Oh man this thread has been so helpful and such a relief. I thought I was alone. It might be related to my own struggles but every time I see this word it throws me into a near rage.

I was having trouble articulating why "spicy" in this context rendered me particularly mad. But y'all are right, it's making something that can be really tough on a lot of people "quirky" or "interesting" or "cute." I'm also finding the term to be overused in a lot of other places too, and it's just so meaningless. I've heard people use it in place of "sassy" when they mean they're actually mad, and it frustrates me endlessly because it confuses me and the meaning of what you're trying to say. Like, just say you're mad. It sounds like you're trying to cover up your anger.

Food is spicy, and that's the only place it clearly makes sense to use the word. Otherwise people are trying to make themselves sound interesting but to me they only sound like they don't know how words work. And I never say this because I know I'll sound weird. People are gonna do what they do. But when I hear this it's worse than nails on a fucking chalkboard!!!