One consistent exception to this in my experience is Indian food. If you ask for your biryani to be "spicy" then say goodbye to your loved ones and make peace with your maker before the first bite.

[–] NannerBanner@literature.cafe 1 points 3 hours ago

You still have to find the right spot. There's an indian joint near me where getting the spiciest version still wasn't enough for a friend and me. We asked if they had anything to make it hotter and they finally brought out raw onions slathered in hot sauce. Dunked those suckers in and we had a little bit of a bite in the meal.

Then there's the thai place next door that actually does spice. Beautiful, sweet, 'I'll take a 4 out of 5 on the scale' and you need to take a second between each bite to cool off. I think it's because we have a lot more southeast asians in our area than indians, so you get the more authentic experience.

[–] Lupus108@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 day ago

Yeah that one time the concerned waiter in the indian restaurant came back to reconfirm I wanted it 'spicy' should've been my clue to say 'you know what you're right I'll take it mild'. Mistakes were made that day.

[–] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It was more consistent back in the day, now they've lowered the max heat substantially. In the 90s if you were Desi and asked for proper spicy it was guaranteed attempted manslaughter and I miss the dopamine hit of that near death experience. Still can do it at home but there's something nice about experiencing it more formally.

[–] Adulated_Aspersion@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Tell them "Indian Spicy" and enjoy!