Tbf I've meet an increasingly large number of non-kkkrackkker people who can't handle spicy food. I have a First Nations friend who gets the runs from Buffalo wings. Heck my partner is half Ecuadorian and my honkey ass can handle spice better than them.
Most of the Americas does not have spicy cuisine. Domestication of chilis was a Mesoamerican & Andean thing and even today they haven't spread to all cuisines in the hemisphere.
My stomach has never been the issue with spicy food. The issue is when there's too much capsaicin, it is just agony in my mouth. It makes me fucking hiccup. And due to the physical properties of capsaicin if the food is too spicy every bite just makes it worse and the sensation takes forever to go away even while drinking milk.
I really do not get why anybody seeks it out outside of some perverse "dudes rock" self flagellating thrill seeking. Things taste better when you use peppers that have flavor other than "ow"
Things taste better when you use peppers that have flavor other than "ow"
honestly with you on this one. But I think everyone's perception of where to draw that line will be different. I've had a lot of good ghost pepper based sauces, but I think a lot of people would say that's well into "ow" territory. Habanero is also excellent, and depending how its prepared can be quite spicy.
I think ghost pepper is fine and can add a unique flavor but it's really quantity dependent
for me the perfect level of spicy is at the level of a hot paprika, like how I've been making the cajun food for work. I get that feeling of warmth, a lot of smoky pepper flavor, and I can always make it a little spicier with some cayenne. I get good enough reviews from my Turkish and Mexican coworkers and I think if I made it any spicier a majority of people would just refuse to eat it lol
That might be COVID related if it's recent. One of the ways flavours changed for my sister after her second bout was spiciness becoming much spicier, to the point of pain at even a very small amount.
I have done this, at which point I swallow my pride and my tears and shovel what I can in my face, ask for a to-go box, and eat it at home with plenty of fat on hand to fight the capsaicin.