The real tragedy is countries with Mexican food not having Japanese toilets.
I never understood the claims about Mexican food causing explosive shits but I do understand why those with weak stomachs keep trying to eat it anyway.
Yeah Mexican food doesn't give me shits (mexican ancestry might help) but having a Japanese bidet is nice.
Shit people can get one for less than $100 dollars. I've been trying to get my fellow Americans on the same page. I once had a coworker call a foreign coworker nasty cuz he used a portable bidet at work. People here are insane. I can hardly get myself to take a work poop because there are no bidets at work.
Insolife is good. The cheaper ones on amazon are useless. I think modding a water flosser probably has potential as a budget option, some people freak out at the idea because it sounds super intense but if you ever spray one on your wrist they aren't nearly as strong as it feels on your gums.
In Spain and Italy they eat a lot of spicy food. Probably other countries too, but the stereotype is that all European food is as bland as English food or something.
It's a stereotype that's the reverse of the stereotype explained in the article. In most of Europe, perhaps with select exceptions, nobles looked down on the use of spices in cuisine when they became accessible to ordinary folk via colonialism. That led to a bit of an elitist attitude against spice which was the attitude I feel was the mainstream even as recently as the 90s in settler colonial nations from those of European descent. The vibe was, to be brief and blunt "don't eat that you'll never stop shitting" and real food is steak, casserole, meatloaf or whatever.
The reversal of that stereotype, since the Europeans that generally looked down on spice only make up 20% of the global population and most other regions enjoy it, was to say "no actually you're the one with the bland food, it's not that our food is too spicy".
There's exaggeration on both fronts but it's interesting to see these different perspectives. Both have evolved over time.
Trevor Noah does a funny bit in his most recent standup where MLK Jr and his buddies go to a white diner - for the first time after ending segregation - and after having the (relatively) bland chicken, question everything they fought for.
Idk I feel like buffalo wings as a whole were part of the American rediscovery of piquancy. Tex mex and Mexican food proliferating around the same time also contributed. It was all boomer era shifts. Idk if it was gen x or millenials where Indian food really became popular for most people, but Thai and other spicy Asian foods also have been rising in popularity. Hell when I was a kid Chinese restaurants had a few spicy options, now many have a few non spicy options.
Idk if Cajun will ever rise from its position where a lot of people like elements of it, but it's definitely a bold thing to suggest a group of friends go out to get, but it is a US original cuisine that prides itself on being spicy.
Also vinegar based cayenne pepper hot sauces have been reasonably popular for a long time. I hear that started with smokers wanting to be able to taste their food.
I take lactase enzyme tablets and alpha galactosidase enzyme tablets (Beano) to break down the complex sugars in dairy and beans and it normally prevents any problems. A nutritionist told me once that most beans have some complex sugars that humans can’t normally digest, and when those ferment in the digestive tract it can cause problems, but the alpha galactosidase takes care of it.
Spicy food is worth the pain and suffering that it causes for sure! My bowels absolutely hate hot sauce no matter what I do! The cheaper the spice (think dehydrated red peppers), the worst the experience. That being said, I still put globs of my favorite habanero sauce on my food twice a week at minimum then dealing with the consequences the next morning! Buying a bidet really enabled me to shrug off my horrible dietary decisions even more than I already did, it's an absolute lifesaver!
I am a european in my 40s and have never, ever, encountered a shit like described here.
Every time i read about it i wander if it's because i am just not exposed to the specific food causing it, or if americans just eat so much unhealthy stuff that their digestive system is just fucked up for good. And to this day i don't know the answer.
I’m American and have never had an issue eating Mexican food and I eat it like three times per week. It’s just a bullshit, hack joke rooted in racism that somehow still proliferates.
Yeah, the only time it makes sense is when you go to Mexico and get Montezuma's revenge because I guess my American digestive tract is weak af. My brother lived in Mexico City for a few years. First time I thought it was a bad hangover. Second time thought I ate something funny. Third time I accepted it. And that was it, so apparently you just gotta accept it.
Right, just different amoebas and whatnot, if I can put on my science hat. I either eventually got used to it or successfully avoided the water, but we will unfortunately never know for sure.
I am an American in my 40s and I've never encountered it either. I eat a lot of Mexican food and a lot of spicy food from different cultures as well, so maybe I'm just acclimated? I feel like for some of these people the spiciest food they ever eat is taco bell and it just destroys them.
