Sichuan Fire (pun on “set you on fire”)
Sichuan/Szechuan/Szechwan cuisine can be spicy. “Szechuan” can sound like “set you on.” Many restaurants and restaurant dishes/sauces have been named “Sichuan/Szechuan/Szechwan Fire.”
“Migawd, this hot Chinese food can actually Szechwan fire!” was printed in the San Francisco (CA) Chronicle on August 24, 1980. “Beware of hot and spicy Chinese food.. It’ll Szechwan fire” was posted on the newsgroup alt.humor.puns on March 5, 2001. “Go easy on spicy chinese food… It’ll practically Szechuan fire” was posted on Reddit—3amjokes on August 20, 2020.
Wikipedia: Sichuan cuisine
Sichuan cuisine, Szechwan cuisine or Szechuan cuisine (/ˈsɛʃwɒn/ or /ˈsɛtʃwɒn/), is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province. It has bold flavours, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the unique flavour of Sichuan pepper. There are many local variations within Sichuan Province and the neighbouring Chongqing Municipality, which was part of Sichuan Province until 1997. Four sub-styles of Sichuan cuisine include Chongqing, Chengdu, Zigong and Buddhist vegetarian style.
Newspapers.com
24 August 1980, San Francisco (CA) Chronicle, Herb Caen column, Sunday Punch sec., pg. 1, col. 1:
Judy ver Mehr, after gulping down a glass of ice water at the Kirin restaurant: “Migawd, this hot Chinese food can actually Szechwan fire!” (hoots, hoolers, general alarums).
Newspapers.com
16 February 1990, The Daily Breeze/News-Pilot (San Pedro, CA), restaurant review, pg. E29, col. 1:
There are 219 dishes on the menu, and some of them are something special—the kitchen can do good work when it’s willing to put the blands in the past and make food spicy enough it could Szechwan fire.
Google Groups: alt.humor.puns
Chinese Fortune Cookies
Glenn Gardner
Mar 5, 2001, 10:45:34 PM
Steve Jacobson wrote:
> Beware of hot and spicy Chinese food..
>
> It’ll Szechwan fire.
Google Books
Ridiculous!:
The Theatrical Life and Times of Charles Ludlam
By David Kaufman
New York, NY: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books
2002
Pg. 135:
One scene was set in a Chinese restaurant called “The Szechwan Fire” (pronounced to sound like “set you on fire”), and it was riddled with esoteric macrobiotic jokes.
Google Groups: seattle.eats
best chinese in seattle?
RP
Jul 8, 2002, 4:53:17 AM
You know, the Szechwan Chicken is so good and spicy that it’ll Szechwan fire!
Twitter
Тристрам
@TristramPerry
Replying to @HaseenaAtomBum
@HaseenaAtomBum Haha! Excellent. I always thought if I ever opened a Chinese restaruant, I would call it “Szechuan Fire.”
1:03 AM · Aug 25, 2011·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Timothy Wycislak
@TimWycislak
Spicy Chinese food will Szechuan fire.
8:28 AM · Jan 17, 2013·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Anna
@ava_debitcardo
Please tell me that there’s a Chinese restaurant somewhere called Szechuan Fire.
7:42 PM · Aug 25, 2013·TweetDeck
Twitter
katie whitehurst
@ktwhitey
Szechuan fire… sech-u-on fire… set you on fire. @emilywallace93
2:56 PM · Feb 20, 2014·Twitter for Android
Twitter
Pamela Hudson
@callmehuddy
Sichuan…short for Sichuan fire!
10:34 PM · Nov 17, 2014·Twitter Web App
Twitter
Тристрам
@TristramPerry
Replying to @Meredvth
@Meredvth I want to own a Chinese restaurant called “Szechuan Fire”
9:33 PM · Jun 21, 2015·Twitter for iPhone
Twitter
RAOUF ONSI Aziz
@AzizOnsi
Would you say that some Chinese food is so spicy,it,ll Szechwan fire?
9:08 AM · Aug 19, 2017·Twitter for Android
Twitter
Ralph Nelson Willett
@NorthernOvation
Go easy on the spicy Chinese food… ...it’ll practically Szechuan fire.
4:27 PM · Sep 9, 2019·Twitter Web App
Twitter
Ralph Nelson Willett
@NorthernOvation
Go easy on the spicy Chinese food… …it’ll practically Szechuan fire.
8:49 PM · Mar 31, 2020·NorthernOvationMediaBot
Facebook
Otaku Ramen
July 27, 2020 at 12:31 PM ·
This bowl is spicy… it will Szechwan fire! #szechwanmiso⠀⠀
Reddit—3amjokes
Posted by u/Slushhero272 August 20, 2020
Go easy on spicy chinese food…
It’ll practically Szechuan fire.
Twitter
3AM
@3AM_Jokes
Go easy on spicy chinese food…... It’ll practically Szechuan fire.
3:16 AM · Aug 21, 2020·IFTTT