Pregnant women, heart patients, hung-over students and people who like their tongue the way it is are warned to consult a physician before eating third-degree wings at the Surf Club. But everywhere around State College, people are daring to eat the heat.

"Death," "Nuclear," and "Third-degree" are names of some of the hottest, lip-stinging versions of Buffalo chicken wings appearing in local bars and restaurants.

"They're insane, they should be outlawed," Jeffrey Westfall (senior-polymer science) joked.

But by just walking into a bar on a "wing special" night, customers can see a plateful of the spicy, flame-colored chicken wings on almost every table. Judy Cocolin, owner of the Gingerbread Man, 130 Hiester St., said the wings have been popular from the time they went on the menu. The Gingerbread Man sells about 2,000 to 3,000 wings on a Sunday or Monday night, Cocolin said, and she never expected to sell as many as she does.

Among money-conscious students, chicken wings - often priced between 10 and 25 cents apiece - are an inexpensive, tasty filler and a break from other foods, Doug McDonald (senior-pre-medicine) said. Eating wings can also be a group activity to relax with friends, McDonald said.

"It's fun to watch everybody's face get all hot and their eyes water," McDonald said.

Leslie Miller (senior-accounting) said wings would not be the first food she would order if she was hungry. They are more of a social food, she said.

"It gives us something to do while we're drinking our beer," Miller said.

Kevin Kane (senior-marketing) said people keep eating them because there is a competition to eat the hottest. People get together and compare the hottest, and when they have heard of hotter wings than they have already had, they have to go try them, Kane said.

Bar owners recognize wings' popularity and also know because they are so spicy, it helps to sell drinks. Ivan Segal, co-owner of Cafe 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., said his establishment makes no money from its wings, but because they are tasty and inexpensive, it uses them as a leader or promotional item.

The cafe used to have wings on its menu, but because of the higher price they did not sell, Segal said. Now they are only sold on special nights, he said.

"If we were to raise our prices to 20 cents a wing, I would assume they would become less popular," Segal said.

Dan Fishbaine, owner of the Surf Club, 128 E. College Ave., also said that food specials, like wings, are used to bring people into the bar. Fishbaine said people are looking for more than just drink specials. He has tried to "romanticize and legendize" his sting wings, he said.

Fishbaine said they are popular because they are inexpensive, fun and "go great with beer." Fishbaine has tried to differentiate his product by using special ingredients -- some from California -- by varying the degrees of hotness and by making them sound exciting through marketing and advertising efforts.

"These aren't just 10-cent wings, these are Sting Wings," said Fishbaine about the Surf Club's wings.

Wings are mostly a snack item, but are increasingly being eaten as a meal. Ralph Petrino, owner of the Penn State Sub Shop, said people order wings mostly at night, but also order them as lunch. Petrino said that he sells 10 times as many as he first did a year ago, and they sell the same as hoagies and cheesesteaks.

"Instead of having a steak sandwich all the time, you can have wings," said Rusty Gadsby (senior-psychology).

Petrino said sales of wings are not as dramatic as they were a year ago, but noted that wings are here to stay.

Fishbaine said the Surf Club sells a tremendous amount of wings and 80 percent of its sales are on specials nights. But like anything else, he thinks wings will reach their peak and then decline.

"I think people will be winged out, and then we'll have to move onto something else," Fishbaine said.