Sepharo wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 18:55:
Ah leave it to some Wikipedian to describe in one long sentence what I was pondering:

"While some point to the small towns and agricultural communities in Kansas, Iowa, the Dakotas, and Nebraska of the Great Plains as representative of traditional Midwestern lifestyles and values, others assert that the declining Rust Belt cities of the Great Lakes – with their histories of 19th- and early-20th-century immigration, manufacturing base, and strong Catholic influence – are more representative of the Midwestern experience."

DNForever wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 20:29:

If you disagree, give a better definition for life and for food.

What are you a fuckin teacher?

If you disagree, give a better definition for life and for food.

Bodolza wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 13:17:

jdreyer wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 06:41:
The fact that most spicy food comes from hot climes speaks to the fact that the spices were used to kill bacteria to prevent food-borne diseases.

I think it's more likely that there are spicy foods in hot climates because chiles primarily grow in hot climates.

Sepharo wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 18:25:
The problem isn't the midwest, it's wherever you live apparently. Are you out in the sticks?

Beamer wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 15:23:

Overon wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 15:04:

Beamer wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 13:24:
Most people enjoy food with a little bit of heat. The thing is, you grow accustomed to heat. It ends up being a sliding scale. What is too hot for most of you is mild to people that grew up in areas full of spicy foods.


I will say, though, that moving to the midwest has ruined spicy foods for me. My city is less than 2% asian and hispanic each. Net result: no one here has a clue how to use any kind of spice beyond dried basil. It's kind of pathetic. Everything restaurant serves bland, tasteless food. I'm not talking lack of heat, I'm talking overall lack of flavor.
God I hate living in the midwest...

I'm pretty sure that in the midwest you can buy what they have in the east, various spices.

Yes, you can buy the spices to cook for yourself.
You cannot find a restaurant that is aware of what anything is to cook for you.
I rarely have time to cook for myself and always find it far less satisfying than eating out or picking something up.

Overon wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 15:04:

Beamer wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 13:24:
Most people enjoy food with a little bit of heat. The thing is, you grow accustomed to heat. It ends up being a sliding scale. What is too hot for most of you is mild to people that grew up in areas full of spicy foods.


I will say, though, that moving to the midwest has ruined spicy foods for me. My city is less than 2% asian and hispanic each. Net result: no one here has a clue how to use any kind of spice beyond dried basil. It's kind of pathetic. Everything restaurant serves bland, tasteless food. I'm not talking lack of heat, I'm talking overall lack of flavor.
God I hate living in the midwest...

I'm pretty sure that in the midwest you can buy what they have in the east, various spices.

Beamer wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 13:24:
Most people enjoy food with a little bit of heat. The thing is, you grow accustomed to heat. It ends up being a sliding scale. What is too hot for most of you is mild to people that grew up in areas full of spicy foods.


I will say, though, that moving to the midwest has ruined spicy foods for me. My city is less than 2% asian and hispanic each. Net result: no one here has a clue how to use any kind of spice beyond dried basil. It's kind of pathetic. Everything restaurant serves bland, tasteless food. I'm not talking lack of heat, I'm talking overall lack of flavor.
God I hate living in the midwest...

jdreyer wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 06:41:
The fact that most spicy food comes from hot climes speaks to the fact that the spices were used to kill bacteria to prevent food-borne diseases.

kanniballl wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 07:50:

Overon wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 07:01:
Using chemicals is not not food? Food IS a chemical. Everything physical you see, feel, taste, hear, and smell is made up of chemicals. Life is chemistry and chemistry is all chemicals.

Yeh, ignoring the whole "life is just a series of chemical interactions" and "all food is just a mixture of chemicals"...

Overon wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 07:01:
Using chemicals is not not food? Food IS a chemical. Everything physical you see, feel, taste, hear, and smell is made up of chemicals. Life is chemistry and chemistry is all chemicals.

Creston wrote on Sep 25, 2011, 22:38:

Overon wrote on Sep 25, 2011, 14:17:
Other than male macho posturing, I never understood why (mostly) men love to eat spicy stuff like this. The spiciness literally overwhelms every other flavor and, if it's spicy enough, even texture. It's like an analgesics that Dentist use, but instead of feeling nothing, you feel nothing else but fire.

I don't even understand why there is this market for trying to one up each other on the spiciness in various products. The basic science behind this is, the more capsaicin it has, the hotter it is. So you it's easy to one up your competition, all the way the point where your sauce is 100% capsaicin and you won, you got the hottest sauce on the planet. Not much of a challenge really. However, I don't think that's legal to sell in a food product because it can hurt people pretty bad.

You can buy bottles of capsaicin pretty easily, though they do all mention that they are a food additive, not a sauce. (ie, you add a few drops to your meal, not a squirt.)

I always get annoyed when the Man vs Food guy takes on a spicy/hot challenge where the chef just uses capsaicin. That's just cheating; it's not using food, it's basically using chemicals. He might as well use battery acid.

Creston

zirik wrote on Sep 26, 2011, 02:36:

space captain wrote on Sep 25, 2011, 16:00:
the custom of eating spicy foods is derived from the hot/tropical regions various cultures because eating spicy foods makes you perspire which cools the body down

you clearly have never been to hot/tropical regions where you dont need to eat spicy food to sweat. the high humidity will be enough to make your skin feel like wet sponge. and it wont cool your body down since sweat simply builds up and does not evaporate.

space captain wrote on Sep 25, 2011, 16:00:
the custom of eating spicy foods is derived from the hot/tropical regions various cultures because eating spicy foods makes you perspire which cools the body down

Overon wrote on Sep 25, 2011, 14:17:
Other than male macho posturing, I never understood why (mostly) men love to eat spicy stuff like this. The spiciness literally overwhelms every other flavor and, if it's spicy enough, even texture. It's like an analgesics that Dentist use, but instead of feeling nothing, you feel nothing else but fire.

I don't even understand why there is this market for trying to one up each other on the spiciness in various products. The basic science behind this is, the more capsaicin it has, the hotter it is. So you it's easy to one up your competition, all the way the point where your sauce is 100% capsaicin and you won, you got the hottest sauce on the planet. Not much of a challenge really. However, I don't think that's legal to sell in a food product because it can hurt people pretty bad.