Thread: Spicy food, anyone?

There's an article about why people like spicy food (even, and especially, to the point where it induces pain).
Why Does Spicy Food Taste Hot? | Wired Science*| Wired.com

Article writer Jonah Lehrer shares that "Dr. Paul Rozin at the University of Pennsylvania" has a theory "that we’re in it for the pain."

So, I ask, how many of us straight razor shavers (who occasionally experience some nicks and cuts that hurt):

How much heat do you like to eat?

I like mildly spicy and can deal with a step or two above that but if it requires licking a frog I wont go near it

My aging digestive system is starting to grumble at the really hot stuff, but I used to be a big heat fan. Not up to Dave's Insanity Sauce level, but Blair's Death Sauce was my stand in for Ketchup from high school on.

I got interested in spicy while working the assembly line. One bite would last a long time!! Sticks with you for quite a while.

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Is there such a thing as too hot???? Well there never used to be but like JimR, my body is starting to say, "Yes, yes there is!"


Mick

I like mild to medium heat, but when it gets to the point where all you can taste is pain then I'm out..!

SWMBO went for an Indian last night and that was absolutely bang on. Lovely!

I love my spicy food, had south indian garlic chilli chicken last night, was awesome, however i do love it really hot but not to the point that you loose all the flavour of the other ingredients.

Geek

I like pretty spicy food, but there is a point where I say "too hot". Anything much beyond a serrano pepper and the heat overwhelms the flavor.

I like it hot but I also want to be able to taste the other ingredients in the dish.
The hottest chilli I have eaten raw was a Naga chilli from Bangladesh which comes from the same family as the scotch bonnet so it's Bloody hot!!! from a chefs point of view I understand why they eat them because you get very fragrant with a hint of rose pettles flavor before it blows your head off!!! and when you see the cartoon characters turn red feet first and then steam blowing out of their ears is a very good discription of what happens. I could feel my ear drums pushing out and I have never experanced anything before or since.

Chilli facts that I know about are
1)They were first found in south Amarica and spread around the world in about 50 years.
2) They are a source of vitamin C
3) Eating Too much Chilli in one go can kill you'll die of Hypothermia.
4) Parts of a chilli can be used as a pain killer.
5) Always wash your hands after chopping up hot chilli's because touching sensitive parts of yours or somone elses body will not be appreciated.
6) The heat of a chilli is measured on the scoville scale.
7) If you have eaten too much chilli dring some milk or eat some yogurt this will help to sooth the pain.

I'll Stop there I can hear someone snoring

Sometimes I just like a spicy pepper. Sure, it can overpower the other flavors of a dish, but sometimes that's what I want to do (especially if it's my own cooking )