All Against All/Seattle Center/Sat July 22/9:08 pm: Officer Neubert reports: "Several large groups of youth numbering between 50â100 were involved in fight disturbances after departing Bite of Seattle... While officers were making contact with the involved parties located on the south side of Denny Way, suspect one displayed and discharged a handgun..."
In the way that certain foods make us amorous, certain foods can make us pugnacious. The 50 to 100 young men involved in the fistfights outside of Bite of Seattle must have eaten something that made their heads explode and blood boil. What was it? Which vender was responsible? Was it an unusual Greek dish? An alligator cooked to the specifications of a rare New Orleans recipe? The broiled balls of a Mexican bull?
Back in the '80s, while living in the low-density suburbs of Harare, I knew people who would, at dusk, feed their dogs meat heavily seasoned with mhiripiri (the Shona word for a type of hot pepper). These people believed that the hot spice had the power to transform a mild-mannered dog into a vicious, aggressive hellhound. At night, they would unleash the hot animal, run into their home, and go to sleep with a peace of mind protected by the thought of a thief entering their property and being confronted by the nightmare of a dog with red eyes, a burning brain, and smoke coming out its ears.
Something of the like must have happened at Bite of Seattle. Each of the young men walked into the festival with a cool head, chanced to eat something strange and hot. Fighting was the only way to get what they ate out of their systems.
The Biter/Central District/Sun July 23/11:03 pm: Officer Jones found this man on the street corner in front of Deano's Market: "[He] suffered a bite to his right forearm. The bite broke the skin and drew blood. The bite left a substantial bite mark, leaving upper- and lower-teeth impressions." Because it is too gruesome, I will not share the details of how this man was bitten. The image will spoil your appetite.
