Adding, for example, chilli powder into an otherwise good meal is a very weird thing to do for me. If the food is just a bit spicy it can be fine. But if there’s any more than that, it’s just out of question for me. I’ve tried some kind of Asian meal once (I think it was called Hot Pot), and I was barely even able to taste the food itself behind how much my mouth was burning. Like, come on, you eat it and all you taste is pain and it still lasts even after you’ve finished. I genuinely don’t understand people who like it, unless they are masochists who enjoy pain in their mouths.
Edit: Well, all of your comments are just proof to me that my opinion is indeed unpopular. I see that as a success.
And just in case, I want to say that people can eat whatever they want. If you like spicy food, go for it. It’s just me.
And I apologise for the wrong wording, probably masochism is not the correct word…
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I can still taste all the flavors even when the food is spicy. Plus it’s healthy when it clears out your sinuses! It feels cleansing, like sauna.
If you ask people who enjoy spicy food, they’ll tell you it doesn’t hurt.
So if it’s not pain, how can it be called masochism?
I like spicy food, but people who brag about owning or eating hot sauces with the highest scoville skill rating are just plain weird.
It’s just like….why? Who is supposed to be impressed by that?
spice tolerance can be built, and once you have it, it doesnt hurt lol
“Some kind of Asian meal once” lol
You have to look at spicy as a flavor. Some people like sour things and there are also dishes that don’t work when you take away the sourness.
Same with spicy. You do need to train your tolerance for certain dishes.
If you’re talking about hot pot like it’s a new experience while also saying it was so spicy all you can feel is pain, I hate to say that’s really all that needs to be said
Some of us are just really resistant to that. It doesn’t seem that spicy. It’s also a symptom of an understimulated brain – we eat it because it feels good. It sets off the endorphins and it’s rewarding
i have never disagreed more with an opinion on this subreddit, spicy is always better.
It’s about tolerance.
I used to hate anything spicier than a korma, it hurt. Then I found a food that I really liked but it was too spicy. I ate it often anyway because I didn’t have many options because I was poor.
Some of us enjoy strong flavours.
Bro I just like spicy food and don’t necessarily find it painful 😭
I will admit to some pleasure at the pain of spice heat, but it’s not a sexual thrill, more of a mild rush.
I suffer from really bad sinus issues. A slightly spicier diet was recommended by my doctor to help keep my nose clear. Only problem is I’m in the same boat as you, prefer my food mild
“People can eat what they want” doesn’t jibe with “You’re a masochist if you like spicy food”
Oh and the reason why people in some cultures have incredibly spicy foods is because heat is a more common element in their cuisine over time as they grow up they develop a tolerance..so what you found so intolerable is like a jalapeño on a hotdog for them.
For me, hotpot means a “bit spicy”, not spicy spicy. So what might be unbearably spicy for you might not be for me. Some people just have higher spice tolerance.
Hotpot is totally customizable. You just pick the broth and add the ingredients yourself. You even cook it yourself. What HotPot did you go to? lol
I look at a piece of Korean chicken and I feel the burn. I’m on the low end of the spectrum with spice. Suppose that makes me a wuss.
some people need to be smug about it. Their whole personality is based on how “tough” they are. It’s the same with people that try to impress with the amount of alcohol they consume.
It is masochistic and you should not apologize for pointing out facts
People naturally have different tolerances to spicy food and will build up tolerance if they eat it on the regular. Meaning the ones who enjoy spicy Hot Pot likely don’t experience it to be as painful as you do.
As for the masochism part, that’s pretty much true. Eating spicy food releases endorphins due to the pain response, which can induce euphoria and pleasure. Same reason people are into BDSM.
You, like a LOT of people, can’t handle very spicy food. That’s not unpopular.
I believe spiciness is good to enhance the flavours of some dishes. But some ppl take it to the extremes, and the food loses all its taste :/
It’s more like a pleasant pain, like sore muscles and wiggly teeth. I’m not gonna deny being a masochist though
Ma’am, you want all this printed on your cookout invitations?
The first whisky coffee and cigarette I had also wasn’t pleasant but became so later. It’s in that group.
It’s closer to excercise than anything. Always sore at the gym after it’s been a while but it stops being sore and becomes pleasant pretty quick
See the problem is that you need to learn about heat tolerance. The meal that burns your mouth doesn’t burn mine, you would taste only pain i would taste very yummy food
I have to say it’s very silly to assume that everyone experiences the same way as you. That notion is usually outgrown in childhood when you learn about empathy and other stuff
If i ate some carolina reaper or whatever i wouldn’t be able to enjoy it either, nowadays i’m only using chili flakes here and there. The burning would be overwhelming and mind-numbing, i wouldn’t taste anything
Eating spicy is all about knowing your tolerance level. You can always raise it by eating more spicy stuff
Ideally you want to taste the meal and the heat is just another taste. If it’s overpowering then it’s top spicy for you. But that’s also a great way to eat not so tasty food
100% agree
I’ve always liked spicy food but sometimes the spice ironically hides the flavors when it’s too much and I don’t like the snot and the burning sensation.
