Why do doods equate eating spicy food as being a 'Man'?

This article explains precisely why it is considered manly by some [idiots] to eat really spicy food.

Sriracha Chemistry: How Hot Sauces Perk Up Your Food And Your Mood

Spoiler

"Anyone who has ever drizzled, doused or — heck — drenched their food with Sriracha knows the hot sauce can make almost any dish taste better.

But could these spicy condiments also make us a little happier?

Can't get enough of Sriracha? Now it can fill your belly and your screens.

The science geeks over at the American Chemical Society made a little video that breaks down the beloved "rooster sauce" into its molecular components. The video also explains why Sriracha and other spicy sauces burn so bad but then feel so good.

Sriracha has five main ingredients: jalapeno peppers, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and sugar. (There are also a few preservatives thrown in there.) But it's the first ingredient that wields the molecular magic.

Why peppers feel hot and mint feels cool: Our nerves (afferents) have receptors that sense low and high temperatures. The hot detectors, like TRPV1, also sense molecules (natural ligands) in peppers and mustard oil. The cold receptor, TRPM8, detects molecules in mint, such as menthol.

Jalapenos and other chili peppers are packed with two potent compounds — capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. These molecules perform a mind trick on our nervous system: They make us think our tongues have touched something scalding hot, like boiling water.

To keep the tongue from getting burned, the brain triggers the sensation of pain. Something like, "Holy cow! Wash this Sriracha out of my mouth immediately!"

But your nervous system isn't going to just let you suffer with your mouth on fire. So it also launches a whole series of actions to help us deal with the pain. It releases endorphins — the morphine-like compounds that give you a natural high. And it makes the nerves on our tongue more tolerant to pain.

In other words, spicy peppers may hurt at first, but then they have an analgesic effect.

Doctors and scientists have known about this pain-relief power of capsaicin for centuries. And they've been trying, with modest success, to develop analgesic creams and ointments using these molecules. A few years ago, the Food and Drug Administration even approved a high-concentration capsaicin patch for treating neuropathic pain.

So how do these spicy molecules work?

When Sriracha hits your tongue, capsaicin activates sensory neurons in a very specific way. They bind and open up a receptor on the nerve's surface, called TRPV1.

This receptor also gets activated by high temperatures — anything above 109 degrees Fahrenheit. So your brain thinks the nerve is touching something hot when the hot sauce hits the receptor.

A similar mechanism happens with mints and cough drops that give your tongue a cooling, icy sensation. Cold temperatures are sensed by a receptor closely related to TRPV1 (called TRPM8).

And guess what molecule also activates this receptor? The menthol in peppermint and spearmint. So minty gums trick your mind into thinking you're eating something cold."

 

LOL some of these responses. I'm sure to you guys Hot Cheetos would equate as spicy.

 

To quote Maddox, ultimate scholar on all things manly:
H is for Hot Sauce
All men love spicy food. The statement I don’t like spicy food is a more verbose way of saying “I have a vagina.” I can’t emphasize enough that only p*****s don’t like spicy food. If you’re not convinced, let the facts speak for themselves. The following is a list of people who can’t handle spicy foods.
Pregnant women
Breastfeeding mothers
Menstruating women
Women on menopause
Children
Old people
…
I don’t want to place too much importance on hot sauce, but I don’t think I’m overstepping my bounds when I say hot sauce is to food what salvation is to humanity. Bland people like bland food, and the merit of your character will ultimately be determined by your preference for spicy foods.

 

This might explain why I seek out spicy soup & hot sauce when I'm sick. Figured it was just about clearing sinuses, but that must have something to do with it too, I think it does make my throat feel better.

 

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I think most of the people on this forum are asian/indian/hispanic (and even if they're not, Houston cuisine is heavily influenced by those three groups) so they're probably not strangers to spicy foods.

 

OP is obviously a woman.

 

Nicely said.

 

pretty much

 

Bc its gives you the guts.