Why do we love chilli?(theguardian.com)
theguardian.com
Why do we love chilli?
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/23/why-do-we-love-chilli-pharmacology-psychology-flavour-pain-feel-the-burn
88 comments
> I liken the use of chilli in cuisine to gratuitous violence in movies : a lazy fix for bland meals that otherwise wouldn't stand on their own feet. A smokescreen of burnt tastebuds to hide behind. A pain that I'm aware (but can't understand why) many people enjoy inflicting unto themselves.
Tyler Cowen is my go-to explainer for spicy food:
Mexicans acculturate their small children to spicy food gradually, by mixing increasing amounts of chilies into the meal. It takes a while before the kids enjoy it and at first they don't like it. If this has never been done to you, you need to make the leap yourself, usually later in life. The whole point of spicy food is that at first it is painful, causing the release of endorphins to the brain. With time the pain goes away and you still get the endorphins, although you may seek out an increasingly strong dose to boost the endorphin response.
Not all Americans think this is a good deal. Older people are less likely to make this initial investment and endure the initial pain. The same is true for uneducated people (adjusting for ethnicity), who both are less likely to know it will end up being a source of pleasure and who on average have higher discount rates. What other predictions can be made? If you and your country are too obsessed with dairy you will be led away from spicy food, one way or the other. Milk usually counteracts the pleasing effects of chilies.
Tyler Cowen is my go-to explainer for spicy food:
Mexicans acculturate their small children to spicy food gradually, by mixing increasing amounts of chilies into the meal. It takes a while before the kids enjoy it and at first they don't like it. If this has never been done to you, you need to make the leap yourself, usually later in life. The whole point of spicy food is that at first it is painful, causing the release of endorphins to the brain. With time the pain goes away and you still get the endorphins, although you may seek out an increasingly strong dose to boost the endorphin response.
Not all Americans think this is a good deal. Older people are less likely to make this initial investment and endure the initial pain. The same is true for uneducated people (adjusting for ethnicity), who both are less likely to know it will end up being a source of pleasure and who on average have higher discount rates. What other predictions can be made? If you and your country are too obsessed with dairy you will be led away from spicy food, one way or the other. Milk usually counteracts the pleasing effects of chilies.
That's wrong. Chile helps your taste buds taste fat. They really go together very well. It's what makes mixing chile with chocolate and cheese so great. It's similar to why salt+fat works. Fat numbs your taste buds and salt and chile 'wake them up'.
I was expecting endorphin release to come up in the Guardian article and was surprised when it didn't. Is there good science behind the chilli-endorphin idea?
> But how does capsaicin give us the sensation of “tongue on fire”? Capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers that produces a burning sensation in any tissue it comes in contact with. How does this signal get conveyed? There are three classes of nerve fiber in our central and peripheral nervous system – the ‘C’ type of nerve fiber are the ones that are stimulated by capsaicin – specifically the molecule binds to the vanilloid receptors (VR-1, TRPV1) on the nerve endings of the C-fibers. These receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that are closed in the absence of capsaicin. When they are stimulated by capsaicin, they open and allow an influx of sodium and calcium ions, which initiate an action potential across the fibers. This action potential is what allows us to feel the burn. Normally, physical heat stimulates these receptors. However, capsaicin can also interact with these receptors and activate proteins that cause the same signal to be transmitted to the brain into thinking that it is being burned.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/scienceandfood/2017/01/17/...
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/scienceandfood/2017/01/17/...
Did Tyler Cowen really just argue that uneducated people don't like spicy food because they don't think far enough ahead in time?
Chili peppers can be used to compensate for otherwise poor flavor, but that is certainly not the only use case. Fat sugar salt and other spices can be used like that too.
If British food is obnoxiously spicy to you, you're probably very unaccustomed to spicy food.
When someone is accustomed to piquant foods, they aren't distracted as easily by the heat. Different peppers have very different flavor and spice profiles that are easier to pick up when you don't have to immediately drown out with milk. They also don't come through in small quantities, so if you haven't been desensitized you wont be eating enough to taste the other flavors.
If British food is obnoxiously spicy to you, you're probably very unaccustomed to spicy food.
