"JLove98905" > wrote in message
> I have never been able to eat anything with chili pepper or cayenne, etc.
I'm
> extremely sensitive to it - it causes me pain and I get no pleasure out of
it,
> so I just avoid it altogether.

> . So I was left wondering, do we share a genetic
> distaste for spicy food, or is it a function of what we ate as kids?
>
> I have a Mexican coworker who told me that kids there eat chili pepper
> lollipops. Is it because they are born tolerant to chilis, or because at
that
> age, it is easier to form food preferences?

What latitude is your national origin? I recall reading about this and it
seems to hold true. . The closer to the equator your heritage, the hotter
the foods you will /can eat. We have that in our house. I'm a sweet fair
skinned Polish boy with 100% Polish heritage. I can take just a little heat
in my foods. My wife, OTOH, is dominantly southern Italian heritage. She
can keep up with the best of them when it comes to hot peppers.

Of course there are exceptions, but a little pre-disposition seems to be
there.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome