Are You Sensitive to Spicy and Strong Flavors?

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Oh yes, I forgot about wasabi!

Sushi with wasabi soy sauce is da bomb!

I find hot and spicy foods give me a bit of a high.
I'm a curry junkie.
I peel raw ginger and eat it for a snack sometimes.
Ginger gives me a real mellow feeling.

I would say that I am under sensitive to spicy and strong flavors. I crave them as most food tastes bland to me. I do not enjoy spicy by itself, but when incorporated with other strong flavors it is extremely enjoyable.

I am growing my own Carolina Reaper chilies! Most commercial spices/sauces just don't work for me and the good stuff is expensive... I can't wait to set my mouth on fire with home-grown chilies!

I find that a lot of times your tolerance for spicy food depends highly on where you were raised

Personally, I have a very strong tolerance to it

Holy cow, you guys have mouths like 4 alarm fires!

I grew up in Southern California, the land of excellent (and often hot hot hot) Mexican food. Alas, too much black table pepper makes me whimper.

The theory was that because we seem to be so sensitive to other stimuli, we might have a disproportionately high number of super tasters.

It seems to be, rather, that the majority are either less sensitive to taste or enjoy the burn.... "It hurts so good."

For something like sound it would make sense that something very loud or sudden is harmful because the human ear can be damaged by it, and with Aspergers senses are amplified. However, tasting something hot isn't harmful, it doesn't always cause pain, and it adds excitement to food, like a bright color or many lights.

I think some Aspies can actually enjoy intense sensory experiences, even though they can be overwhelming, if they do not cause pain. I have always liked very spicy food. A person with a strong sense of taste can enjoy food a lot, but a person with very amplified hearing gets easily bothered even by slight sounds. Likewise for color. In a controlled environment where you're not being blinded by bright colors or occupied by uncontrollable sounds, all around one can actually appreciate lots of bright lights and a bit of "flamboyancy" in the atmosphere. Even better if there's some pattern or method to it, like an orchestra, fireworks, highways, office space, etc.

I find I enjoy a greater variety of spicy foods now. I never was that way as a child, but now I like moderately spicy food. I do find that spicy food makes me perspire.