Mnyeah. That sort of attitude has definitely turned out to be good advertisement for "Indian" cuisine in the UK. All the lads here will compete with each other to be the one to eat the spiciest curry, just to show how tough they are, presumably. One place I visited once even handed out certificates for the "Flaming Rectum Society" to my friends who ordered their Vindaloo.

To be honest, I find all this posturing a bit naff. Where I come from (Greece), when we say that a food is "spicy" we mean it's fragrant - not hot. I personally use at least half a dozen spices when I cook- cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, white and black pepper, paprika, kayenne pepper, cinnamon, allspice, clove, ginger, turmeric and even a bit of fennel. Those are all "spices", only one of them is hot and they're all meant to make your food a pleasure to eat, not a competition for who has the biggest ...

... tolerance to pain?

Well, I guess now we have learned that non-westerners are tougher than westerners. I'm sure that must be useful information, somehow. One day I may even understand how.

Btw, hot dishes go great with yoghurt, beause it takes away the burning feeling.