Why do people like spicy food?

If you don't like spicy food, don't eat spicy food. What a concept, huh?

I don't get a stomach ache.

spicy food makes my mouth feel alive.

raised eating Indian food. lived in the Mexican part of town. one just gets used to it. bland stuff doesn't cut it. i really don't know why people remain so enthused over meat&potatoes type fare.

if your eyes don't water and you don't have to blow your nose, you didn't really eat!

Some people like sweet - I don’t. Some people like spicy - I do. The intensity of flavor is like a strong shot of whisky. Kicks you and reminds you you’re alive.

It's the whole pain with pleasure thing, OP. Are you telling us you're vanilla?

I wonder if Nancy Reagan liked spicy foods?

I was raised on bland food by parents who had no interest in what the world around them did. It’s only been the past 20 years since more cultural foods have been available in restaurants around me. I’m quite happy to broaden my cultural palate.

I like both "spicy" and regular food. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

The world is a hot, delightful masala.

It rarely affects my digestion adversely. Maybe you just have a delicate constitution, OP.

I don’t like really spicy foods. The only ones I can think of that are too much for me are the hotter Vietnamese and Thai dishes.

Only TRANSPHOBIC people don't like spicy food!

This has got to be the "whitest" topic ever.

If you don’t like spicy food, then don’t eat it. Problem solved. You’re welcome.

I LOVE spicy food. Vietnamese food is simply the best 😋

I'll take it any way I can get it.

-Darfur Orphan

Indian food is the hottest food of all cultures, by far.

They make things ridiculously spicy with those evil ghost peppers.

I agree with OP. Can’t think of a single spicy food I like. Love mild salsa. The hot is so hot you only taste the heat and none of the flavors. I agree it’s a cultural thing.

I like spicy food sometimes. I just hate when something's so spicy that that just becomes the flavor. You can't taste anything. It just burns.

I hate when I'm at a Mexican restaurant and I ask the server if a certain dish is spicy and they say "no." So I order it and the first bite I take burns my mouth. It has happened several times. I love Mexican food, but not when it is so spicy you can't taste anything else.

[quote] I hate when I'm at a Mexican restaurant and I ask the server if a certain dish is spicy and they say "no." So I order it and the first bite I take burns my mouth. It has happened several times.

Rofl, Thai restaurants are notorious for this! It almost always happens to me.

[quote] I love Mexican food, but not when it is so spicy you can't taste anything else.

In my experience, most Mexican food is not very spicy.

Salsa is spicy, but since it's a condiment, you don't have to add it if you don't want it.

I'll usually order tacos or enchiladas with beans and rice, and none of it is spicy. Same thing with burritos.

It's the salsa that adds the heat.

This brings up an interesting question: why isn't European food spicy? It's all pretty mild.

[quote]This brings up an interesting question: why isn't European food spicy? It's all pretty mild.

Spice and seasonings in many parts of the world, especially southeast Asia, had to do with food preservation. Europe's mild climate didn't make such demands on its food cultures.

OP should go mainline some mayo and pray that he never encounters again that instrument of the devil, WHITE PEPPER!

The horrors!!

I like it SPICY!

[quote] I like it SPICY! —¡Sonia Sotomayor!

Just like your women!

Spicy foods are stimulants. They increase production of certain neurotransmitters and endorphins.

Is R12 supposed to be funny?

It cools the body in hot climates paradoxically.

My Trini side would cook foods hella spicy. I liked the flavor and how it smelled but I don't like eating and having rivers of mucus run down my nose. It really depends on what you grew up with - something that may be insanely spicy might be mild to someone who has grown up eating it and has built up a high tolerance. I just think too much spicy isn't that good like those crappy hot sauce packets that come with Chinese food. I knew this guy who would use so many that his food just looked like red soup, so gross and he also later developed hemorrhoids not sure if it was connected to his excessive use of hot sauce in EVERYTHING.

We love it when sisters eat spicy food!!!!!

There's nothing funnier than watching your average white slob try to eat a curry, like say chicken tikka masala, or a pork vindaloo, and start literally melting because of the heat. Bitch OP - stay in your lane and stick to fucking omelettes, you worthless cunt.

I like spicy foods because it's a low-calorie way to add flavor. It doesn't cause digestive or other issues for me.

I've experienced the opposite at thai restaurants. I ask for really spicy and they take one look at my white ass and send it out mildly spicy. I've always felt they had complaints and redos in the past so they dial it down a couple of notches.

The Queen likes hot shit too!

