Spicy Food Makes Me Cry

I have always disliked spicy food but until this year, I didn't think there was any problem in that. I was never criticized by my family for consistently choosing mild, or for running to get water if I ate a barbecue chip. (I also have been spelling barbecue wrong my entire life so thank you TOK for helping me with that). When I got a Foods class this year I was not aware that apparently EVERYONE IN THE WORLD likes spicy foods and I was just weak. My group and I argued many times about the amount of spice to add to each dish. They didn't feel satisfied until their mouths were burning, I almost cried when I smelled a hot pepper. Eating spicy foods was somewhat of a contest for them, in that they tried to eat the spiciest food possible without needing to drink any water or admitting defeat. In the end since there were four of them and only one of me, I ended up suffering through a lot of jalapenos and tabasco sauce. It really sucked. The End.

Questions:

• Do emotions affect the way we perceive taste? 
• To what extent is intuition a factor for our food preferences?
• Can the natural sciences determine how food universally tastes?
• To what extent are our food preferences affected by our families or the people with which we associate?

Super Deep First Post

The way one perceives the world cannot be taken at face value, there may be a greater truth than the truth one already knows. In the Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners were blind, they couldn't see the truth, because their vision lied to them about the reality presented to them. What they thought they knew, was all based on a lie which meant they really knew nothing. People are as sheep, led around by those smarter, stronger, more capable of critical thought and when their thoughts are liberated, at first it is altogether too much and they cannot deal with the reality. When the dark is your norm, the light one embraces will be harsh, the light is the truth and the dark are lies and illusions. They will accept it in time, and they will eventually adapt to their new reality.

Socrates point about human tendency to confuse "shadows" with "reality" is still incredibly relevant today. Humans love to avoid the truth, remain blissful and happy off in a false reality. Video games can provide this today, a distraction from the woes of modern society. Some may even become addicted to the rewards and cease to take pride in real life accomplishments. "Knowing" in the modern world is less about actual thinking and more about trusting that others will always have the answers for you. Although some humans may realize this horrific detachment from reality, most are content to have their minds filled with thoughts that are not their own and abandon reality for the shadows of something which keeps them locked in their own mind.