I live in the US, I don't understand this either. I've never experienced these purported issues. I'm guessing either I have a stronger than usual stomach or it's just played up for the memes?
Oh, so you are saying you know how to shit better & therefore you think you are better than the rest of Murikans, do you?!
You have no idea how it is to spend 3 hours evey day continuously powerblasting the toilet & then still muster the strength to again visit the same dirty fast food joint responsible for the jet propulsion formula that can kill you at any moment by spontaneously launching you into orbit!!!
I think specifically the oligosaccharides in beans that, if your digestive system has not been accustomed to, will be unpleasant if you all of a sudden ingest a lot of. Also poorly prepared beans that have not been sufficiently soaked, etc. to draw these out.
I’m a Canadian in my 40s and a regular once-a-day shitter. I have not experienced a shit so violent that I have destroyed a toilet. However, I have enjoyed Thai food so spicy that my asshole burned.
Yeah, i get that. It's just that we, on the other side of the pond, also sometimes eat rely spicy food without being exposed to it on a regular basis. And still, have yet to hear or read about this from single non american.
Ya know what's fun, is I'm just not sure I care if it's wasabi or horseradish. The green shit that i dab on my sushi rolls tastes great and unique, and the burn hits me right between the eyes. Give me the non-descript green shit, please.
I lowkey hate this stereotype that Mexican food makes people sick. If all the "Mexican" food you ever ate is from some shitty fast food place, that's on you.
Yeah, I didn't start liking spicy food until I was a teenager/adult and when I started eating it regularly there was a bit of a reckoning until my body adapted.
That said I think it's a combination of spicy and lots of beans. If you don't get enough fiber in your daily diet your meal every few weeks that includes an appropriate amount will cause some gastrointestinal discomfort.
I live in an area that has no Mexican restaurants, Northern Europe, so I have searched for recipes and made them myself (well, tried my best obviously) and no sickness at all. I guess this myth is just about fastfood or restaurants' hygiene levels? (EDIT; And racism?)
Beans and capsaicin. If your daily diet is low fiber low spiciness a meal that's spicy and high fiber will do that to you.
For comparison consider the "traditional" diet of the American Midwest. It's largely casseroles from canned goods, with large amounts of dairy. The plants involved are often pasta, potatoes, carrots, or canned. You also have cut of meat + fried potato. It's a diet high in sodium and fat and low in fiber and where piquancy is delivered in a dash of pre ground pepper. It's the sort of diet you'd recommend to someone who would rather schedule a day for their bowel movements rather than spending less time more frequently (and easily) on the task. This is rarely how people eat every day even there anymore, and it's an extreme example, but it's not that far off of (white) poverty food in much of the US.
To someone with a diet even resembling what I just described, a dish with lots of beans, some rice, veggies, and some kick to it can very easily overwhelm your digestive system.
Then you add some racism in to generalize it in a way associated with food in poorer countries, and add in the fact that Mexico is the most common place for Americans to get travelers diarrhea (often called "Montezuma's revenge" here).
All these issues are really easy to blend together in your head if you're the sort of person who normally eats like crap and doesn't do research before taking a vacation to Mexico.
This makes a lot of sense, thank you for explaining! I absolutely love beans and eat them everyday, so yeah, my tummy must have been used to them already.
Skill issue. Literally have never had any problems with Mexican, Indian, or any other non-european food. I think people who have had issues are more likely to speak about it, causing this warped perception. Maybe your stomach isn't equipped to handle this stuff? If a billion plus people can live with these cuisines, then maybe let's not blame the cuisines
It's either beans, spice, or grease.
They get more fiber than normal,
they get some exceptionally spicy food,
or more grease than normal. And the grease is only if they get taco bell or some other shitty "tex-mex" food.
It's getting easier to find, but it was really hard for years. Even if you find a place that does Mexican (or TexMex or CaliMex), the menus tend to be limited and it tends to be expensive. I think the place I go in my nearest big city (Sendai) has tacos that are only a few cm in diameter and like 500 JPY each (pre-tax median annual salary is < 5 million JPY).
I found one place that did decent TexMex in Tokyo and it really went downhill after corona IMO. Not only did the menu get smaller, the prices went up.
I had them once when I was living in Houston, TX, USA. Unfortunately, I can't have gluten-containing foods anymore so anything wheat-/flour-based is out. Thankfully, I can get corn tortillas. I mostly just cook things at home, these days.
