I enjoy a lot of spicy cuisine. Spicy Indian, Mexican, and South-East Asian dishes are some of my favorites. Nonetheless, even though I love the taste, anything that is spicier than mild can be extremely difficult for me to eat. My face will turn completely red, my nose will run, my eyes will water, I’ll start sweating… Meanwhile, some of my friends can eat the exact same things and it does not seem to affect them at all. Sometimes I’ve been eating a dish that I really liked, but I simply could not finish because of the way I physically reacted to the spiciness. It is very annoying! Thus, I was wondering, can I train myself to handle spicy foods better by eating them more often? Should I start adding Tabasco to my lunch every day?
I don’t know about adding the tobasco sauce daily, but you can build up a tolerance to the stuff, provided you don’t have any allergies to the ingredients. Certainly, the more frequently you eat the stuff, the easier it’ll become to handle it.
oh its possible, all right. i used to liberally apply black pepper to my food until my grandfather suggested a sprinkle of red pepper from a tiny jar in the cabinet. that did the trick.not i generously apply, not sprinkle, it onto most foods. i grew some habaneros this summer, but i digress…
Well it’s only one data point but when I was a kid I couldn’t stand spicy food at all, and over the last ten years or so I’ve really learned to appreciate it and seek it out. I don’t know that it’s a matter of not “feeling” it as much but more learning what the sensation is like and not letting it bother you as much, while still appreciating the spiciness.
Now I routinely eat stuff that sends my friends running for the milk; what they find extremely hot I find pleasantly warm.
Yes, absolutely. Few people are born able to take habanero peppers without discomfort.
I started adding hot spices to spice up food when I started a relatively bland diet of low-calorie vegetables. When I started, Pace Mild Picante sauce would have me fanning myself, and Tabasco was approached with fear. Now I routinely eat Pace Hot and don’t notice any heat, and I can drink a shot of pure Tabasco on a dare with no real discomfort. I typically use Tabasco Habanero (not nearly as hot as it sounds, IIRC about 8000 Scoville, but about twice the heat of normal Tabasco Red which is about 4-5000) and am working my way up to sauces that run about 20-30,000 Scoville.
Only Fierra can eat what I cook on "hot"days, and she can still take eat some Indian dishes that are hotter than I can eat.
As you increase your dose of capsaicin, you may experience side-effects. Consult this thread to help cope:
I know that I’m asking for trouble in saying this - but I had a very good friend who died of stomach cancer at the age of 34. He was from Venezalia. I researched it at the time, and found that stomach and intestinal cancers are more prevalent in populations with heavily spiced cusines. - I’m just sayin,’ is all.
Yea, but what a way to go. I might live longer eating bland crap, but where’s the joy?
More life = more time for sex = Silly!
You may get addicted. There is such a thing as capsaicin addiction.
I love it myself. Yes, you develop this tolerance gradually (I worked in a Thai restaurant for awhile in college–that helped a lot). I notice that some days I’m more affected than others.
For a true blast, try this stuff:
http://www.salsastore.com/inc/pdetail?v=1&pid=2210
“The Hottest Fucking Sauce” and it’s the only commercial product I’ve found that really lives up to its name.
A couple of drops had my mouth burning for quite some time and gave me the hiccups.