I grew up in somewhat of a food desert, coupled with an undiagnosed lactose intolerance, I avoided a lot of foods, including anything "spicy". When I grew up, went to a gastro doc, I changed my diet and now I can't not have spicy foods. I'm talking about dousing everything I eat in cayenne, habanero sauce, ghost pepper dip, everything. Why? I feel like you enjoy food for longer if you have to take a bit to get through the spice.

Ah, the things we do to attempt to preserve our dignity when we think we're getting something only entertainingly hot, but turns out to be Chicken à la Mace...

My spice tolerance definitely increased after living in Sichuan Province for 6 months.

Man. I absolutely cannot handle spicy food. But damn is it too good. Indian is certainly one of my favourites, and frankly, if it isn't spicy, it's not right. I will continue eating it regardless, cause it is top notch.

Not a bad thing, but makes you wonder why (historically) Caucasian cuisine is typically not spicey. Indian, Thai, Korean, (various) African, Latino food are all known to be hot as hell. Western European and American food, not so much. Did hot spices/foods just not grow in those regions?

“These are tears of joy, of ecstasy.”

And here I am, growing my own peppers and putting hot sauce on... Almost everything. Love spicy food.

I just ate at an Indian restaraunt about an hour ago and it was surprisingly manageable.

I love milk!