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> I liken the use of chilli in cuisine to gratuitous violence in movies : a lazy fix for bland meals that otherwise wouldn't stand on their own feet. A smokescr
by Steko 9y ago
> I liken the use of chilli in cuisine to gratuitous violence in movies : a lazy fix for bland meals that otherwise wouldn't stand on their own feet. A smokescreen of burnt tastebuds to hide behind. A pain that I'm aware (but can't understand why) many people enjoy inflicting unto themselves.
Tyler Cowen is my go-to explainer for spicy food:
Mexicans acculturate their small children to spicy food gradually, by mixing increasing amounts of chilies into the meal. It takes a while before the kids enjoy it and at first they don't like it. If this has never been done to you, you need to make the leap yourself, usually later in life. The whole point of spicy food is that at first it is painful, causing the release of endorphins to the brain. With time the pain goes away and you still get the endorphins, although you may seek out an increasingly strong dose to boost the endorphin response.
Not all Americans think this is a good deal. Older people are less likely to make this initial investment and endure the initial pain. The same is true for uneducated people (adjusting for ethnicity), who both are less likely to know it will end up being a source of pleasure and who on average have higher discount rates. What other predictions can be made? If you and your country are too obsessed with dairy you will be led away from spicy food, one way or the other. Milk usually counteracts the pleasing effects of chilies.
- ianai 9y agoThat's wrong. Chile helps your taste buds taste fat. They really go together very well. It's what makes mixing chile with chocolate and cheese so great. It's similar to why salt+fat works. Fat numbs your taste buds and salt and chile 'wake them up'.
- soVeryTired 9y agoDid Tyler Cowen really just argue that uneducated people don't like spicy food because they don't think far enough ahead in time?
- Angostura 9y agoI was expecting endorphin release to come up in the Guardian article and was surprised when it didn't. Is there good science behind the chilli-endorphin idea?
- pizza 9y ago> But how does capsaicin give us the sensation of “tongue on fire”? Capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers that produces a burning sensation in any tissue it comes in contact with. How does this signal get conveyed? There are three classes of nerve fiber in our central and peripheral nervous system – the ‘C’ type of nerve fiber are the ones that are stimulated by capsaicin – specifically the molecule binds to the vanilloid receptors (VR-1, TRPV1) on the nerve endings of the C-fibers. These receptors are ligand-gated ion channels that are closed in the absence of capsaicin. When they are stimulated by capsaicin, they open and allow an influx of sodium and calcium ions, which initiate an action potential across the fibers. This action potential is what allows us to feel the burn. Normally, physical heat stimulates these receptors. However, capsaicin can also interact with these receptors and activate proteins that cause the same signal to be transmitted to the brain into thinking that it is being burned. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/scienceandfood/2017/01/17/capsaicin/ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/scienceandfood/2017/01/17/...