[CH] Do you like Hot & Spicy food? 2 mins of your time.
Wai Chung Lam (wlam@fas.harvard.edu)
Thu, 26 Apr 2001 22:08:11 -0400 (EDT)
Dear Chili-Heads,
A Big thank you to all those who responded to my preliminary
questionnaire on spicy food, I got really inspired! With the help of you
guys, I was able to design the following more formalized survey.
I would really appreciate it if any of you can take 2 mins of your time to
fill out this really EASY and FUN questionnaire. I am from Hong Kong
originally, but am going to college in the US now.
This survey is for my Anthropology paper on why people like
hot & spicy food and get so crazy about it. All responses will remain
anonymous, don't worry. And I promise, this will be the last time I bother
you guys about "why you like eating hot & spicy food?"
Hot & Spicy Food Questionnaire
This is a questionnaire on your attitude towards hot & spicy food (any
food that produces a burning sensation to the taste), such as chili,
pepper, curry, wasabi, salsa or dishes made with these ingredients.
1. What's your ethnicity: __________________________
2. Which state, or country other than the US, did you spend most of your
life in? _______________
3. What's your gender? __ male __ female
4. How old are you? ___________
5. What's the percentage of people in your social circle who eat hot &
spicy food?
__ 0-20% __ 21-40% __ 41-60% __ 61-80% __ 81-100%
6. How much do you like hot & spicy food?
0 -- strongly dislike
1 -- mildly dislike
2 -- neutral
3 -- mildly like
4 -- strongly like
5 -- crazy about it!
7. How hot can you tolerate?
(Scale of 0-9: 0 - bland, 9 - spiciest taste on earth)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
bland spiciest taste on earth
8. How hot do you prefer in your daily meals?
(Scale of 0-9: 0 - bland, 9 - spiciest taste on earth)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
bland spiciest taste on earth
9. How hot do you prefer when you are having a spicy dish?
(Scale of 0-9: 0 - bland, 9 - spiciest taste on earth)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
bland spiciest taste on earth
10. The FIRST TIME you ate spicy food:
(for all parts of question 10, make your best guess if you can't remember)
a) When was it?
__ never had spicy food before (jump to #11 )
__ age < 2 __ age 2-5 __ age 5-10 __ age 11-15
__ age 16-20 __ age > 20
b) Where was it?
__ at home
__ in a restaurant
__ at friend's or relative's place
c) Whom were you with?
__ by yourself
__ family
__ friends / co-workers
__ strangers / acquaintances
d) What type of food was it (e.g. salsa, curry, regular food with hot
sauce)? _________________
e) Why did you eat it? (can choose more than one answer)
__ parents made me eat it
__ peer pressure
__ no other non-spicy food available
__ out of curiosity
__ want to feel / appear strong
__ want to feel / appear mature
__ other reasons: _______________________________________________
f) Did you like the pungency of that hot food back then? __ Yes __ No
g) How much hotter can you tolerate in your dishes now compared to
your first exposure to spicy food?
__ the same __ mildly hotter __ much hotter
h) How much hotter do you prefer in your dishes now compared to your
first exposure to spicy food?
__ the same __ mildly hotter __ much hotter
11. When would you want to eat hot & spicy food? (can choose more than
one answer)
__ never
__ when I haven't had spicy food for a long time
__ when other dishes are bland
__ when other dishes have rich flavors
__ when other dishes taste bad
__ when other dishes taste good
when I am __ hot __ cold
when I am __ bored __ upset __ happy __ excited __ depressed
when I am __ by yourself __ with family __ with friends
__ I want to eat spicy food all the time!
12. How often do you eat spicy food (including regular food with hot
sauce)?
__ never __ once several months __ once a month __ > once a month
__ once a week __ > once a week __ once a day __ every meal
13. Do you have the habit of adding hot sauce / spicy flavorings to your
food?
__ No (jump to #15)
__ To certain dishes (What type of food:
_____________________________________________ )
__ To almost all food
14. What type of hot sauce / spicy flavorings do you usually add?
(e.g. Tabasco sauce, chili powder, wasabi, mustard, ginger, pepper, chili
oil, etc)
______________________________________________________________________________
15. Which of the following factor(s) make you like hot & spicy food?
(please check all that apply)
__ I don't like hot & spicy food
__ I'm used to it __ People around me eat it
__ It tastes good __ Food tastes too bland otherwise
__ It smells good __ It looks pretty
__ I like the burning or tingling feeling __ It stimulates my appetite
__ It makes me more alert __ It puts me to sleep
__ It warms up my body __ It cools me off
__ It makes me feel high __ It improves my creativity
__ It's good for my health __ It kills the microbes in the food
__ It makes me strong __ I don't want to appear weak
__ Its part of my culture __ It helps me to experience a foreign culture
__ It's easily available __ It's inexpensive
__ It stimulates my sexual desires / improves my sexual performance
__ other reasons: _________________________________________________
16. Do you usually prefer food with strong or mild flavors?
__ strong flavored __ mild flavored __ no preference
17. Do you smoke? __ Yes __ No
18. Do you like drinking alcohol? __ Yes __ No
19. When you are free, do you prefer exciting activities (e.g. riding
roller coaster, speeding, paintballing) or more gentle, relaxing
activities (e.g. reading on a bed, listening to music)?
__ exciting activities __ gentle activities __ no preference
20. Other comments on hot & spicy food?
______________________________________________________
Thanks a lot for your help!
Judy Lam
wlam@fas.harvard.edu
134 Adams Mail Center
Cambridge, MA 02138
USA