One thing that frustrates me about eating out...

[Chadro77]

Originally Posted by skidamarink

People who complain about hot food frustrate me because they are the reason restaurants don't serve REAL spicy food. I wouldn't mind it so much if restaurants called all of that "mild." Just don't mislead me by telling me that something buffalo wings are hot when they are merely mild. I don't try to impress anyone with my knack for hot food. I don't know about some people but it's not a "skill" or "talent" for me - it's a lifestyle. I live for hot food. I don't feel fully alive and awake until I eat something on the top of the Scolville scale.

What can I say...some like it hot.

I'm with you 100%, I absolutely love hot/spicy food. I may be different but I had to build up my tolerance to hot food starting at childhood. I've never seen anyone who can just eat extremely spicy food and be fine even though they don't regularly eat it. So I guess the point is that many people just don't want to go through the trouble to build up their pallet. Of course some people are just bland, I've met folks that think ketchup is spicy.

[rainroosty]

"Hot" and "Mild" should be according to the preference of the average person. One local pizzeria has chicken wings. Their "mild" wings are way too hot. My friends/neighbors agree, so we order from a different place for wings.
Those people that like their food unusually hot should request it. If that ain't hot enough for you then I don't know what to do.....carry some kind of hot pepper sauce or powder. Bake your own
Scotch Bonnet pies or Bhut Jolokia a la carte.

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by plaidmom

I always look for the chili-garlic paste at Thai/Vietnamese joints, ask for extra jalapenos at the Mexcan restaurant, use the spicy mustard when dinning in a Chinese cafe and always add "extra wasabi please" when noshing on Japanese food.

You can usually find spicy-hot condiments (I like the cilantro chutney) on most Indian buffets as well.

Don't forget horseradish (straight, not the mayo sauce) at Eastern European or Jewish dining venues.

The nice things about horseradish, at least for people without high spicy tolerance, is that it burns hard but dies out quickly.

[missik999]

Originally Posted by plaidmom

I thought that's what condiments were for?

I always look for the chili-garlic paste at Thai/Vietnamese joints, ask for extra jalapenos at the Mexcan restaurant, use the spicy mustard when dinning in a Chinese cafe and always add "extra wasabi please" when noshing on Japanese food.

You can usually find spicy-hot condiments (I like the cilantro chutney) on most Indian buffets as well.

When in doubt, as your server.

Condiments can help but there is a difference between food prepared to be hot/spicy and food that is mild with condiments stirred in after cooking.