It’s healthy, though, for some reason, even though the body reacts like it’s on fire lol
Idk if it helps give me merit but I’m someone who’s always been able to eat lemons without flinching or making any expressions, but maybe sour is a different part of the receptors/taste buds/tolerance.
I love spicy
There is a level of spicy that’s just pain, for basically anyone. But that threshold is different for everyone, and it’s higher for people who regularly eat spicy food. Im not going to lie and say I enjoy something painful, that’s dumb. But my comfortable level of spice is often much higher than other people’s, possibly intrinsically, and definitely through exposure
Good thing not everyone has to like the same things! Give me all the spicy!
I have a theory about this.
I have friends who have pale skin that is so reactive that a touch or hard press will leave discoloration for momentd afterward. Creams that don’t affect me (with certain acids and peroxides) completely irritate their skin on contact while on me they just sit there.
I think people’s tongues might be the same way.
OP, go easy on the spice if that’s what you need but realize if you think everyone is feeling the exact same sensation you are, you’re off base.
Yeah it’s the right word. Masochist ppl like pain bc it’s gets them off
You’re thinking wrong. When you eat food that is too spicy for your palette, it hurts. That level of heat that you’re experiencing as pain, other people experience the same as the level of heat you experience as quite nice.
So basically the situation is that you are more sensitive to spicy heat than other people. Which would be a boring unpopular opinion with no engagement, so you went with “spicy food is masochism” to get those tasty upvotes.
OP lives in a deep red state and probably has seen like a half dozen non white people in their entire life.
Also thinks sprite is spicy
i have a friend that dumps the entire chili tub to eat her congee where its more chilli with porridge than porridge with chili lol she just doesnt think its spicy? ppl have different tolerance thats all. its also what you pair the spicy food with, it can cut through oily, rich or carbs really well and complement them
When you’re used to the higher levels of spiciness, it stops hurting as much and taking over the flavours.
You start to taste things past the layer of pain and there’s certain flavours you can only get from spicy foods.
Okay, thank you all for the comments. I guess there are things that I don’t understand, I grew up in a very white family and for the majority of my life had nothing even mildly spicy. I believe that this is why it’s such a foreign concept to me that people willingly expose themselves to this pain to develop tolerance. For me it’s easier to just eat non spicy food than getting used to it. Although I’ve been dating an Asian for over two years now, I just can’t get used to their food.
And yes, my wording was wrong, now that I read over my post again. But hey, isn’t the subreddit called “unpopular opinions”? But I’m really sorry if the way I expressed my opinion sounded offensive. I don’t assume that everyone feels the same way as me.
Having an opinion that many don’t agree is one thing, being ignorant is another. Sometimes you get the latter one in this sub.
I get your standpoint. I crave spicy food sometimes. And I like to be on the verge of it hurting. Im not gonna eat something past the point of it being enjoyable.
I don’t get the appeal either. Why would I want to deliberately burn my mouth?
Also, heat is not a flavor.
If people enjoy spicy food then cool eat what you like but I hate it when they try to act Superior to others who don’t happen to enjoy spicy food
Upvoted for extreme unpopularity
How white is OP? I’m picturing cargo shorts with long white socks and crocks.
I love spicy food, and I put drops of hyper spicy sauce on my tongue for fun. It honestly gives me a dopamine rush. It’s weird because I really don’t like any other form of pain or discomfort.
When food is so spicy you can’t even enjoy the flavor, yes.
Your opinion is not unpopular and it’s worded badly. There many people who don’t eat spicy food for this exact reason. Also not everyone has the same spice tolerance. I literally cry when I eat spicy food but I don’t assume everyone does too lmao.
I enjoy extremely spicy food, and the pain that comes with it. So maybe masochism could be the right term for some.
I used to think the same, but the trick is right amount spice/chilli. Enough to feel, not to burnt other tastes, your mounth or anything else.
Also, same with alcohol, the more you use it, more you need to feel something.
Oh man! Yes it is! This is to the extent that i can’t feel anything else but i crave it. Sometimes i can’t taste anything else from the meal but it feels so good. The spicyness helps to not overeat. I tend to cook really good and tasty. When i add the hot sauce i tend to eat with smaller bites and more mindfull. This is my coping mechanism.
People who enjoy it don’t taste pain lol, they can taste the flavour of the spices. My tolerance has gone up as I got older and spicy stuff is really fucking good when you can taste it properly.
