# Your Tolerance for Spicy Foods **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483 "2009-10-20T15:10:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/21 "2009-10-20T16:19:13Z")
I love my chiles! I find it so amusing to read a recipe and see 1/8 tsp cayenne or 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper. And then read a review of said recipe with cooks saying it was too spicy for their families. I guess it’s regional and whatever you get used to eating. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/22 "2009-10-20T16:21:14Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I live in Sichuan, China, which has got to have the most consistently spicy food found anywhere in the world. There may be places that have technically spicier food, but in Sichuan it’s _every dish all of the time_. It’s normal for Sichuan restaurants to keep a pack of tissues on the table, because they diners _will_ be blowing their nose and wiping their eyes during the meal. Even the simplest thing- like so boiled greens- is going to come with a mound of dried red peppers sprinkled over it. > > I adore it. When I traveled away from Sichuan, I came away from meals disappointed because I didn’t get that rush that you get from eating spicy food. Now and then I’ll come across a dish that is too spicy for me to enjoy, but in general spicy=good for me. > > I recently took a cooking class in Thailand with a Dutch couple. I spiced things the way I would normally spice them- not specifically to make a spicy dish, just some peppers for flavor. The poor Dutch couple couldn’t get more than a bite or two down! I hadn’t realized how far my palate has deviated from the norm. Dude…you will be my new best friend - Sichuan sour and spicy soup is my all time favourite. Here I can manage sambal stingray, sambal kang kong, chilli padi all with no problem ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/23 "2009-10-20T16:23:06Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The hottest food I’ve had recently was at Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill restaurant here in Chicago. They normally put out two salsas (verde and regular), but my husband asked for some habanero salsa as well. He was scooping chips into it during dinner, obviously feeling the heat in the process, and I finally tried some - dipped in a chip and got maybe a quarter-sized puddle of it. Gulp. Oh my, that was hot. I had trouble speaking for about a minute, and drank a fair amount of water trying to get back to normal. It tasted really good, but I’ll have to work up to that. capsaicin peppers act on the heat sensing pain receptors. water may counter act this for a second. i’ve heard people claim that milk (containing fat) or oil rinses off the capsaicin better. i’ve never tried because i can eat it. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/24 "2009-10-20T16:24:15Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Dude…you will be my new best friend - Sichuan sour and spicy soup is my all time favourite. Here’s my review of eating [Sichuan hotpot](http://www.crowaptok.com/travelogue/03/hot-hot-hotpot.html). With a picture of it so spicy it will make your eyes hurt. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/25 "2009-10-20T16:25:09Z")
Doing my research, it seems like the most common pepper in Sichuan cuisine is the cayenne. Not crazy spicy, but I make up for it in volume. I eat piles of these, every day, several times a day. Dinner probably involves dishes that use dried, fresh and pickled peppers in a variety of ways. Even breakfast is extremely spicy. Of course, on special occasions it gets crazier. I get out to [Sichuan Hot Pot](http://www.thepensivecitadel.com/2009/07/13/the-sadomasochistic-joys-of-sichuan-hot-pot/) every couple of weeks, which is exactly like swallowing fire. And add to this the Sichuan numbing pepper…a meal here is a full body experience. I’m getting hungry! ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/26 "2009-10-20T16:26:58Z")
I did find [a bunch of things listed against the Scoville scale](http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php) including a bunch of food additives and other peppers, but they’re all capsaicin based, including pepper spray. The stuff at the high end seems to be just because, not for actual consumption. Anyone who tried to ingest pure capsaicin is just a moron and deserves what they get. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/27 "2009-10-20T16:33:25Z")
I find I like heat hot better than spicy hot. So, spicy peppers, not so much. Wasabi…mmmmm…I found a wasabi/horseradish spread and I’ve been using that instead of mustard on my sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/28 "2009-10-20T16:49:28Z")
I like foods that are very spicy, but only naturally so, if you will. I can eat pretty much any regular dish, no matter how hot. But these made-up, pour-5-kinds-of-chili on it and called “Nukular Ballbuster” and such are just excessive. As someone said once, pain is not a flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/29 "2009-10-20T16:51:04Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Interesting. Is there a means of measuring the “heat” from non-capsaicin sources? Not in bell peppers. They don’t have any heat. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/30 "2009-10-20T16:51:37Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > capsaicin peppers act on the heat sensing pain receptors. water may counter act this for a second. i’ve heard people claim that milk (containing fat) or oil rinses off the capsaicin better. i’ve never tried because i can eat it. Trust me, I was trying whatever I could find on the table that might possibly work, including finishing off my beer and eating the few remaining plain chips. The iced water was at least cool, and I figured volume might do the trick. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/31 "2009-10-20T16:58:18Z")
