# Am I the only person who just can't stand spicy foods?



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

Anything that has to do with hot peppers (they got in my eyes when I was 8, and I was left traumatized), hot sauces, anything really, I find myself in a hard time to even eat onion! I only like pepperoni-rich pizzas, one time me and a friend ordered pizzas, she wanted hot chicken, I tried and...my tong!
Am I the only person this happens to? I just don't get how people can actually enjoy this, but then again, if there are people who don't like chocolate, everything is possible...


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

You would have been happy living before Columbus sailed to the new world. At that time chili peppers - even paprika! -- were unknown in Europe, Asia, even in Africa. They existed only in Central and South America, where they were (and still are) used in food. Over the next century they were spread all over the rest of the world, mostly by Portuguese traders.

It's hard to believe that at one time no Thai restaurant would ask, "How many stars?" Kimchi wasn't spicy. Pizza was served without that shaker bottle of pepper flakes. And Indian food? Fuhgedaboutit!

As for myself, I have had fun growing ultrahots including ghost peppers, Moruga scorpions, and Carolina Reapers. But no, I wouldn't dare eat them except in *extreme *dilution.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

I have never been traumatized by hot spicy foods, so perhaps that explains my positive attitude toward them. Eggs without Tabasco sauce would be unthinkable. I enjoy hot spices on Thai or Mexican food. They can stimulate the appetite and have other beneficial effects if not over done, as they can increase the metabolism. I am fortunate to say that have never experienced harmful effects but I don’t go to extremes, either. Every digestion is different. One has to be more careful in restaurants because what is too spicy for you may not be too spicy for them.


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## SergeOfArniVillage (Feb 12, 2014)

The people who don’t like chocolates... we call them, “undesirables.”

Anyway, I don’t like eating lava, but I do like somewhat spicy foods. However, I knew one woman who would cry tears of pain, and have to drink milk and eat sour cream and all that, if she had a drop of Texas Pete hit her tongue. I think there’s like a genetic thing with her, that must enhance the flavor of spice by about a hundred times, or something :lol:


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

A good Ghost Chilli should fix you


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Story time: I lived up-country in Thailand for a period some years back. Thai food up there was commonly seasoned with so-called Thai peppers, aka bird's eye peppers, a seriously hot smaller pepper (see picture below).

Transportation in town was usually via samlor, a three-wheel pedicab (since vanished from the scene). The samlor drivers were kind of their own subculture and stuck together. I sat in on more than one nighttime get-together where they would compete to see who could eat the hottest food, or the biggest wad of raw peppers. Tears flowed freely and wails of pain pierced the night! But in the end, they did love those peppers.


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

In the early 90's I worked with a guy Jeff who used to eat a Habanero pepper with each sandwich (2 peppers a day with 2 sandwiches a day). He grew the peppers and they were both delicious (flavor) and HOT!!! I could eat small bites, about the size of a chick pea, but anymore than that was just too much for me.

Well, a young new guy started at work who was very competitive; in everything. He mocked Jeff one day saying that the peppers couldn't really be hot. I assured him they were ripping hot, but he just scoffed. Jeff offered him one and he bit it in half. Of course he started gaging, chocking, and tears streamed from his eyes. That's when it happened.....he wiped the tears away with the hand that had been holding the pepper. Jeff and I both screamed "NO!", but it was too late. He was taken to an emergency clinic down the road and didn't return to work until 2 days later. Needless to say, he was more than a little humbled by the experience.

I never thought I liked hot food until I worked in one place where there were some real die-hards (one guy was friendly with Dave of "Dave's Insanity" hot sauce) who would bring in dips, etc. to eat at break time. Being a vegetarian, I never tried anything because it always had some meat in it. Then one day they made a big point of having me try some salsa they had made. I asked how hot it was. They told me not too bad, so I tried it. It was certainly hot, but it was also excellent. They then told me that I was the only other one at work besides themselves who could handle it. From then on, I've always enjoyed hot dishes, within reason. Who knew?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

People should know that hot peppers really cause no damage at all. They may feel like they're burning, but it's just a feeling. Even if you wipe your eyes, the burning is not real -- though it certainly feels that way!

Birds are immune to this chemical reaction. That's why some birdseed mixes include hot pepper seeds -- The birds don't care, but squirrels, inveterate raiders of bird feeders, can't take the heat.​


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## Guest (Sep 5, 2019)

I like spicy food, to a point. I feel no attraction to ultra hot pepper seasoning. But curries can have very rich and spicy seasoning that is not overwhelmingly hot.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Zindaloo for me


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I enjoy spicy food, it's in my blood.


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## Red Terror (Dec 10, 2018)

Love spicy food; Thai, especially.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Generally, spicy food isn't that common traditionally here in Denmark, one will have to seek it out. But I like chili sauce in pita and durum kebabs, for example. Also, Thai food generally, but I only eat it rarely. 
My superficial impression is that Indian food probably tends to be too strong for me. I don't remember Japanese or Chinese food to be generally spicy, but don't eat it often.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

The Merciless Pepper of Quetzalacatenango, also known as the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper, is an insanely hot type of pepper that Chief Wiggum serves in his chili at Springfield's Annual Chili Cook-Off. The peppers are so hot that the only way to eat them is to coat one's tongue and mouth with a protective substance such as candle wax, and those who do manage to eat them will find that they are hallucinogenic.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

I like spicy food, when in the mood. I've had "Indian hot" at an Indian restaurant and quite enjoyed it. Jalapenos are very good.