People who eat spicy food all the time build up a tolerance. We aren’t all sitting there grinning through the pain.
I love spicy food, but don’t like it so hot that I can’t taste the other flavours or I’m sweating and my nose is running. However, because I eat it all the time I’ve built up a tolerance and the amount of chillies/hot sauce I add to my food makes my food inedible to my husband despite me finding it a nice gentle heat. You obviously don’t eat it often so find even small amounts painful.
I wouldn’t eat as a baby and my doctor suggested spicy food. My first solid actual food was Thai curry…
Crying at “some kind of Asian meal once”
Well I’m a masochist so…
Assuming OP is a 9 year old.
Oh yea baby, hit me with that spice one more time. The best mapo tofu I ever had was also the spiciest I ever had. That mapo tofu was my spicy baptism.
Maybe we just like the spice?
I’m white but OP has to be opaque.
My wife is making hot pot this weekend, thanks for reminding me baby mouth
Ye I’m not denying I’m a masochist, but I also love the taste of peppers and as you build tolerance to the heat you discover new flavours that will be forever beyond your reach.
I want you to know I have said this IRL to my boyfriend before. Spicy food is masochism, so I agree with you 100%. I like spicy, to an extent, I’m happy to get some kind of chipotle wrap or have some spicy chili, but I will not eat what my boyfriend eats. I have tried, but some of the things he puts in his mouth that I’ve tried burns so bad its only pain, you can’t even taste it anymore. All hurt, no flavor. So I agree, while it can be tasty, its also masochism the spicier it gets. Who knows maybe some people just don’t burn as bad and can taste it more, I don’t know.
Iirc capsaicin triggers the release of endorphins bc of your bodies response to mild pain so yeah it kinda is.
Now imma go get a breakfast burrito with green chili bc that shit is fire
Ps: I used to loathe spicy foods but then I moved to NM and got used to them, now I love it. Had some ghost pepper cheese yesterday and it was amazing
It’s funny to me how as a white guy I seem to be one of the only person who likes fairly spicy food over my non-white peers.
Spice makes me feel something on top of good flavour.
Gochujang is life
Don’t visit the south.
It’s like a runner high.
Not that I am a runner but this is a similar thing people do that is uncomfortable yet they get addicted to the rush of endorphins your body releases to basically numb the pain of basic stuff like exertion. Spicy food just triggers those systems without exertion. It takes some getting used to. Goes a lot faster if you were raised on it.
With time you are kinda bored of food without it.
I don’t even know that I can call this an unpopular opinion. It’s just a matter of perspective. One person ‘scalding hot’ water is another person’s warm bath.
I don’t consider jalapenos to be hot at all, they are mostly sweet with mild heat to me. But I have seen people act like their faces are melting off from eating a tiny bite of jalapeno.
Heh skill issue
I love spicy food. Add fresh thai chilli to 80%+ of my meals. The other 20% of the meals are stuff like cereal or pbj sammich where it wouldn’t make sense
Dude has never heard of spice tolerance. Like, what is extreme pain for you is “a little spicy” for others
I like normal spicy food, but my friend had me try his ghost pepper powder (which he claims to like) and it was like taking red hot coals from a fire and eating them.
No flavor, no taste. Just pain.
> I’ve tried some kind of Asian meal once (I think it was called Hot Pot
Daring today, aren’t we ?
Spicy food helps with blood flow. It’s fantastic for circulation. Also it’s delicious. Personally the hotter the better… it has to be really really hot to get me to not eat it. On a side note, the hot chicken in Nashville is incredible. If I lived there I’m pretty sure I’d gain like 20 lbs just from hot chicken alone
OP is white and sheltered
I do not eat spicy food because I need to prove my manliness. I eat spicy food because the spice adds to the flavor.
Not everyone is like you with spices. Some can dump a bunch of red pepper and black pepper on food, and it is not too spicy. Others can put a little bit of pepper on food, and it is too spicy for them.
Spicy food triggers a rush of endorphins that makes food even more enjoyable to those that aren’t bothered by it.
>you eat it and all you taste is pain and it still lasts even after you’ve finished.
No. I taste the spices. It also clears my sinuses, and can actually cool you off on a hot day.
Try some vindaloo, you will love it!
Indeed, there’s a term for it called benevolent masochism.
Spices that cause a pain response also release endorphins which create a pleasant feeling. Some people simply take the heat too far.
All I have to say to this is: if it didn’t burn going in and it didn’t burn coming out, it wasn’t spicy enough.
Don’t even get me started on ketchup.
Spicy doesn’t equal pain/burning for everyone. People that enjoy spicy food generally aren’t these kinds of people. For me, spice is another dimension of the food. Texture, flavor, ect. “Heat” level for me is an important aspect to a dish and if it doesn’t have ANY at all, I feel like something is missing.