When someone is accustomed to piquant foods, they aren't distracted as easily by the heat. Different peppers have very different flavor and spice profiles that are easier to pick up when you don't have to immediately drown out with milk. They also don't come through in small quantities, so if you haven't been desensitized you wont be eating enough to taste the other flavors.
I understand your frustration but I think you're being a tad unfair to chilli lovers with your gratuitous violence comparison. If all I'm getting out of a spicy dish is 'hot' then it's either a shit dish or I'm eating something hotter than I should be.
Thanks for making me laugh out loud (in a good way).
Let me give an analogy from music. Something is good rock music not just because it is loud and has fast shredding. That music is indeed probably crap and just hiding its lack of talent imagination and quality. However that does not mean all loud rock is crap, far from it. It takes a while to distinguish.
Good hot food is not cheap music stuck forever in it faux earnest chorus and mastered poorly onto a cd locked in on high db. That said there is a lot of such food around.
Let me give an analogy from music. Something is good rock music not just because it is loud and has fast shredding. That music is indeed probably crap and just hiding its lack of talent imagination and quality. However that does not mean all loud rock is crap, far from it. It takes a while to distinguish.
Good hot food is not cheap music stuck forever in it faux earnest chorus and mastered poorly onto a cd locked in on high db. That said there is a lot of such food around.
Both chocolate and chili peppers are native to the Americas, and both have been pairs for centuries. Also, both cause a release of serotonin, and it's believed that capsaicin is soluble in fat, which is in chocolate (maybe smoothing out the heat effect, allowing one to taste the chili?).
I've never heard of wasabi and chocolate though.
I've never heard of wasabi and chocolate though.
You sound like you'd enjoy Mexican chocolate drinks, if you get the chance. I once had the chance to try freshly-prepared Mexican hot chocolate -- at a museum, actually, in connection with Day of the Dead festivities -- and it's certainly very different from what one thinks of as hot chocolate most of the time. The drink's kind of like coffee; you can certainly taste the chiles (note: NOT wasabi :) ), and it feels like it could get you drunk if you drank enough of it.
Spanish and Hispanic chocolate drinks, from what I understand, are pretty close to the old Mexican style. (Even Nestle's "Abeulita" milk chocolate mix tastes pretty similar, at least to my palate.) There was a reference in Braudel (The Structures of Everyday Life) to an Indonesian Muslim prince who was intoxicated when he drank a chocolate drink that a Spanish embassy served them, and was enraged that they had treacherously given him an intoxicant to make him lose his reason; Braudel is really skeptical of the account, but trying Hispanic chocolate, especially Mexican, makes it sound a lot more plausible...
Spanish and Hispanic chocolate drinks, from what I understand, are pretty close to the old Mexican style. (Even Nestle's "Abeulita" milk chocolate mix tastes pretty similar, at least to my palate.) There was a reference in Braudel (The Structures of Everyday Life) to an Indonesian Muslim prince who was intoxicated when he drank a chocolate drink that a Spanish embassy served them, and was enraged that they had treacherously given him an intoxicant to make him lose his reason; Braudel is really skeptical of the account, but trying Hispanic chocolate, especially Mexican, makes it sound a lot more plausible...
Chilies are popular around the world for exactly this reason, that you can take cheap ingredients and, with some chilies, create an appetising meal.
Because Britain lacks a (good) cuisine of its own, we tend to eat exclusively the food of other countries, and those dishes are often spicy.
Because Britain lacks a (good) cuisine of its own, we tend to eat exclusively the food of other countries, and those dishes are often spicy.
> Britain lacks a (good) cuisine of its own
Comrade Orwell wrote a valiant little essay trying to fight that idea.
Plucky fellow.
(e.g. http://orwell.ru/library/articles/cooking/english/e_dec )
Comrade Orwell wrote a valiant little essay trying to fight that idea.
Plucky fellow.
(e.g. http://orwell.ru/library/articles/cooking/english/e_dec )
I love the second and last lines of your comment.
Surprised to hear they put chili in confectionery (assuming that is sweet items).
Surprised to hear they put chili in confectionery (assuming that is sweet items).
