The end is near: Fast Food now outsells all other restaurant food in France.

[MikeH]

Spicy != Hot

[MikeH]

Hence the term "Hot and Spicy"

[ColdWizard]

Tastes like a pleonasm to me.

[Dauphin]

But then, expressions like "null and void", "will and testament", "over and above", "breaking and entering" use two different words with an "and" to emphasise a point rather than express two different attributes. Albeit they traditionally come from two different root words in different languages and in a legal context.

[MikeH]

Breaking and entering are clearly two very different things.

[Dauphin]

Bad example.

But they do derive from two languages to emphasise a point.

[MikeH]

Yeah, other than that, it was a good point. Shame you ruined it.

[Alexander's Horse]

The thing is, the French do food very well, even fast food tastes better

[Jon Miller]

I know spicy != hot, however, there are groups of indians who believe in very low spice (for spiritual reasons).

JM

[The Mad Monk]

The thing is, the French do food very well, even fast food tastes better

"The Italians put garlic in at the beginning, to fully awaken the flavor. The french put garlic in at the end, they say to have a more delicate flavor, but we know the real reason for it is that the French can't cook." - Lidia Bastianich

[Alexander's Horse]

In Greece, McDonalds are run like a short order grille. The Greeks don't cook anything until they take your order. The fast food is better there too.
But its not fast, its Greek!

I don't remember having any in Italy, now that would be kind of a crime....

[molly bloom]

Pakistani food sucks too, of course.

What an ignorant remark.

You talk like somebody who's never had a potato-and-pea samosa, or a sheet of really good tandoori naan, or some lightly-seasoned (and not at all hot) lamb kebab--all available at my favorite kebab house.

Elok

Doesn't he just.

Spicy != Hot

Mike H

I agree that it is often or mostly used to mean that, but in a broader context, 'spicy' could refer to fennel, cardamom, cumin, coriander, asafoetida, ginger, mace, nutmeg, mustard seeds, galangal, candlenuts- not all of which are as hot as chilli. And a korma or dupiaza or pasanda or dansak can be full of spice and mild.... mmm, Lamb Pasanda.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lambpasanda_74035

I do like the hotter dishes, especially a properly prepared vindaloo, but when chilli is all you can taste in a dish, then it's a dish that hasn't been cooked well. I do wonder what was used in the Indian sub-continent before the arrival of chilli....

[Dauphin]

!= means "does not equal".

[Aeson]

!= != =, != = !=

[molly bloom]

!= means "does not equal".

I agree. I was merely saying that 'spicy' is often used in talking about food or cooking as a synonym for chilli-hot or piquant, but many sauces or dishes containing a large amounts of different spices are aromatic and full of flavour, but lack the tongue blistering effect of some Thai or southern Indian dishes.

The Iranian and Afghan and Turkish cuisines particularly use unusual items such as charred lemon zest or put rosewater in salads and some Moroccan dishes like Bstilla combine icing sugar and cinnamon with savoury fillings cooked in orris root and I have to stop now because I'm salivating.