SC - Curry

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Llewmike wrote:
>>I may be mistaken but I heard a report this morning on NPR that I thought was
>>indicating that curry is addictive?  I only heard part of the report.  Does
>>anyone know the details?

I heard it on the BBC.

Iasmin de Cordoba, gwalli at ptc.com or iasmin at home.com responded:
>There was an article released by Reuters news that talked about this.
>You can find the link here:
>
>http://news.excite.com/news/r/001025/07/odd-curry-dc
>
>(snip) Not having seen the actual
>research for the study, I'd be curious to know how they got their
>data. But perhaps this tidbit will help you if you wanted to do
>further research.

Here's what's on Reuters:

Can Curry Be Addictive?

Updated 7:00 AM ET October 25, 2000

LONDON (Reuters) - The curry has long been Britain's favorite ethnic 
food and now scientists have found out why -- the spices are 
addictive.

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University found that eating a spicy 
curry prompts the kind of physiological symptoms addictive substances 
often provoke, including increases in the heartbeat and blood 
pressure.

And those who eat curries often build up a tolerance to spices, and 
crave hotter and hotter dishes, the experts found.

"What we are seeing is physiological and psychological effects 
combining to create an addiction," Professor Stephen Gray, who 
spearheaded the research, told the Times newspaper on Wednesday.

"Curry gives you a natural 'high' much more powerful than anything 
you get with traditional British foods," he added of the study, based 
on the responses of 100 volunteers aged from 10 to 80.

- ----- End Quote -----

Given my experience of typical British food in England, it's small 
wonder that people would rather eat curry.

"...the spices are addictive."

Uh, which ones? Most of the spices in Indian and Pakistani curries 
are used in many other dishes in many other cultures? Is Thai food 
addictive? Indonesian? Szechwan? Mexican? Maghribi? I think this is a 
bit, mmm, unscientific?

"And those who eat curries often build up a tolerance to spices, and 
crave hotter and hotter dishes, the experts found."

This is a bit, mmm, overstated.

Having lived in Indonesia, original home of many spices and home to 
lots of hot food, i could see that different cultures within 
Indonesia spice foods differently and with different degrees of 
"hotness" and that individuals added different amounts of sambal 
(paste made of pureed fresh red chilis, including their seeds, ground 
beyond recognition). People didn't just keep making the food hotter 
and hotter and hotter... Of course this is only empirical and not 
scientific.

Another take on tolerance: Even Indonesian who eat hot chilis break 
into a sweat, drink a lot of water, and get runny noses and teary 
eyes. There is indeed a physiological effect, and it doesn't go away, 
but one does get used to it. I think people not used to hot food may 
think there's something wrong when they get these responses, but 
those with experience eating hot food know that they are to be 
expected.

Anahita al-shazhiyya
who just naturally prefers highly spiced food, it's not an addiction, 
really it isn't, sheesh only 9 AM, when does that dang Thai 
restaurant open, gotta go get some, gotta go...