It's not just a British thing. Mango con chile is a popular Mexican snack.
Interesting. Now that I think of it, we used to eat semi-ripe mangos (which tasted both sour and sweet) with salt and sometimes chili powder, as kids. There is this variety of Indian mango called Rajapuri or Totapuri, slightly larger than the Alphonso ones. That was the one we ate in this way. Probably tastes good when ripe, too, but I remember eating the semi-ripe ones this way on holiday afternoons. Addictive.
Chili in chocolate is common, as are various spices in good chocolate. It's an interesting flavour combination - a lot of people don't actually like "pure sweet" flavours.
Have you had much in the way of East/South Asian foods or Latin American foods?
Speaking for the various Chinese culinary traditions because that's what I grew up with, the spiciness is usually integral to the overall flavor and mouthfeel of the dish. Szechuan food (traditionally spicy) without spice tastes off balance, as does Cantonese food (traditionally mild) with extra spiciness.
My experience with French food has been that it generally avoids significant spiciness, which is fine, but it also means that the recipes are not crafted with spiciness in mind. Szechuan recipes are definitely crafted with spiciness in mind.
Speaking for the various Chinese culinary traditions because that's what I grew up with, the spiciness is usually integral to the overall flavor and mouthfeel of the dish. Szechuan food (traditionally spicy) without spice tastes off balance, as does Cantonese food (traditionally mild) with extra spiciness.
My experience with French food has been that it generally avoids significant spiciness, which is fine, but it also means that the recipes are not crafted with spiciness in mind. Szechuan recipes are definitely crafted with spiciness in mind.
I remember reading that that the English love for spices started very early and that this made English cuisine distinct from French cuisine even as far back as the Middle Ages.
Cloves/pepper/ginger - and now chillies.
Cloves/pepper/ginger - and now chillies.
I absolutely love all things hot. I am especially fond of a growing number of hot sauces I can find that don't come with 10% of your daily sodium allowance in a single serving.
Same. Recently I've been on a kick for New Orleans style vinegar/habanero sauce. I'm growing my own habaneros now, it's super simple to make. Plus I have a bunch of old bottles that I saved to fill with my own hot sauce.
If you ever get a chance to try "carolina reaper" peppers I strongly suggest giving them a try. A friend grew some and they have amazing flavor imo. Very hot but retains lots of flavor when dried. If you can grow them, even better!!
I had the privilege of eating a fresh one at a fish fry a few weeks ago. Yes it was delicious but the pain is absolutely savage. I was a low-grade pepper head up until that, eating habaneros for fun almost every day, but the reaper made me re-think what I have been doing to my body.
It is a brutal pepper and only the truly exceptional, probably <0.001% of people could honestly say they enjoy it.
It is a brutal pepper and only the truly exceptional, probably <0.001% of people could honestly say they enjoy it.
I enjoy them but would never eat a fresh one, they scare me :) I use minute amounts in cooking because the flavor actually holds up and is different compared to other peppers I had.
I do suggest to someone who may want to try them to use very small amount in cooking so they can enjoy it. I wouldnt want the experience spoiled because it is super hot.
Whatever you do do not touch your eyes etc even after you wash your hands!
I do suggest to someone who may want to try them to use very small amount in cooking so they can enjoy it. I wouldnt want the experience spoiled because it is super hot.
Whatever you do do not touch your eyes etc even after you wash your hands!
Seconded, carolina reaper is the bomb. The bomb of pain and deliciousness.
Like a MOAB drizzled with chocolate sauce? :)
Currently working on some Scotch Bonnets. Carolina Reaper is stuff of legends.
Scotch Bonnets are one of my favourites! It has a lovely fruity citrus-y taste, and is really easy to cultivate.
Yea, when I get my own place that is easier for growing (we do a little now but not as much as I would like) I definitely want to grow my own ingredients for hot sauces/salsas.
Do you have any reading or anything you would recommend for getting into that type of thing? I was also interested in the viability of like an indoor greenhouse/hydroponics setup for growing chilis and things.
Do you have any reading or anything you would recommend for getting into that type of thing? I was also interested in the viability of like an indoor greenhouse/hydroponics setup for growing chilis and things.
