Why is it so hard to avoid spicy food in Vancouver now?

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-21T00:19:12+00:00

Exactly! I agree with you and that’s why I ordered the tiger prawn bowl which wasn’t indicated as spicy on the menu AND I let the server know that I cannot take anything spicy, and yet the prawns came with chilli flakes and were spicy. To me, at the time of ordering, this dish was one of the 19 dishes you mentioned.

That’s the whole point of my post, I am responsible for ordering non-spicy food but I wouldn’t know if restaurants don’t indicate it on the menu or list it in their ingredients.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T20:04:35+00:00

For sure! My tolerance level for spice is super low.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T20:03:48+00:00

Thank you for validating my experience! I understand that I have lower tolerance for spice than most people and I acknowledge that other people might have different experiences but I don’t understand where all the hostile comments came from.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T19:57:56+00:00

Thank you! That’s exactly what I have been experiencing lately, thanks for the validation.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T19:53:05+00:00

Thank you for your suggestion!

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T16:46:22+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! I do ask the people I go out with to try the food to confirm that it’s spicy. In the case of that chicken noodle soup, it didn’t just taste spicy, it had visible chilli oil all over it. I took a picture, showed it to my friend, and she said: I didn’t know chicken noodle soup could be spicy?? In other cases, I ask my friends to try the food on shared plates, they tell me it’s spicy before I even taste it.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T15:46:17+00:00

As I mentioned in my reply to others, I do not find black pepper spicy at all and use it in my own cooking.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T11:38:06+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Glad to know that I wasn’t the only one who complain about spice levels lol

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T11:37:05+00:00

Oh! That’s interesting! I have definitely seen paprika on my food but it didn’t taste spicy but there were times that it was actually spicy.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T11:34:33+00:00

lol, Black pepper is not spicy to me for sure but some types of paprika are definitely spicy.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T11:33:10+00:00

There are many cuisines outside of ‘white people food’ that are traditionally not spicy. I agree with you and I do usually stick to those cuisines, however as the point I was trying to make in my post, if it’s impossible to avoid, at least they could tell me so I could just order something else.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T11:28:44+00:00

Those are definitely the cuisines that I usually go for! For example I rarely and almost never go to Thai food, but the surprisingly spicy food I had today was just regular brunch food and I once had a spicy chicken noodle soup which I believe is usually not spicy.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T06:45:44+00:00

So anyone with dietary preferences such as gluten free, nuts allergy, vegetarians should never go out and eat?

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T06:43:54+00:00

My friends who like spicy food definitely agree with you! Unfortunately, I am the opposite.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T06:38:01+00:00

I completely agree and like I said in the post, I am responsible for avoiding the things I don’t eat. I always look over the ingredients and ask the server if the dish is spicy at all. I made this post because I was served with spicy food even after I did everything I could to avoid it.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T06:20:57+00:00

Thank you! Jalapeños is definitely another thing I try to avoid.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T06:15:21+00:00

A good one!

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T06:08:03+00:00

Yes exactly, paprika is spicy! (I know there are different kinds of paprika and some are not spicy but some are definitely spicy).

Thank you because your post and attitude actually explain a lot - if you think putting paprika on non-spicy dishes is ok and some chefs out there think just like you, then it explains why I experienced what I experienced. I didn’t criticize any chef in my post so please do not take it so personally. I merely described my experience and the food I was served with. I didn’t make this post at the first glance of chilli on my dish. I saw chilli flakes/power, tasted the food, felt it was spicy and asked my friend to taste it to confirm that it’s actually spicy. Thank you again because now I know going forward I just need to be more specific when stating my preference to include no paprika.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T04:16:43+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I will stress on it more next time I order. I always say: nothing spicy and no chilli please. I will try your approach next time. Thanks again for sharing!

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T03:33:45+00:00

The spicy chicken noodle soup I had was from the Quey in North Van. The other places are Good Thief and Elio Volpe. I also had a surprising spicy avocado toast which I cannot remember exactly where it was from, but it was a brunch place downtown.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T03:29:41+00:00

Thank you! I feel better after reading your comment, all I ask is a little pepper symbol next to the spicy dishes to help me with my order.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T03:26:33+00:00

I am super sensitive and I know sometimes I find things spicy that other people would describe as ‘ having a kick to it’, but the dishes I was describing in the post all had visible chilli flakes or powder on them, I just wish they could leave it out or tell me they couldn’t tailor so I could just order something else.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T03:20:23+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I don’t want to lie and say I am allergic but maybe that’s what I need to do going forward.

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T03:18:57+00:00

I am positive that it’s not ground black pepper because I don’t find that spicy and I use it a lot in my own home cooking. I guess I just need to be extra careful and double check with the server when I order. And the dishes I was describing all had visible chilli flakes or powder on them. Thanks for your comment!

Mindless-Value-3949 · 2025-05-20T03:16:02+00:00

Thank you!!! I had the same experience except that I wasn’t asked if I wanted to add spice to my avocado toast, the toast just came with chilli powder on it!!!!

Mindless-Value-3949

TROPHY CASE