It's not super strong, but it's there. You could certainly tone it down (or amp it up). I would probably be wary of it too if it was in everything, lol.
Well, not in everything, but mala-style food has really exploded here in the past 3-4 years, and very often when walking near any eatery I'll get a whiff of that! Imagine if everywhere smelled like fried chicken.