I remember what it like to be young, just about. I went to university in Birmingham and we all went through that predictable phase of competing with my fellow students to see who could stomach the hottest balti dish in the famous region of restaurants. What did the ultimate winner get? Possibly the respect of his or her peers but definitely a tricky morning lecture the next day.
The researchers are calling this a Scoville shift, which sounds like what you had to nip out of that lecture to do. The Scoville scale is the way we measure how hot a spicy food is. The problem with having a scale is that people start to think more is better rather than finding the optimum spot.
Forty per cent of adults and sixty per cent of Gen Zs consider themselves “braver” when it comes to trying spicy food. Why would you want to eat a food that requires bravery? No one says, “Leave some of those toothpicks in those pineapple chunks on sticks. I’m feeling brave tonight.”
It’s worth remembering that the hotness of a spicy food isn’t a flavour or taste. It’s pain. The capsaicin reacts with pain receptors in your mouth. Flavour is detected by your nose. Taste is detected by your taste buds but spiciness works on the same system that knows if you’ve stood on Lego.
Save money by grasping a drawing pin while you have a bland sandwich.
I understand it is a little strange that I used to be one of these food masochists. All of those times having to take a break from my late night carry while I sweat, all of those times trying to drink the mint yoghurt from the starers and now I know it was pointless.
Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy a pathia or madras but I know that’s my level. I don’t order a vindaloo to show off.
The same research found that forty-six percent of us feel “space shame” when ordering a milder dish than the people we’re eating with. To those people I say, no, you shouldn’t feel pressure to burn your innards just because other people do.
You don’t need to order food from the top of the Scoville scale if you want to feel pain during your restaurant trip. Thanks to recent inflation just order some drinks and wait till you see the bill. You’ll be crying in no time.
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