Hello friends :)!
I’ve been very busy preparing one interesting project and connecting Hive into it. I’m super excited for it and I can’t wait to share it with you all!!
Anyway let’s get started with this pos :)
I was just a kid when I first discovered spicy food it was completely by accident and I was completely unprepared. We were visiting some friends, and their son had these tiny chili peppers growing in the yard. They looked adorable to little me. I only knew sweet paprikas back then, so in my head it was something like this: small pepper = cute, harmless, sweet. And because I was a sneaky gremlin child, I waited until no one was watching, plucked one, and ate it.
Oh the mistake I made.
My SOUL left my body that day.
Instant fire, pain, confusion, betrayal, everything at once. My first meeting with the spice. My mouth was suddenly at the gates of hell and the only thing I cared about in life was finding MILK. I remember it so vividly that I now laugh talking about it, even though back then I genuinely felt like I was dying.
But ironically that exact moment is how my love for chili peppers, spicy food, and the magical masochism of capsaicin began. One stupid decision and boom: personality trait unlocked.
A lot of people have asked me, “Why do you even like spicy food? Do you enjoy suffering?”
And honestly… maybe just a little? But also, there is science behind it. Google says: “Capsaicin the chemical that makes peppers hot binds to your pain receptors and tricks your brain into thinking you’re burning. And when your brain thinks you’re burning, it releases endorphins and dopamine to protect you. Basically, your body gives you a natural high. People love chili peppers because the heat from capsaicin triggers a pain response, which causes the brain to release endorphins and dopamine, creating a natural high, a sensation some call “benign masochism” or a “rush”. This pleasurable response, combined with cultural identity, personality, and built-up tolerance, explains the addictive appeal, similar to enjoying rollercoasters or scary movies.
That’s why some people (me included) keep chasing hotter and hotter peppers. You literally build up tolerance. What feels like death the first time suddenly becomes “huh, nice warmth” a few months later. The human body is wild.
Wait I lowkey feel like a drug addict writing this😭. I’m not tho🙏🏻.
Speaking of heat I genuinely fell into the whole spicy food universe in my K-pop era (10 years strong), with a side quest: Korean spicy food. Samyang noodles and the famous fire sauce? That stuff ruined me and improved me at the same time. The burn is different like emotional damage with flavor. I love it, personally it’s my favorite it has the heat but also the flavor. I love it so much that I sometimes eat it with plain bread lol. Back when I had covid I took a big spoon of it because I was soooo scared that I cannot taste the flavors and I couldn’t feel it. Only like 50%? But later in the day both smell and taste came back to me (I’m pretty sure it was because of a KFC burger🤣). Anyway continuing😜
There’s a brilliant show on Disney+ called “Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People.” If you love spice or even just like watching other people suffer, it’s perfect. And the craziest pepper humans ever? Johnny Scoville, the absolute legend of pain tolerance, and Shahina Waseem, who is somehow always smiling through the burn. They are on another level.
The Croatian spicy scene isn’t huge, but there is one brand that absolutely goes feral: Volim Ljuto (I love spicy). Today I finally got their ultra hot “Krepaj” (translates to Die but like in a Croatian, heartless way🤣🤣) gift pack. From the packaging it says: these sauces are made for true chili lovers, crafted from some of the hottest peppers in the world, and each bottle is designed to deliver a unique, intense flavor and burn. Basically: “you asked for pain, here you go.” And I love them for that.
And because I clearly didn’t learn my lesson from childhood, I even planted my own chili peppers. The same culprits that started all of this, some habaneros and the second hottest pepper in the world: Carolina Reaper. My plants are my children but also my enemies. I never know whether to admire them or fear them😛.
I don’t fully know why I love spicy food so much. Maybe it’s the thrill, maybe it’s the little challenge every time, maybe it’s the satisfaction of building tolerance, or maybe it’s just the feeling of being alive when the burn hits. It’s painful and somehow comforting.
All I know is that one tiny pepper I stole as a kid completely changed my taste buds and my personality.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Thank you for upvoting, reblogging & commenting. It is greatly appreciated :)❤️!