However, one time when I was in a Chinese restaurant, I ate a red pepper I hadn't seen before. Within five minutes, fluid was streaming out of every single orifice in my head, and wouldn't stop, infinite blowings, gaspings, and napkins notwithstanding.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I like mildly spicy food, but too much is too much. I've had genuine Sichuan cooking in China that was too much. And in Houston I accidentally ate a jalapeno pepper in my food - had the hiccups for half an hour.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Here's a handy guide to pepper hotness.


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

I thought the Indian Ghost Pepper was the hottest, but obviously mankind's insane quest for greater pain has made wondrous progress....

Three teaspoons in my coffee:


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Interestingly, all chiles originated in the Americas, so before the 1500s there were none in Asia or Europe.


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## Clouds Weep Snowflakes (Feb 24, 2019)

joen_cph said:


> Generally, spicy food isn't that common traditionally here in Denmark, one will have to seek it out. *But I like chili sauce in pita and durum kebabs*, for example. Also, Thai food generally, but I only eat it rarely.
> My superficial impression is that Indian food probably tends to be too strong for me. I don't remember Japanese or Chinese food to be generally spicy, but don't eat it often.


And you actually have that in Denmark?


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Curried Dashhound anyone?


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Curried Dashhound anyone?


As they say: A dog is not just for Christmas. With any luck there'll be some left over for Boxing Day...


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

So the Sichuan kitchen can be spicy - is it generally, or just in a few cases?

Is the usually mild, Chinese food, as it can be found in budget restaurants here in Europe, 'watered out' compared to the originals ?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

joen_cph said:


> So the Sichuan kitchen can be spicy - is it generally, or just in a few cases?
> 
> Is the usually mild, Chinese food, as it can be found in budget restaurants here in Europe, 'watered out' compoared to the originals ?


Sichuan food is mostly (very) spicy. "Chinese food" in Europe is a joke, it's nothing compared to the variety and taste of food in China. China is as big as Europe, and as culturally diverse, including local foods. It's like talking about "European food" and then only having tasted pizza (and not even real Italian pizza).


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Clouds Weep Snowflakes said:


> And you actually have that in Denmark?


Tons of them, from immigrant fast food places, and actually Copenhagen has them for some of the cheapest prices in Europe - I often eat a filling & nice pita with kebab or chicken + salad for 2,4 Euros, on my biking back home say in the afternoon from the city centre. Basically a whole meal for that price, if adding a drink of some sort.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Art Rock said:


> Sichuan food is mostly (very) spicy. "Chinese food" in Europe is a joke, it's nothing compared to the variety and taste of food in China. China is as big as Europe, and as culturally diverse, including local foods. It's like talking about "European food" and then only having tasted pizza (and not even real Italian pizza).


Thanks. I hope to go there at least once & check out China a bit more, maybe within a couple of years or less. Of course, we have some reputedly more authentic Chinese restaurants here in Copenhagen, but I haven't frequented them yet. I know that the Sichuan kitchen is considered some of the most famous Chinese food.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Generally speaking, the three most popular Chinese cuisines in the US are Cantonese (mostly not spicy), Sichuan (often spicy), and Beijing (in between). The last two are often found on the same menu. There are quite a few less-known regional cuisines: Shanghai, Shanxi, Fujian, and so forth. Restaurants specializing in these cuisines are rare in most cities. Fortunately, I live next door to the largest American city with a plurality of people boasting East Asian descent, so have the opportunity to experience less-common Chinese menu items.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2019)

I love spicy things - unfortunately, the older I have gotten, the lower my tolerance is. I could eat much spicier things in my younger days, but not now, sadly. I can still enjoy a good hot buffalo wing, though.


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## Guest (Sep 6, 2019)

KenOC said:


> Generally speaking, the three most popular Chinese cuisines in the US are Cantonese (mostly not spicy), Sichuan (often spicy), and Beijing (in between). The last two are often found on the same menu. There are quite a few less-known regional cuisines: Shanghai, Shanxi, Fujian, and so forth. Restaurants specializing in these cuisines are rare in most cities. Fortunately, I live next door to the largest American city with a plurality of people boasting East Asian descent, so have the opportunity to experience less-common Chinese menu items.


My brother-in-law has been dating a Chinese woman who owns a Chinese restaurant in Chattanooga, TN. She gave us some insight as to why so many Chinese restaurants have essentially the same menu, and so many dishes that aren't truly "Chinese" although they may bear some resemblance. Apparently there is a city where she learned to cook and run a restaurant that essentially serves as a training ground for those looking to come to America to run a restaurant. They learn there to cook all of what we consider to be "Chinese" dishes. Now, I don't know what percentage of those who have restaurants here learned in that city, but it certainly helps explain the relatively high level of homogeneity in "Chinese" cuisine in the U.S.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I suffer from indigestion, but surprisingly, 'hottish' spicy dishes seem to go down well, and I like them too. 

Taggart's chilli con carne is fabulous. I also cook a chicken pilau, though it isn't really very hot. 

My favourite spices are less hot than cayenne - turmeric, paprika, garam masala, cumin & cinnamon. 
Yum!


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

During the Buffalo-style chicken wing craze I somehow ate 10 Death Wings at Duff's in Toronto. I chose not to advance to the highest level -- Armageddon Wings -- where they sound a bell, giving notice to the clientele that a fool is amongst them.


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