SC - Japanese cook book

[Elaine Koogler]

Philippa Alderton wrote:

> Just picked this up off the 'Net- perhaps it might amuse some of you. As to
> its truth, does anybody know?
>
>      Question:
> Why doesn't drinking water cool your mouth after eating
> spicy food?
>
>      Answer:
> The spices in most of the hot foods that we eat are oily,
> and, like your elementary school science teacher taught you,
> oil and water don't mix. In this case, the water just rolls
> over the oily spices.
>
> So what can you do to calm your aching tongue? Try one of
> these three methods. Eat bread. The bread will absorb the
> oily spices. A second solution is to drink milk. Milk
> contains a substance called "casein" which will bind to the
> spices and carry them away. Finally, you could drink
> something alcoholic. Alcohol will dissolve the oily spices.
>
>

Another soothing thing is something sweet...sugar, honey, etc.  Don't know the
scientifc reason, but I can only assume that the sweet actually overpowers or
neutralizes the hot.'

Kiri