I fear no pepper. _BRING IT ON!_ ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/32 "2009-10-20T16:58:31Z")
I disagree on the habaneros. In fact just a few minutes ago I had some macaroni and cheese with tiny chunks of habanero I sliced into it. While it is mostly heat, I think that gram for gram, it is more flavorful than store-bought bell peppers even without the heat. Commercial bell peppers are grown for size and appearance and not for taste. To me the habanero tastes like what bell peppers should taste like before the flavor was bred out of them (again, NOT even including the heat: just the “bell pepper” ish taste is even more pronounced in habaneros IME than in bell peppers.) Habaneros I can stand, as they are extremely hot but do not cause my eyes and nose to water for some reason. On the other hand, add just a half teaspoon of ground red pepper to a dish and I will use tissues constantly throughout. (Now, my digestive system is a different story from my taste buds. If I were in the military my name would be Major Wolfass.) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/33 "2009-10-20T17:27:04Z")
I’m somewhere between Serrano & Habanero, but I find my resistance is eroding with age, so I’m rounding down on this one… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/34 "2009-10-20T17:35:32Z")
Well since my thread was cited, I guess everyone knows I like spicy foods. 🙂 I put myself as Habanero. I like it hotter than many people, but I also like to taste the food. IME habanero chilis add an interesting flavour to the food as well as a bit of heat. Actually, I’m probably between a Serrano and a Habanero on the poll, but there are times when only super-spicy will do. My faves are Serrano and Thai chilis. They have the best flavour. Anything I cook in a pot gets cayenne pepper. (Well, except for corned beef and cabbage.) I’m a little particular about my sauces. Tabasco or Crystal red pepper sauce goes with American food, Sriacha with Asian, Tapatio with Mexican, and Frank’s for hot wings. I also have a few ‘boutique’ hot sauces. You know the kind; the one’s with the wacky names that promise to blow your head off when you eat it. Can’t remember them all now. One of them is Salsa de la Muerte. Couldn’t resist the name or the skull keychain. 😃 (Tastes good, but won’t kill you.) OK, drifting into Café territory here; but what the hell… **Chipotle Salmon** Salmon fillets (wild) Sour cream Chipotle chilis Chopped onion Sliced mushrooms Put the salmon filets skin-side down on a sheet of aluminum foil. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. (I use canned chipotles because they’re convenient. Adjust to your own taste.) Pour the mixture over the salmon, seal the foil around the fish and sauce, and bake in the oven until it’s done. (Say, 375°F for 30 minutes or so. Depends on the thickness of the fish, etc.) Serve with refried beans/charro beans/frijoles negros, fried rice, and squash medley. And a cerveza. Yum! . ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/35 "2009-10-20T17:42:23Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Habaneros add heat, but not much else. I eat a blend of dried/grinded peppers with some Habenero mixed in for a boost. > > I never met someone who was more into spicy food than I am. Legit Thai and Indian cooking, even at the spicy extreme, are fine by me. > > Habanero heat is a novelty alone, and when used with good peppers, it is workable. Hi..nice to meet you.Habeneros are delicious,one of my favorite peppers. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/36 "2009-10-20T17:55:00Z")
I love Indian food, and do like things spicy, but medium spicy is usually good enough for me. The defining characteristic of Indian food is not heat but lots of seasonings, and I vastly prefer a food with lots of exciting tastes to one that just has heat. And I really don’t like chili very much. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/37 "2009-10-20T17:59:36Z")
I got a couple bottles of Habanero hot sauce when I was in Mexico. When I put it in my chili, my dogs would not touch it. They would stand about a foot away and bark at it. Beagles have sensitive noses. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/38 "2009-10-20T18:15:09Z")
I’m not surprised at the results, and not for a reason having anything to do with peppers. It is well known that people often choose the second most expensive (or hottest) choice. Restaurants supposedly offer a really expensive bottle of wine on a list, so that people who choose the next most expensive one feel they are getting a bargain. Choosing the hottest pepper would be bragging - choosing habanero is thus the best macho choice. I chose it also. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/39 "2009-10-20T18:28:26Z")
I have this theory, you see. My theory is that people who love super-spicy foods have some kind of problem with their taste buds that inhibits their ability to taste foods. I think Mrs. Homie has this problem; she pours tabasco sauce on everything she eats - well, tabasco sauce and/or salt. That or they like waving their dicks. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483/40 "2009-10-20T18:32:22Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I have this theory, you see. My theory is that people who love super-spicy foods have some kind of problem with their taste buds that inhibits their ability to taste foods. I think Mrs. Homie has this problem; she pours tabasco sauce on everything she eats - well, tabasco sauce and/or salt. Bleh. That’s kind of like putting ketchup on everything in terms of boring sameness. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-tolerance-for-spicy-foods/514483.md?page=3)