I've eaten at a few Peruvian restaurants as well and I'm sure other countries that aren't coming to mind right now. I just mentioned Mexican (and derivatives/fusions) as that was what the post was talking about.
I'd say it's about as prevalent there as Vietnamese food is here in the US. Mid and large cities will definitely have it but outside there the best you'll get is maybe they'll have some tacos or quesadillas at an "American" restaurant, similar to how there'll be an "asian" restaurant in town that might serve one or two Vietnamese dishes.
I used to go to a fantastic Mexican place in Fukuoka in the 2000s whenever I went from Korea to Japan. The owner, who worked in a restaurant in Mexico City for years, had this wall of hot sauces and tequilas behind the bar. All the sauces were free to try and he’d give you a shot of tequila on the house too occasionally.
An Okinawan specialty. Imagine taco bell, but better, and instead of taco shells, it's served over white rice (good white rice by the way, Japan doesn't fuck around with shitty rice).
I'll agree that it's better than taco bell, but that's a really, really low bar. I've never found taco rice to be that good (within Okinawa or otherwise); it's not terrible or anything, but often very bland.
I guess that depends where you get it from. I've had bland taco rice too, but find the right hole-in-the-wall stand (literally, like the places where it's just a window in the side of the building and you walk up and order without going inside), and it can be really good.
Ultimately it's just rice, lettuce, taco meat, sauce, and cheese. So if those ingredients are quality, it's gonna be quality; and if not, not. The biggest difference often boils down to the sauce, but of course some lettuce/cheese/etc. is better than others...
I mean some sushi can give you food poisoning if it's not prepared right, also they do eat lots of raw food so their toilets might've seen worse horrors.
They do however have Thai food... I'd argue that Thai food is worse than Mexican food when it comes to "hot shits" because the fiber comes from vegetables and hot sauce instead of beans and hot sauce. Meaning there's nothing dense to soften the blow that your asshole is about to experience. I also believe this is why all Thai people are so thin! The food literally goes right through them!
Just to note on fiber, there's a number of thai ingredients such as fragrant leafs that are added for smell and not to eat. Most of us eat around these but literally if you eat these add ins combined with the fantastic amount of bird beak peppers we love, you're going to have an interesting day. Another example, the number of seeds alone that you can find in some ส้มตำ is almost comparable to a chia flax smoothie. In my opinion the number of fresh plants is not something found in many other cuisines.
Eating like this may not even be possible for every meal, best start your day with a nice fried egg with rice to recover, you know. (Drizzle with chili vinegar fish sauce to survive until your next glorious meal)
Sounds wonderful! My go to us Pad See Ew when I'm eating Thai. I learned how to make it when all of my Thai restaurants closed down during the pandemic and I got pretty good at it! I'm now sort of a snob about the dish knowing when it's not made correctly...
Hot Thai Kitchen in YT has a wealth of knowledge that she provides to make authentic Thai food and as a bonus she's gorgeous!
Better comparison for the second part would be: "What's the point of having a Ferrari if u don't live in germany" (cos we got no implicit speed limits on the Autobahn if one isn't explicitly mentioned)
Unless you are a girl using a public toilet, then its the worst toilet I've ever seen in the world (didnt see it myself but my family told me, its terrible)
EDIT: nice downvotes, like the other guy commented, there are squat toilets there, specially if you go to not so touristy areas.
Your family is incorrect. Been to Japan twice, the toilets are so nice, I invested in a very nice bidet when I got home after the first trip. Now I don't want to shit anywhere else.
It depends on if it's an old style (squat over the hole on the ground) or a European style one. In hotels at least, the European/American style toilets have bidets, seat heaters, some play music, etc.
In Japan over a decade here. There are still a lot of places with squat toilets and some people suck at using any toilets and are gross. I would not be surprised about this, particularly at a drinking establishment late at night.
My wife and I did a lot of travel so far this year. A ton of places, particularly more rural ones, had squat toilets. Even bars we went to in bigger cities would have them. Even when we lived in Tokyo, some places I used to frequent had them. It really just depends on the area.
Why would I, a man, go inside of a female public bathroom to confirm something my own mother and sister told me after leaving said public toilet? Learn to not talk like an asshole
It seems I have made a mistake and for that I am sorry. In my desire to give you the benefit of the doubt I failed to notice you talk exactly as it befits your demeanor.
When were they there and where did they go? IIRC it hasn't been the norm there in a VERY long time and now the only places you see them are in very old buildings. I did some traveling there 10 years ago and didn't come across a single squat toilet
110 Comments
lasta@piefed.world · 109 pts · 77d
The real tragedy is countries with Mexican food not having Japanese toilets.
I never understood the claims about Mexican food causing explosive shits but I do understand why those with weak stomachs keep trying to eat it anyway.
5too@lemmy.world · 66 pts · 77d
I hear tell that the claims are from people with low fiber diets, who suddenly have to deal with fiberful foods.
(I heard it on the Internet, and so now I repeat it on the Internet and let others handle the fact checking!)
redsand@infosec.pub · 21 pts · 77d
Beans will do that
zout@fedia.io · 26 pts · 77d
Beans will fact check?
redsand@infosec.pub · 15 pts · 77d
They are a magical fruit
MeThisGuy@feddit.nl · 4 pts · 77d
the more you eat, the more you toot!
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 77d
If you ask nicely
UnimportantHuman@lemmy.ml · 17 pts · 77d
Yeah Mexican food doesn't give me shits (mexican ancestry might help) but having a Japanese bidet is nice.
Shit people can get one for less than $100 dollars. I've been trying to get my fellow Americans on the same page. I once had a coworker call a foreign coworker nasty cuz he used a portable bidet at work. People here are insane. I can hardly get myself to take a work poop because there are no bidets at work.
dohpaz42@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 77d
Southern American here: bidets are the bees knees.
What’s this about portable bidets? Any reputable brands to look into?
spacesatan@lazysoci.al · 6 pts · 77d
Insolife is good. The cheaper ones on amazon are useless. I think modding a water flosser probably has potential as a budget option, some people freak out at the idea because it sounds super intense but if you ever spray one on your wrist they aren't nearly as strong as it feels on your gums.
UnimportantHuman@lemmy.ml · 3 pts · 77d
My coworkers device was a water bottle with a small hole in the lid.
shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 77d
There are many reasons but one is that modern European cuisine (over the past several centuries) generally looked down upon spice.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/03/26/394339284/how-snobbery-helped-take-the-spice-out-of-european-cooking
I've always wondered if Hot Ones was a concerted effort to broaden the horizons of those who were traditionally opposed to spice.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 77d
In Spain and Italy they eat a lot of spicy food. Probably other countries too, but the stereotype is that all European food is as bland as English food or something.
shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 77d
It's a stereotype that's the reverse of the stereotype explained in the article. In most of Europe, perhaps with select exceptions, nobles looked down on the use of spices in cuisine when they became accessible to ordinary folk via colonialism. That led to a bit of an elitist attitude against spice which was the attitude I feel was the mainstream even as recently as the 90s in settler colonial nations from those of European descent. The vibe was, to be brief and blunt "don't eat that you'll never stop shitting" and real food is steak, casserole, meatloaf or whatever.
The reversal of that stereotype, since the Europeans that generally looked down on spice only make up 20% of the global population and most other regions enjoy it, was to say "no actually you're the one with the bland food, it's not that our food is too spicy".
There's exaggeration on both fronts but it's interesting to see these different perspectives. Both have evolved over time.
Trevor Noah does a funny bit in his most recent standup where MLK Jr and his buddies go to a white diner - for the first time after ending segregation - and after having the (relatively) bland chicken, question everything they fought for.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 76d
Idk I feel like buffalo wings as a whole were part of the American rediscovery of piquancy. Tex mex and Mexican food proliferating around the same time also contributed. It was all boomer era shifts. Idk if it was gen x or millenials where Indian food really became popular for most people, but Thai and other spicy Asian foods also have been rising in popularity. Hell when I was a kid Chinese restaurants had a few spicy options, now many have a few non spicy options.
Idk if Cajun will ever rise from its position where a lot of people like elements of it, but it's definitely a bold thing to suggest a group of friends go out to get, but it is a US original cuisine that prides itself on being spicy.
Also vinegar based cayenne pepper hot sauces have been reasonably popular for a long time. I hear that started with smokers wanting to be able to taste their food.
jqubed@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 77d
I take lactase enzyme tablets and alpha galactosidase enzyme tablets (Beano) to break down the complex sugars in dairy and beans and it normally prevents any problems. A nutritionist told me once that most beans have some complex sugars that humans can’t normally digest, and when those ferment in the digestive tract it can cause problems, but the alpha galactosidase takes care of it.
