Do you like spicy food?

I have actually never heard that spicy food is bad for your health. I think it depends on what kind of spices. Cayenne pepper, traditionally used in Southern or Cajun food, is actually good for you in a variety of ways. Onions and garlic, which I wouldn't call spicy but I use in almost all of my cooking, are also good for the heart and immune system.

Well, I like to make a spicy beef stew. I take about 2 pounds of beef stew meat, roll the pieces in flour and brown them over medium heat in 2 tablespoons of oil in a big pot. I add chopped onions and garlic to the meat and cook it until all of the meat is browned on the outside. I add one can of diced tomatoes, undrained, preferably spicy ones or a can of mild rotel tomatoes. I add about 6 cups of water and then add about 3 cups of chopped carrots and 1 to 1.5 cups of chopped celery. I add 2 bay leaves, some cajun seasoning as well as a little salt and pepper, some basil and parsley. I also add a few splashes of Tabasco hot sauce and a few splashes of worchestershire sauce. I heat all this until it boils and then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. I stir it every once in a while and I like to add Tony Chachere's instant roux mix while it is cooking because it helps thicken it up. After the 45 minutes are up, I add about 4 cups of diced potatoes, washed and unpeeled. I let that cook for 30 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender. This stew thickens as it stands and is very good if you cook it a day ahead of time, store it in the fridge, and serve it the next day reheated. It is also very spicy, depending on how liberal you are with the pepper and cajun seasoning. If you use rotel mild tomatoes, it also gets very spicy. (I wouldn't recommend using regular rotel because then it gets almost too spicy to eat.)

That can sometimes be a good thing! If the spice is so strong that it makes your nose run, it can help clear your sinuses out. It doesn't always have to be that spicy, though. A little spice can go a long way sometimes.

I had the most spectacular Indian food when I visited England. There are a ton of Indian restaurants there. I had never had it before. I loved the spicy curry. That experience really got me turned on to using curry in food. Apparently, curry powder is good for you too! I really loved the nan bread. It was sooooo good. It helps to offset some of the spiciness in the food.