[Reenen (OP)]

I am not a fan of spicy foods.  I think people who love it have an ego and are trying to say "I can eat that, can you?".  (there are some that adds a taste, but many are just different levels of BURN!)

Anyway, my real question is how did people start eating spicy foods?  How did someone say... this bean-like red fruit burns my mouth like hell, burns my *ss when it comes out... I'm gonna eat more of it.  Surely that is a tell tale sign that you should NOT be eating it.  Do birds eat it?  Did we learn that it's OK to eat from animals?

[evan_au]

It has been noted that the more tropical countries tend to use more spices in their cooking.

One theory suggests that inclusion of antibacterial spices in cooking increases the time before food is spoiled by bacteria (and potentially give the human consumers food poisoning). This is more critical in tropical countries, especially in the days before economical refrigeration.

[chiralSPO]

People also build a tolerance for the pain, and I have heard that extremely spicy food causes endorphin release, so that, despite the burning sensation, it is actually a pleasurable experience...