Peppers do well in dry soil, it's not a myth that wet and rain makes peppers less spicy. Peppers also must be pollinated, so I think that's two counts against indoors/hydroponics.
However, they thrive in the sun with little water, you can basically set them outside a window and forget about them.
However, they thrive in the sun with little water, you can basically set them outside a window and forget about them.
Most peppers will pollinate themselves indoors with a good stiff breeze from a fan. Hydroponics growth and yield is nuts, though. In equivalent containers, a god hydro system wil produce an easy 4x what the soil setup will do.
http://i.imgur.com/Axy5nl3.jpg
The soil tomato on the left is the mother. The hydro tomato on the right was 5 weeks old (cloned from the plant on the left) and already well over the side of the balcony railing, loaded with tomatoes. (Note the lid had to be tied down to prevent the tomato-heavy plant from pulling the lid off and tumbling to the ground below.)
http://i.imgur.com/Axy5nl3.jpg
The soil tomato on the left is the mother. The hydro tomato on the right was 5 weeks old (cloned from the plant on the left) and already well over the side of the balcony railing, loaded with tomatoes. (Note the lid had to be tied down to prevent the tomato-heavy plant from pulling the lid off and tumbling to the ground below.)
Yeah, you definitely can't argue with hydroponics for yield. But if the goal is spicy hot peppers, I can't see it being the best approach.
Good to know about using a strong fan for indoor pollination. Might have been the missing element last time I tried.
Good to know about using a strong fan for indoor pollination. Might have been the missing element last time I tried.
If the goal is spicy hot peppers, you actually want more nitrogen in your fruiting cycle as nitrogen is in fact a key component of capsaicin. Do not reduce its levels. This is the big mistake everyone tends to make. Keep your hydro solution balanced (I run about 13-13-13 with 6.5 of the first 13 (N) being a readily-available nitrate.)
Good to know, appreciate the info for sure.
Grow using the double bucket method. They are easy to move around and don't take up a lot of space. That's what I do now and it's been fairly successful for peppers (super hots) and tomatoes each year.
care to list some of those sauces?
Check out these guys.
https://www.torchbearersauces.com/buy/
Nutrition labels on the website. Low sodium in most.
All very good sauces.
(I am not a representative of this company)
Marie Sharp's Smoked Habanero Pepper Sauce "Not too mild, not too hot, just right."
I bought two dozen bottles of it after I found it in Belize.
I bought two dozen bottles of it after I found it in Belize.
No, a lot are local, some aren't. I don't know the names directly off hand. I try a lot of hot sauces without really much brand loyalty. I just have noticed a lot more lately (last few years) that have maybe 1-2% sodium as opposed to 7-9% on traditional hot sauces at big brand stores.
> a lot are local
Some of the best, hottest hot sauces I've bought have been from little stands at farmers' markets southwest of here (semi-rural area). Some without labels - just a jar of the stuff. The only bad part is trying to go back months later to get more.
Some of the best, hottest hot sauces I've bought have been from little stands at farmers' markets southwest of here (semi-rural area). Some without labels - just a jar of the stuff. The only bad part is trying to go back months later to get more.
Not sure about sodium content, but green yucateco is my household staple, and secret aardvark from portland is one I found recently and is perhaps the best hot sauce I've ever had. It's so good you want to eat it by the spoonful.
Both of those sauces aren't vinegar-forward (like tabasco is), FWIW
Both of those sauces aren't vinegar-forward (like tabasco is), FWIW
Secret Aardvark is soooooo good. Highly recommend it to anyone that wants a great tasting sauce with a kick. I love that it's not just heat like some of the other sauces are.
I'm a capsaicin addict. I have a bottle of Reaper Squeezins in my fridge. The heat makes eating more of an event. It wakes me up more than coffee. Nothing makes you live in the moment more than acute physical pain. It's a strange pleasure. I'm not a masochist in any other realm. On a strange note, I'm a oral tobacco user and I swear that capsaicin followed by chew enhances nicotine absorption.
