On a hot summer day, there's nothing more pleasant than meeting up with friends and sitting around a barbecue stand. However, just a few days ago, the experience of a big brother in Jilin sounded the alarm for us:
On June 30, Brother Zhang (pseudonym) from Jilin met with friends for barbecue. After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Brother Zhang chatted happily with his friends. Maybe it's the effect of alcohol, maybe it's because he is too involved in chatting, Brother Zhang was careless, and the corners of his mouth were burned by hot iron skewers. At that time, he only felt some pain and didn't pay much attention to it.
Who knows, after the wound healed, Brother Zhang was surprised to find that the corners of his mouth turned into "smiling lips"! The corners of the mouth that were originally ordinary are now forever raised, as if they are smiling all the time. This unexpected "smile" made Brother Zhang cry and laugh.
Brother Zhang's experience may seem comical, but it reflects a serious question: are we ignoring potential health risks while enjoying food?
Experts point out that scalding is only a superficial phenomenon, and the harm caused by long-term consumption of hot food is more subtle and far-reaching. The temperature range of food that our mouth and esophagus can withstand is actually very narrow, only 10~40°C. And when the temperature of the food exceeds 65°C, it has already entered the danger zone.
What's even more surprising is that when we feel a little hot in our mouth, the actual temperature of the food can already be as high as around 70°C! This temperature is far beyond the limits of what our esophagus can tolerate. Long-term consumption of such high-temperature foods may cause damage to the esophageal mucosa and even increase the risk of esophageal cancer.
However, the dangers of hot foods are not limited to barbecue. In our daily life, there are many "invisible killers": hot pot just out of the pot, steaming instant noodles, piping hot milk tea...... These seemingly delicious foods can be the culprits that harm our health.
Brother Zhang's "smiling lips" incident, although it seems bizarre, has taught us a vivid health lesson. It reminds us to pay attention to food safety while pursuing good food. After all, a healthy body is the foundation for us to enjoy a good life.
The next time you're sitting in front of a barbecue stand and looking at those sizzling skewers, you might want to wait a little longer for them to cool down to the right temperature. Believe me, it's far better to wait a few more minutes than to regret it years later in the hospital.