident. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to salsa, the spice is often the point,\u201d said federal district Judge Dale Ho. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to salsa, the spice is often the point,\u201d Ho said. <\/p>\n
Manz, Ho added, neither asked workers about the spice level nor tested it before piling it on his tacos.<\/p>\n
\u201cA quick google search for \u2018Mexican food,\u2019 \u2018salsa,\u2019 or even Los Tacos reviews likely would have revealed that salsa can be quite spicy,\u201d Ho wrote.<\/p>\n
The judge concluded that while Manz\u2019s pulse may have spiked while he expanded his palette, his legal standing was flatlining \u2014 especially since the \u201cdangerous\u201d green salsa was actually labeled \u201cmedium\u201d in online photos, while the red sauce he allegedly consumed without complaint was marked \u201cspicy.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the German tourist\u2019s evidence for the \u201cdangerously spicy\u201d sauce was \u201centirely lacking,\u201d Ho said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA quick google search for \u2018Mexican food,\u2019 \u2018salsa,\u2019 or even Los Tacos reviews likely would have revealed that salsa can be quite spicy,\u201d the judge wrote. Pankaj Khadka\/NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only evidence he puts forward in his personal testimony regarding injuries suffered from consuming the salsa,\u201d he wrote, adding that Manz never found anyone else who complained of the spice nor found any expert evidence to support his \u201cdangerously spicy\u201d claim.<\/p>\n