So I was browsing through OTC and noticed we don't have any threads dedicated to food. I figured this was a shame since food is an important aspect of life and culture that helps people connect with each other. Plus, we kind of need it to live. So I figured, why not start a thread to let people here talk about food related topics?
I'll start things off by asking this: what is the most "disgusting" food you ever ate and enjoyed despite its reputation?
Personally, I've eaten things like organs including chicken testicles, stinky fermented tofu, and most recently durians. And I've enjoyed all of them. Especially the durian. Maybe I'm just one of the people who isn't bothered too much by the smell, but it really is just as good as its fans claim. The taste really is remniscient of almonds too. Now I want to try eating it in a cake or icecream.
There are 3 forms of spice sensation. Spice gets their feelings because the chemicals involved bind themselves and activates receptors associated with certain sensations.
The most commonly referenced is capsaicin found in most hot peppers. It binds to your heat receptors and is able to cause a heating sensation while at room temperature. You can usually treat it by drinking a cold beverage that contains fats or alcohol and some sugar. Capsaicin is fat and alcohol soluble, so consuming something with high alcohol or fat content can absorb the chemical off the receptor. Sugar and cold provides a pain relieving effect, while you're being treated.
The other more commonly considered spice is what is considered pungent spices. These are your gingers, horseradish, wasabi, and mustard and it's from a chemical abbreviated as AITC. This chemical reacts to your nasal passages with receptors that are meant to detect volatile, noxious chemicals like smoke or tear gas. AITC is a very volatile chemical, so it goes away much faster than capsaicin. But if you really want to get rid of the sensation very fast, it's water soluble, so a quick sip of water will work.
The last one that's not normally referenced is what is considered a numbing spice and it's caused by the chemical sanshool found is Sichuan peppercorns and reacts to receptors that detects touch and vibration. A bit of the stuff causes a touching, tingling and numbing sensation, like if you touch a very quick vibrating object for a long time, it numbs your sense of touch. There isn't a common way to treat the sensation, you kind of just have to wait it out.
I've always wanted to try actual wasabi. All standard domestic US bought wasabi is not real wasabi, but a mixture of Chinese mustard and horseradish.
I'm also a bit of a spice junky, as a I love the sensations of heavy spices. I've popped Carolina Reapers for fun and got some of those novelty eye dropper hot sauces where you're only supposed to use 1 drop for every quart of food. The standard amount of wasabi used in standard sushi is never enough for me, I usually like to take 4-5 times amount for the thrill of it. Something of a weird adrenaline rush that goes with the sensation and pain.
I love spicy food - There are very few dishes that aren't enhanced by adding some good hot sauce or chili flakes.
I discovered Sichuan Chicken not too long ago. It's amazing, but I'm keeping it light on the Thai chillies for now because I'm not used to that level of heat. It tastes so good, but hurts so bad.
My AO3 profile. Let sleeping cats lie and be cute and calming.It's tough sometimes not going overboard with spice. You want enough to add kick and flavor to the dish, but not enough to overpower the dish itself. If you put too much on it...well, then you might as well just eat the peppers by themselves instead.
I've actually done that a few times, eating jalapeno peppers straight out of the jar.
Now if you're talking about chicken...go nuts. Chicken's more about the texture and juices than the flavor of the meat itself. It's a flavor sponge. That's why fried chicken works so well. So there's nothing wrong about slathering fried chicken wings with the absolute hottest seasoning.
Edited by M84 on May 26th 2025 at 5:30:26 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedSichuan pepper's lovely, and I also like horseradish and wasabi a lot. Although, as mentioned, finding real wasabi is tricky.
At least in the UK, upmarket sushi places make a point of keeping the root on display so you know it is wasabi and not just dyed horseradish.
(Horseradish and wasabi leaves are both edible as well, apparently, but something of an acquired taste)
Mountain pepper (aka Tasmanian Mountain Pepper) is the other hot flavour that caught me by surprise - the leaves can be seriously hot, it lingers, and dairy doesn't seem to mellow the heat much. Great when used well, though, and seems to be getting more popular in Australia (where it's always been used by Aboriginal Australians).
Edited by Mrph1 on May 26th 2025 at 11:57:11 AM
On another note, I didn’t expect the McDonald's spinoff CosMc's to come to an end less then two years after it started. Maybe they should’ve executed the concept differently in some way…
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Wiki link for CosMc's.
It was basically a spin-off brand that was focused on specialty drinks, though they still sold some regular McDonald's menu items.
It's a concept that works, mind; out where I live in Bumfuck Nowhere, US there's a number of drive thru-only drink places that are constantly backed out to the entrance of their parking lots.
"Surely, that's a problem with the parking lot?" Yes, but that's a topic for the Road Infrastructure thread.
I'm not sure why CosMc's would've been a swing and a miss then- maybe location, maybe a lacking branding or the fact they're competing against their main restaurants- but at the very least it sounds like they got some data out of it for what menu items to push over to the regular chain.
Edited by NesClassic on May 27th 2025 at 11:28:37 AM
🏳️⚧️she/her | Vio Rhyse Alberia
Ugh, same here. For some reason I just can't stand sparkling water. I don't know if it's because I've basically been conditioned to expect a sweet flavor to come with the fizz, even though I haven't drank soda in over a decade, but drinking sparkling water still gives me the ick.

Yeah, wasabi and to a lesser extent mustard feel more like exploding your nose than burning your tongue.
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