Hacker News Reader

Comment by m463 | Hacker News Reader

I suspect a good way to enjoy pepper might be to dull your senses by either getting old or getting covid.

> dull your senses by either getting old or getting covid.

I suspect neither would work to dull sensitivity to capsaicin since it works by binding directly to a specific receptor on the afferent sensory nerve cell. Repeated exposure to capsaicin probably helps as substance P is depleted.

Even if that helps your mouth up front, that's not going to help you the next day...

Covid only affects taste, not the sensation of spice heat.

I though it dulled super-hot.

From a purely anecdotal perspective, my experience was that COVID eliminated my sense of taste, and left my sense of very hot food unchanged as far as could be noticed. The result was a very unpleasant meal.

nope. i had covid and lost my sense of smell/taste.

i had a bottle of last dab and tried to see if the "heat" feeling also went away -- i can 100% tell you that not only it did not, but it actually felt worse because i could not taste the sauce, only the heat.

To add to the sibling comments. My first hint at getting COVID was that my local takeaway curry didn't taste of anything, but the usual fiery heat was still there. I almost phoned up the shop to have a moan about them sending out this tasteless dish but realised that I might have gotten the plague. I took a rapid test and lo and behold I was positive for COVID. It took me weeks to get my sense of taste back again.

On the other hand, it completely kills the wasabi/horseradish sensation.

Do you mean that tingling sensation that goes up from nose to the scalp?

Yes. I could eat spoons of horseradish and not feel anything on covid.

I see! I assume the same for onions? Onions and wasabi give me similar sensations.

One thing I've done with habanero peppers is blend them up with some oil, and then mix a very small amount with mayo to make a spread for sandwiches.

The oils help carry the flavors and the mayo helps dull the spiciness. It's actually quite delightful and gives you a way to control how spicy you want it to be while still getting to experience the other flavors of the pepper.

Add a few other seasonings (paprika, cumin, garlic powder) and you've basically got the Taco Bell quesadilla sauce

My dentist damaged my lingual nerve during a filling and half of my tongue (left side) has very little sensation (including taste). It does make eating the habaneros I grow from my garden a little odd. I have to keep them on the right side of my mouth to really enjoy them!

One time I processed a lot of hot peppers and was foolish enough to do it bare handed. I can't taste things with my hand but it was burning and hurting to the point where I couldn't sleep that night from the pain. I don't think a mouth with duller senses and a lot of taste from covid would increase the enjoyment of a pepper.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com