You really do have to build up a tolerance to appreciate spicy cuisine. I grew up in your typical mid-western white, northern-Euro heritage home with a mother who basically served hot dishes and casseroles. I hated anything remotely spicy growing up, to a point where even mild salsas weren't palatable. Throughout my 20s I had to experience other cuisines that were highly seasoned and spicy. It was awful at first, but once I grew accustomed to the spiciness, I really began to enjoy it and currently appreciate how it accentuates certain flavors. With that said, there is a point (for me) where the high heat levels really obscure flavor. Foods made with ghost peppers and the like are well beyond my appreciation. But I would really urge anyone who doesn't have at least a moderate tolerance to try and build one, because it really changed my appreciation for other cultures' cuisine. An added bonus is that certain heat levels are actually associated with healthy digestion and digestive track health. However, I will say my sweat reeks something foul for days after eating spicy/hot dishes. And yes, you can get pretty bad fire-hole.

When growing up, my mother's idea of spicy was adding pepper, so bland food was the norm for me. Since then, spicy food is what I crave. When I eat a non-spicy meal, I'm left feeling unsatisfied. New Mexican (like the state, not the "new" Mexican restaurant that just opened in town) is my favorite. Oh, and don't get me started about my love for the hot/sweet combination. Best of both worlds!!!

Spicy food gained it's popularity in poorer countries because, not only does it have preservative qualities, it can also cover up something that is slightly 'off'. More importantly, it can curb your appetite and increase satiety and fullness. So, if you don't have a lot to eat, you would feel fuller with less food in your tummy.

R37 Oh god yes, sweet/spicy is fantastic!

Some people experience taste differently than others and are more sensitive to spicy foods. I can't eat overly spicy food because basically my mouth gets numb and then burns so I don't get any enjoyment from it. I read about "super tasters" and this may explain why some people are more adverse to certain spicy foods.

I've never had spicy Mexican food. At least spicy compared to Thai, Indian, Schezwan, or Vietnamese food.

[quote] I've never had spicy Mexican food

That's exactly what I said. Unless you add a spicy salsa on top of your meal, most Mexican foods aren't very spicy.

Flavorful, yes. Spicy, no.

Interesting speculation why Asian food stayed spicy, while European food got bland:

I used to hate spicy food as a kid, but now any dish without spice is just bland

[quote]There's nothing funnier than watching your average white slob try to eat a curry, like say chicken tikka masala, or a pork vindaloo, and start literally melting because of the heat.

I've never had hot chicken tikka masala.

Chili peppers are easy to grow in containers and pots if you like your food hot and you have volition for a little patio/terrace/stoop gardening.

Habanero chili plants are my current fave because they are very prolific fruiters and hardy as all get out.

It seems even the garden insects know to stay away from habanero chilis!

R12 Tran is CULTURAL APPROPRIATION!

EVIL!!!

I don't like spicy food and I don't like rimmees eating it!

Don't rim, r48.

[quote]if your eyes don't water and you don't have to blow your nose, you didn't really eat!

I want to marry R3, but we won’t go out to dinner together. I think the nacho cheese you get at Taco Bell is too spicy.

Because they don't need their gallbladder

There is a point where it completely overcomes everything else,which is ridiculous if the ingredients of your meal are fine and have their own tAste.

It main original purpose was to conceal the flavour of your meal being off/rotten.

Never had any issues with spicy food like stomach upsets or burning stools. Guess my liver works as intended. I put lots of cayenne pepper all the time in heavier meals because it makes it feel lighter in the stomach and prevents carb coma. Also great for fatty food.

[quote]digestive track health.

It's "digestive tract" It's one of the most common misuses out there, R36, so don't feel bad, just don't do it again. :)

R33 = sad, sexist shit breath.

Angeleno here. I love Kimchi over hot rice. The real superfood.

Maybe it's a Millennial/Hipster thing, but I don't understand all the hype about Sriracha. Gochujang is way superior: Spicy, Savory, and Sweet.

Another kimchi fan.

The thing about kimchi is there hundreds of variations on the recipe. No two kimchis are exactly alike.

In Korea kimchi varies by geography (north and south), interior or seacoast, summer and winter, city and country, etc.

In the US kimchi mainly varies by food manufacturer. In big cities, it varies according the Korean chef.

Kimchi is a great, natural probiotic. It is my favorite fermented food.

OP it doesn't have to be that spicy. I'm not a fan of eating something so hot you can see through time. But adding a little heat to certain dishes enhances their flavour.

I chop up one serrano chili and add with my onions when I make chili. I also add a little dried chipotle to my ancho-cumin mixture. It's just a nice amount of spice, not HOT-hot. I wonder how OP would like my chili.

Spicy food is very low class.

So are you, R60. And you have no taste.

[quote]I'll take it any way I can get it.

Food or sex?