Farangs: Choose Your Sauce!

[Meridian007]

I will tolerate a medium-hot.

If all you want is hot taste in your food why not just put the hot sauce on a piece pf rice paper and eat it?

I like to at least taste the food and not just the hot sauce.

Not only that, but there are subtle differences between such things as a Louisiana hot sauce and Texas hot sauces that are lost one those who just want the heat.

Not even to mention the difference in raw chilis, fried chillis, and smoked chillis in food.

+1 While I like hot food, I like it to enhance the flavour, not replace it. That being said, I think everyone's ability to distinguish flavour is different. Many dishes that I find to be the perfect blend of heat and flavour (for example Som Tam), make my girlfriend complain that it is too hot (all heat and no flavour). I think it relates to what you grew up with as I think many Chinese-Thai families don't eat really spicy dishes.