It was quite the experience. Sitting in a Mexican-style restaurant I had no idea what experience I was in for. I started my meal with spicy fish tacos blended with two different “house sauces”. One sauce was white and one sauce was red, however, both packed a punch to my taste buds like I’d never experienced before. Until this point I had rarely encountered anything spicier than a misplaced drop of tobasco sauce on a steak and egg sandwich. The flare of these “house” sauces was something almost unexplainable. The instant burn, yet satisfying flare at the end of my pallet was a monumental moment in my culinary life. As the flare increased, so did my desire for more and spicier foods. So, naturally, I quickly flagged down the waiter and asked to change my main dish order to Cajun Shrimp and Steak. The topping and combination of the surf and turf dish combined with a spicy top was amazing. My new love for spicy food was born that day in the restaurant and is still with me today. I have since expanded my desire for spicy foods to a wide variety of spicy Asian food. In the dorm, it is hard to come by good, spicy food, so I often resort to Korean noodles. These noodles, however, are deceptively spicy when mixed with a massive quantity of spices and vegetables. The same desirable burn from eating these noodles resembles what I originally tasted in that Mexican-style restaurant. Also, my love for spice has vastly expanded my knowledge and consumption of sushi in particular. I now add much more wasabi to all my soy sauce and seek rolls which are smothered with either spicy mayo or a pepper sauce. My continually yearning apatite is building its way up to try the ultimate taste test: Indian food.