The article is missing a key point. I love chillies, ginger, horseradish, etc. And sure, I'm an adrenaline junky, and sometimes too macho. But I have learned a key thing about eating hot food: It's far more fun if you ramp up the burn gradually. The pain transforms into something else, more like pleasure. Just as it does with sex. And I do believe that other flavors taste better on top of the burn.
Milk is a decent antidote for overexposure. Better is yogurt. And even better is yogurt with mint and cucumber, one of the standard raitas. Or yogurt and banana.
Milk is a decent antidote for overexposure. Better is yogurt. And even better is yogurt with mint and cucumber, one of the standard raitas. Or yogurt and banana.
There's this joke that may have originated in a Cheech and Chong movie ("Up in Smoke") that you should have ice cream after eating anything really spicy. The idea is that a day later when your spicy meal is making its exit, you can say "come on ice cream"[1] expecting the ice cream to cool things down for you.
About a thirty minute drive from me is Sunni Sky's[2] ice cream in Angier, NC. They have a flavor called Cold Sweat[3] which includes among other things ghost pepper extract.
They require you to sign a waiver[4] before letting you taste it.
Then they ask you if you want the baby taste or the real taste. Assuming you go for the real taste (as I did), in addition to handing you a mouthful of Cold Sweat, they are standing by with a second spoonful of vanilla for putting out the fire in your mouth.
Now I like really spicy food. I'll order things as hot as they'll let me in most Thai restaurants. So I was able to finish the full size taste of Cold Sweat they gave me, but there is no possible way I could have eaten a full scoop.
After finishing my taste, I glance up at their menu and notice a flavor called "Exit Wound." Upon asking what it is, they tell me it's about twice as hot as Cold Sweat.
Let me just say about these flavors: ice cream won't save you this time[5].
The flavor has made the local news[6] and Food TV[7].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwyQoLtqB0s
[2] http://www.sunniskys.com
[3] http://www.coldsweaticecream.com
[4] http://www.coldsweaticecream.com/Cold_Sweat_Waiver.htm
[5] http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/san...
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL9vXAih2HI
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8oy_zYRTZ0
About a thirty minute drive from me is Sunni Sky's[2] ice cream in Angier, NC. They have a flavor called Cold Sweat[3] which includes among other things ghost pepper extract.
They require you to sign a waiver[4] before letting you taste it.
Then they ask you if you want the baby taste or the real taste. Assuming you go for the real taste (as I did), in addition to handing you a mouthful of Cold Sweat, they are standing by with a second spoonful of vanilla for putting out the fire in your mouth.
Now I like really spicy food. I'll order things as hot as they'll let me in most Thai restaurants. So I was able to finish the full size taste of Cold Sweat they gave me, but there is no possible way I could have eaten a full scoop.
After finishing my taste, I glance up at their menu and notice a flavor called "Exit Wound." Upon asking what it is, they tell me it's about twice as hot as Cold Sweat.
Let me just say about these flavors: ice cream won't save you this time[5].
The flavor has made the local news[6] and Food TV[7].
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwyQoLtqB0s
[2] http://www.sunniskys.com
[3] http://www.coldsweaticecream.com
[4] http://www.coldsweaticecream.com/Cold_Sweat_Waiver.htm
[5] http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/san...
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL9vXAih2HI
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8oy_zYRTZ0
Yeah, I love dark chocolate and chipotle ice cream. It tastes a little like mole. But I don't get all macho about it. I just like the taste.
I remember reading that dairy-based "antidotes" such as milk or yoghurt aren't ideal, especially as you get spicier, and that a better option is sugary water. Unfortunately, I don't quite remember the chemical/physical justification for this; something along the lines of the fats in dairy products just coating the spices in your mouth temporarily, while sugar actually absorbs and washes it away.
Mythbusters did a show on it (didn't personally watch it) and milk came out on top for them. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so the lipophilic casein in milk coats it apparently. The sugar water claim seems to be because they use it when measuring Scoville units, but seems odd to me. Soluble in alcohol too.
lipophilic and fat soluble mean the same thing.
I'm surprised to see all the pepper fanatics chugging milk. I'm a spice wuss and know nearly zero about the stuff. But, as soon as I read that Scoville units were based on sugar water, I started using sweet stuff to cancel the burn. Works great. Whereas milk hardly helps at all.
That makes sense. Indian meals typically end with insanely sweet desserts, and sweet tea with milk.
milk is sugary water
Despite the downvotes, this is an accurate statement. There are 13g of sugar in 8oz of milk, which is half of what you'd get from a Coca Cola but still a fair bit of sugar.
Protein! And fats, for that matter; there's much more to milk than sugar.
I didn't say it didn't also have fats and protein. I said it has quite a bit of sugar.
It actually has more sugar than fat or protein. Quite a bit more.
If you dump 13g of sugar into 8oz of water, do you not have sugary water? If you then dump in 8oz of protein and fat, does it cease being sugary water?
It actually has more sugar than fat or protein. Quite a bit more.
If you dump 13g of sugar into 8oz of water, do you not have sugary water? If you then dump in 8oz of protein and fat, does it cease being sugary water?
Yes, sugar. But it's lactose, which is much less sweet on a mass basis than sucrose, or even glucose.
"Sugary water" is pejorative because it's just sugary water; so I'd say that the answer to your second question is no.
In this context the question is whether "sugary water" is better for removing heat. It's not pejorative to point out that at its core, milk is also sugary water. It's not a health statement. It's a comment about the supposed higher effectiveness of sugary water.
"... the old Hungarian saying that “good paprika burns twice”"
Does paprika burn? I've never had any that had any real flavor or heat to speak of. Had a smoked one once but it tasted like smoke.
This British spelling is driving me crazy. Here's my understanding of how chile is meant to be spelled:
Chile: the spicy fruit that we use to burn ourselves silly. Jalepeño chile, Habañero chile, etc.
Chile #2: the sauce made in New Mexico from red or green chiles, often Hatch chiles
Chili: a delicious stew made with three primary ingredients:
1. Beef 2. Chiles, either powdered or fresh 3. A very strong opinion as to what constitutes chili
Chile: the spicy fruit that we use to burn ourselves silly. Jalepeño chile, Habañero chile, etc.
Chile #2: the sauce made in New Mexico from red or green chiles, often Hatch chiles
Chili: a delicious stew made with three primary ingredients:
1. Beef 2. Chiles, either powdered or fresh 3. A very strong opinion as to what constitutes chili
> Habañero chile
A bit off-topic, but since you mention spelling: "habañero" is one of my favourite hyperforeignisms in the English language. Wikipedia even uses it as an example in the first paragraph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperforeignism . Such an interesting linguistic phenomenon!
A bit off-topic, but since you mention spelling: "habañero" is one of my favourite hyperforeignisms in the English language. Wikipedia even uses it as an example in the first paragraph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperforeignism . Such an interesting linguistic phenomenon!
Chile #3: the south american country
I'm glad I wasn't the only one.
I'm sure it's a real enough thing for people out there. Me, though, I've never cracked that code: What is it, why does everybody get all exited about all this taste stuff? Sure, some things taste good, some things taste bad, there's stuff I like to eat, and stuff I wouldn't touch with a ten foot spoon, but honestly, it's just ... food.
Apparently, I'm at odds with most people on this. Friends have a really hard time accepting that I mean it when I say I have no preference for what we are going to eat (well, I'll skip the meat, but otherwise), or indeed, whether we are going to eat anything - can't we just grab some bananas if we're hungry?
Of course, this also generally leaves me less than enthusiastic about eating at restaurants. Basically money out the window in my stymied view of the world.
Apparently, I'm at odds with most people on this. Friends have a really hard time accepting that I mean it when I say I have no preference for what we are going to eat (well, I'll skip the meat, but otherwise), or indeed, whether we are going to eat anything - can't we just grab some bananas if we're hungry?
Of course, this also generally leaves me less than enthusiastic about eating at restaurants. Basically money out the window in my stymied view of the world.
Spicy food is my favorite, especially Thai cuisine. I eat red curry "Thai Hot" from a local Thai place at least once a week. I'm hopelessly addicted to it, though my friends can't see how I can stomach that level of spice.
