I think you can build up a tolerance to heat, at least on other parts of your body. At the end of the summer I can dip my hands in scalding dishwater at the restaurant and not feel it, but I’d yell if I tried that in May after a winter of not doing dishes. I personally don’t like my food really really hot, and I let my tea cool down quite a bit before I drink it, but food always tastes more intense if it’s at least lukewarm. Food that’s supposed to be served hot doesn’t taste quite the same when it’s right out of the fridge.
But if it’s scalding, I just need to wait a few minutes and it becomes perfect. If it’s not quite hot enough to begin with, it’ll only go downhill from there.
Also there seems to be a difference between food that’s been heated up to perfect temperature, and one that has been heated to super-hot temperature and then allowed to cool down a little bit. It applies to re-heated food as well (e.g packaged soup) so I don’t think it’s just a matter of cooking it properly. Something about temperature gradient, I expect - really hot inside, somewhat less hot on the outside.
Although I don’t enjoy the scalding coffee at fast food places either. Probably because they come in styrofoam cups that are too well insulated, and they take way too long to cool down to an acceptable temperature.
Hi, I like really hot food (Temperature-wise. I enjoy spicy food too, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.). I’ve never sent lukewarm food back in a restaurant because I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but if I am at home I will often heat and re-heat my meals to near-intolerable (to some) temperatures. My microwave is my friend.
I’ve also found that a lot of foods I won’t eat at their traditional temperature (room temp or cold) can be much improved by spending 30 seconds or so in the microwave. For example: potato salad, applesauce, pie, rice pudding, etc. are all nasty cold, but I am perfectly willing to endure the incredulous looks I get from my SO when I heat them up, because–I don’t care what he says–hot potato salad is awesome.
Oh, another one: What’s with the cold pizza obsession? Cold pizza is lame and not worth eating. Reheated pizza is way WAY better, microwaved a few seconds too long so that the cheese bubbles and you burn the roof of your mouth on the first bite. And yes, I do burn my mouth a lot, probably at least once a day. But I don’t really mind: taking a big sip of too-hot chocolate and cursing as it singes your tongue is just part of the experience, IMO.
Why do I have these preferences? I don’t know. I have food texture issues as well, so maybe temperature issues go along with that. Someone who posted above suggested that people who drink black coffee may develop a tolerance for high-temperature food, but I don’t drink coffee at all, so that theory doesn’t hold true for me, at least. I do drink tea without milk, though–and yes, I usually boil the water when I make it. (I wait for it to cool down a bit before I drink it, though :).)
Never mind.
I like some things hot, but not because I like hot hot foot… but because if I don’t get it hot hot at the start (and blow on it some to cool down at first) it’s cold by the time I get to the end of the plate and tasting not so good, if not nasty. Like soup, especially cream soups. I find if they aren’t really hot to start, by the time you get to the last quarter of the bowl there’s a skin forming and it tastes horrible. I think the texture changes subtly also, seems to get thicker. As a kid I’d refuse to eat the last bit because of that.
I like my food to be warm, but it doesn’t have to be very hot. I only worry about that if I’m reheating something that has a bad texture if it’s not hot enough, like rice, which tends to be hard when it’s warm and tastes like sand.
I like it when my coffee and tea cool off to room temperature. Yesterday I was at Dunkin’ Donuts, and they had a sign that said “to our customers, we serve our coffee extremely hot” so I let it sit while I ate my breakfast sandwich. I was 3/4 of the way through the sandwich before I touched the coffee, and I still burned my mouth. It was like molten lava and it had been sitting for 10 minutes. I don’t get why it needs to be that hot.
DD’s coffee has a huge following of people who think it’s the best coffee in America. And there is a tradition of people(truck driver’s, vacationer’s, Police) Who come in for a Thermos fillup in the morning and drink it all day. So If it’s scalding at 8 am, they can pour a cup and let it cool, but with the thermos it’s still a decent temperature to drink at 10 P.M.
I think the persons that want really hot food and beverages are the persons that are cold all the time or working in the cold. A gut full of hot whatever can feel good when the extremities are cold.
My best friend will send back any bowl of soup that is not screaming hot. I think she must have had one sucky tepid bowl of soup once, and cannot get over it.
My Dad is one of those “soup needs to still be at a boil when served” types. I don’t get it at all. On the other hand, I can’t stand any extremes in temperature in my food & drink. A drink with the glass jammed full of ice? No thanks!