I like spicy food not from how spicy It is but what happens when you eat really spicy food . You get than nice high of euphoria and the release of all that just makes it better imo.
Another thing the Thai restaurant near me spicy of 5 is like a Indian 2 they need to go even further beyond
I dunno if I agree with that but one thing I have noticed about people that like spicy food is they seem to enjoy telling people they eat spicy food more than they seem to actually enjoy the food.
I have a family member who every single frigging time we go to a restaurant has to somehow slip into conversation that they are Infact having the spiciest thing on the menu. Then wait for your approval like you are supposed to be impressed
I’m with you. I also hate the use of the word “spicy” to describe high heat food. Spicy means there are a lot of spices(i.e., pepper, salt, garlic, cinnamon). Just say high heat food.
Different people have different spice tolerances. A food that you can barely taste because it’s burning your mouth doesn’t necessarily have the same effect on everyone.
I have a very high tolerance for spicy and rarely feel actual pain. If it was hurting me, I wouldn’t be eating it.
Take my upvote for your truly shitty take. The midwest and England need people like you who hate flavor.
LMAO
Kinkshaming is unnecessary
i feel like most the commenters don’t understand what masochism is lmao
Guy probably finds black pepper spicy and weird. 🤣
uff, you sound like a person with the palette of a 6 year old that only eats fries, dino nuggies and american cheese…
asian dish called “hot pot” lmao.
Despite being hard to take you seriously, here’s the deal: You can train your spice tolerance. You probably think salt and pepper are spicy, while other people can barely feel the spiciness of a jalapeno.
I used to be less resistant but always liked spicy food. I started incorporating Chilli Oils, Gochujang, Gochugaru, Jalapeno’s and Habanero’s in my food and my tolerance has gone up to the point where i don’t feel uncomfortable with anything below habanero level of spice. Stuff like Carolina reaper/Ghost pepper i can’t get behind, but the point im trying to make is that these peppers taste amazing and for some of us the slight added tingling from the spice is actually nice!
Its possible to build tolerance to it, and the more you tolerate it the more of the spicy food you can taste. Part of the fun is experiencing all the different pepper flavors. Also, peppers are a ridiculously good source of vitamins. They are healthy for you!
Building tolerance isnt even that hard. In fact its so easy you can accidentally do it. Its all about consistency. Start with a mild sauce, just enough that you feel it, for a week. Then up either the amount of sauce used or swap to a slightly hotter sauce. You’ll quickly realize that if you try and go backwards, what used to be “hot” to you will barely register. You’ll also realize that most of the basic sauces arent even hot, they just rely on a vinegar forward kick to trick you into thinking they are hot. At that point, welcome to flavor town 🙂
I’m at the point where even the hottest of the “mainstream hot” has zero effect on me.
Also, there is such a thing as a “pepper high” where if you go way too hot your brain will flood your body with endorphins. You have to go significantly out of your comfort zone to reach that though.
Tell us you’re white without telling us you’re white
Yesterday I was eating some sort of Western food and it was so bland that I had to add some spice. Whoever eats such food on a regular basis need to be a masochist.
/s
lol it’s not unpopular this is just ignorant lol
Wow you must be really really spice intolerant if you find chili powder spicy.
I came in here ready to argue with you because I love spicy food, but… yeah. It’s kind of like being spanked – you know the pain is brief and temporary, so you can enjoy the sensation and the accompanying endorphin rush without fear of lasting damage to your body. Hurt me, capsaicin daddy 😆
You could say that about any really strong food sensation though. Most people would find it unpleasant to eat a lemon or blue cheese or surströmming but those all have their fans. Some people just like a challenge to their taste buds.
spicy food can be addictive. everyone has a vice, yours just isn’t the joy of having your tongue soooo jacked up on spice that you want more!!! also a fair few neurodivergents love tastes that are really strong on their taste buds (spicy, sour, vinegar!!!!) myself included 🙂 this post is therefore very normie content of you i assume you’re neurotypical
Yes, and?
I mean yeah, that’s why it’s enjoyable
Yes… and masochism is based
I put habanero hot sauce into my egg mix before I fry it
The chili peppers in that dish are meant to flavor it, you don’t directly eat them
Just wait until you jam some of my Habanero Poppers in your talker, I’ll show you heat!
Well hot pot isn’t always deathly spicy. Also, people have different tolerances, so while your mouth is being violated by spices, other people are enjoying their flavorful meal lol
Lol I’m sorry this killed me, it’s not even an opinion it’s just your experience and it’s so goddam funny
Mmmm tasty masochism
Giving off huge “cracked pepper” is spicy vibes