A local Thai restaurant was my favorite too, until a real Sichuan restaurant opened up. The numbing of the Sichuan peppercorns allows you to eat even more chilies. So addicting.
If anyone visits Melbourne, there is a restaurant called Spicy Fish (I think) in Chinatown. They make a spicy fish soup that feels/tastes like red hot lava made with those peppercorns and chilli presumably. Very nice.
Is it not also true that spicy foods elicit an immune and metabolic response? Given that won't achieve anything, insofar as the spiciness is concerned at least, perhaps the effects of these are nonetheless felt to be favourable.
I thought endorphins were released due to the pain, hence people really getting into it (same with some athletes I guess).
Olive oil is spicy? I can't say I've ever noticed and I cook with it a lot.
swallow a spoonful of fresh extra virgin.
Yep nice peppery twang. A lot of oil sold as olive oil or EVOO, isn't.
That's the oleocanthal at work. Pretty good for you it seems. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleocanthal.
Thanks for that. The more you open up nature, the more it seems like a computer to me. An incredible amount of mystery to be found there.
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Because they make my tummy feel nice and warm.
People love to try to appear to be exceptional in some way. Some people think that by eating food which is difficult to consume without first accustoming themselves, they will be able to distinguish themselves from the common herd. My feeling about this is antagonistic to their unwarranted self-regard; by attempting to earmark themselves merely by the act of consuming a food, they instead display their mediocrity.
You just sound like someone who doesn't enjoy the heat, yet managed to come up with a righteous backsplanation for why that must be.
Peppers simply heighten the experience of eating, like having your ass slapped during sex.
Peppers simply heighten the experience of eating, like having your ass slapped during sex.
But they do mask the quality of other ingredients -- note the Frenchman's comment above.
That's a separate issue from this thread.
Adding enough sex to a movie will teeter it into pornography, but that doesn't mean it's unenjoyable.
And I'm not convinced most heat-lovers add it to the point where they cannot taste anything.
I live in Mexico where I suppose most people are part of the mediocre herd that Safety1stClyde so insists he's not, yet the people I know reaching for the hotter salsas have a tolerance to the milder ones. Suggesting that it's "to look cool" is petty.
Adding enough sex to a movie will teeter it into pornography, but that doesn't mean it's unenjoyable.
And I'm not convinced most heat-lovers add it to the point where they cannot taste anything.
I live in Mexico where I suppose most people are part of the mediocre herd that Safety1stClyde so insists he's not, yet the people I know reaching for the hotter salsas have a tolerance to the milder ones. Suggesting that it's "to look cool" is petty.
/r/iamverysmart
I agree with what he's saying, but you do have a point. Good prose is lucid; eschew obfuscation, as the saying goes.
There will always be people that make an ego-grab out of anything. As a New Mexican native, I can tell you there's plenty of chile lovers that honestly love the flavor. I love chile so much on its own right. In my opinion, the flavor is as complex as vanilla. In the right context chile tastes downright sweet. If you add chile to coffee or chocolate it can taste floral.
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As a French expat in London, I find the British crazy in love with chilli. I'm unfortunately not, and it's a daily struggle when grocery shopping or eating out because it will rear its ugly spicy head everywhere you least expected it : from soup to confectionery, nothing seems off limits!
With a few notable exceptions, I liken the use of chilli in cuisine to gratuitous violence in movies : a lazy fix for bland meals that otherwise wouldn't stand on their own feet. A smokescreen of burnt tastebuds to hide behind. A pain that I'm aware (but can't understand why) many people enjoy inflicting unto themselves.
Sorry for the (slightly tongue in cheek) harsh words : I have an axe to grind with chilli ever since I walked into the confectionery aisle of my local supermarket for the first time, shortly after I moved here.
Naively looking for my standard French/Belgian fare of dark chocolate with roasted almonds, hazelnut, or rice, I found nothing of the sort. Instead, what they had on offer was perfectly good chocolate laced with Wasabi, of all things ! Wasabi ! And yes, you guessed it, chilli.
I suppose that's the same sinking feeling British expats in France experience the first time they hear French rock'n'roll / hip-hop on the radio.