The Burning Desire for Hot Chicken (2016) | Hacker News Reader

The Burning Desire for Hot Chicken (2016)

theringer.com

50 pointsTomte37 comments

Great article!

Interesting aside about the 'Ghost Pepper' (Bhut Jolokia) referred to in the article, a former world record holder for hottest chilli pepper, native to Northeast India: the 'ghost' (bhut) label arises from a fun linguistic misunderstanding.

Using IAST notation/Devanagari, the 'bhut' is actually 'bhōṭ/भोट' (which means 'Bhutanese' in this context, from the Sanskrit for 'Tibet'), not 'bhut/भुत' or 'bhūt/भूत' (which means ghost/spirit, from the Sanskrit for 'past'). So Bhut Jolokia actually means 'Bhutanese Pepper', which is decidedly less interesting than 'Ghost Pepper'; hence (probably) the popularity of the latter meaning.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bhut%20jolokia

If you like this stuff you may also enjoy Portuguese peri peri chicken https://wetravelportugal.com/piri-piri-chicken/

I think chicken is a perfect vehicle for spices. I like to experiment with spices so I look for things that will give me a taste of how the rest of the world enjoys their food. A couple of years ago I found a Peri-peri spice mix in the import section of our local grocery store so I bought some to try it out.

It is spicy and the heat level can be too much for someone who doesn't enjoy a good burn after the burst of chili flavor. My family is a mix of high heat lovers and mild heat lovers so I found that a couple of us wanted less heat while the others enjoyed it. I grilled the chicken over coals and the combination of spice and char makes a delicious flavor profile. I had totally forgotten about this spice blend. Thanks for the reminder.

"The body thinks it’s on fire, so it unleashes a wave of endorphins to help quell the burning. You start to feel something akin to a runner’s high. The sharp stinging pain will subside, but the rush — and subsequent sense of tranquility — lasts a bit longer."

This is called going into Shock!!

I've always liked spicy food but not to the point they cause physical discomfort this just seems like a waste of good spices to me, a far more economical solution would be to just eat a piece of conservatively spiced chicken then have your buddy kick You in the balls.

Dunno, I (and most people around the world) quite enjoy the feeling.

Keep in mind, chilies are native only to Mexico/Central America. Yet almost every culture on earth has adopted them into its cuisine (India, China, Thailand, basically every Asian cuisine except maybe Japan, African cuisines, a bunch of European cuisines, etc...).

The single most popular dish prepared at home in Japan is curry rice. Most Japanese curries are not particularly spicy, but they definitely do have a chilli kick and chains like Coco Ichiban do a brisk business selling up amped-up versions.

Fair enough, I wasn't sure about how much Japanese enjoyed chilies, in my limited experience (we have tons of sushi, ramen and Izakaya style joints here but relatively few Japanese people) Japanese food seems much milder than most other Asian cuisines.

They like to advertise spicyness but most of the time it's not really as spicy as it's marketed. Once however, I tried that Tabasco Scorpion sauce I found at a 100-yen Lawson, thinking it would be the usual bullshit and I've been taken for a ride.

I remember eating spicy level three and my body was sweeting and shaking.

I may be wrong but I am curious to know whether there is any correlation between spicy cuisine and a hot climate? There are some counter-examples ( e.g., certain northern Chinese cuisines are spicier than Cantonese) but typically spicier cuisines are associated with tropical countries.

There's a correlation for sure, chilies also only grow in relatively warm weather, but the fact they spread so far in the first place is testamount to their appeal.

They're so popular in so many countries that people forget they originated only in the new world...

One explanation I’ve heard proposed is that the sweating induced by spicy foods helps you cool down faster in hot climates than just your body trying to maintain homeostasis.

I think there is a definite enhancement to foods that spices provide but there is a big difference between enough spice to break a sweat and having a numbness on your pallet for example and feeling like you are going to die.

Like I said I like spicy food but not to extreme that my stomach is upset for hours after eating it and finding myself suffering on the back end for 3 days after eating it.

At some point it is just self abuse and should not be seen as a sign of strength or masculinity but rather stupidity along the lines of eating Tide pods or doing the cinnamon challenge solely for the entertainment of others watching you suffer.

I mean, most of the people who say they think they're going to die are just using it as hyperbole...

Probably the best example of a good balance is the legendary Sushi chefs who use the blowfish as an ingredient to allow enough poison to achieve the desired effect but not so much as to make the customer gravely ill.

Another example might be what seems to be occurring with the opioid endemic.

This has nothing to do with shock, which is about blood flow and oxygen delivery, not hormone release.

Please research shock and endorphin release and reconsider your argument.

I understand that many people enjoy the sensations related to eating highly spiced foods but as the article mention this can result in hours of digestive discomfort and sometimes there is a 3 day price to pay for indulging in such activity when expelling what was consumed.

I feel there is a reasonable argument that pleasure through pain is a self destructive activity along the lines of "cutting" or auto erotic self asphyxiation.

Glorifying such things is in my opinion has a negative outcome.

And for some (including me), they can enjoy high heat levels, a rush of endorphins, and no side effects.

What's wrong with that?

Absolutely nothing, the article I read was about the pain and suffering a tourist experiences when they order extra spicy hot chicken. I think that if you enjoy the spice and feel no discomfort then the spices are at the correct level for you.

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