The idea that, by ordering things as hot as I could get it, I would get the most authentic experience was always a circumspect argument to me. That being said, I still fell for that line of thinking on occasion, especially when I went out with one of my mexican or asian friends who would tell me I didn't know what spicy was. It kind of becomes a dick measuring contest, and sometimes our inner competitive nature gets the best of us.
Yeah, I hear that. To be fair though, as far as heat goes, I have seen lots of local people measuring dicks in this fashion in several countries too. "Authenticity" is a weird thing to lust after and I would count myself as someone that has perhaps lusted after the authentic more than some. Cuisines are often adapted to local tastes for good reason. If a particular locale's foodways don't include a lot of fish, then those funky, fishy flavors probably won't go over too well. Thus, we get things like sushi rolls (think Dragon Roll, Spider Roll, etc.), which are delicious, but not exactly traditional Japanese-in-Japan fare. That's not to say that it's "inauthentic". It very well may be that it's something a population of Japanese have developed and eat in a country of residence. That said, a lot of people eat food from far-flung cuisines to have a little adventure and of course, a little fun. What really resonated with me was when the writer mentioned the tray of seasonings to adjust dishes. Eating out is all about personal preference and finding ways to adjust dishes to one's personal preferences is very much part of an authentic experience, in my opinion.It kind of becomes a dick measuring contest, and sometimes our inner competitive nature gets the best of us.
This article definitely resonated with me, too. I wasn't disparaging the author (didn't want it to sound that way).