BeUnique@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 77d
Spicy food is worth the pain and suffering that it causes for sure! My bowels absolutely hate hot sauce no matter what I do! The cheaper the spice (think dehydrated red peppers), the worst the experience. That being said, I still put globs of my favorite habanero sauce on my food twice a week at minimum then dealing with the consequences the next morning! Buying a bidet really enabled me to shrug off my horrible dietary decisions even more than I already did, it's an absolute lifesaver!
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 77d
Spice capsaicin really doesn't irritate your bowels, it's all the fried stuff that does.
BeUnique@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 77d
TMI - internal hemorrhoids my guy. It does for me
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 77d
Sounds like you don't eat it spicy enough
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 77d
With enough hot sauce anything is possible.
Gloomy@mander.xyz · 53 pts · 77d
I am a european in my 40s and have never, ever, encountered a shit like described here.
Every time i read about it i wander if it's because i am just not exposed to the specific food causing it, or if americans just eat so much unhealthy stuff that their digestive system is just fucked up for good. And to this day i don't know the answer.
blattrules@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 77d
I’m American and have never had an issue eating Mexican food and I eat it like three times per week. It’s just a bullshit, hack joke rooted in racism that somehow still proliferates.
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 77d
Yeah, the only time it makes sense is when you go to Mexico and get Montezuma's revenge because I guess my American digestive tract is weak af. My brother lived in Mexico City for a few years. First time I thought it was a bad hangover. Second time thought I ate something funny. Third time I accepted it. And that was it, so apparently you just gotta accept it.
PoopingCough@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 77d
Usually that's caused by different water when traveling. Often not even bad water, just different.
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
Right, just different amoebas and whatnot, if I can put on my science hat. I either eventually got used to it or successfully avoided the water, but we will unfortunately never know for sure.
blattrules@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 77d
Ah true, good point. Maybe that’s where it comes from.
Bluescluestoothpaste@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 77d
There's Mexican food and "mexican" food. Taco bell should be illegal it's a gastrointestinal crime.
EvilHankVenture@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 77d
I am an American in my 40s and I've never encountered it either. I eat a lot of Mexican food and a lot of spicy food from different cultures as well, so maybe I'm just acclimated? I feel like for some of these people the spiciest food they ever eat is taco bell and it just destroys them.
RattlerSix@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
Same. I don't eat a ton of spicy food but when I do everything's normal afterward.
mrmisses@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
I didn't think it was real, I thought it was just a joke. But then again trump is president so I guess people are eating as smart as they vote
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 77d
I live in the US, I don't understand this either. I've never experienced these purported issues. I'm guessing either I have a stronger than usual stomach or it's just played up for the memes?
Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club · 4 pts · 77d
I saw it referenced for example in South Park, and I don't think South Park would lie about American lore like that.
Maybe you are mistaken, or perhaps just lack a good reference point & don't know how the rest of the world shits.
(/s)
PmMeFrogMemes@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 77d
that South Park episode was clowning on a chipotle ecoli incident I'm p sure
Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 77d
Poor Cartman, I can still hear his screams ...
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 77d
Hey, I am a dirty immigrant after all, you might be right 😝
Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club · 4 pts · 77d
Oh, so you are saying you know how to shit better & therefore you think you are better than the rest of Murikans, do you?!
You have no idea how it is to spend 3 hours evey day continuously powerblasting the toilet & then still muster the strength to again visit the same dirty fast food joint responsible for the jet propulsion formula that can kill you at any moment by spontaneously launching you into orbit!!!
NikkiDimes@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
Whoever downvoted this masterpiece of Shakespearean level prose is an absolute monster.
I salute you sir. Godspeed 🫡
Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club · 2 pts · 76d
Lol, ikr? Do folk think/is it possible ppl read that & thought it 0% sarcastic?
(I'm ofc not even from USA. However I do poop.)
But ty for your kind words, I do try my to be the best shitpearian poster my brainhole can manage.
surewhynotlem@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 77d
95% of Americans don't get their recommended daily amount of fiber. So when they finally do have beans, it's an experience.
awfulawful@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 77d
I think specifically the oligosaccharides in beans that, if your digestive system has not been accustomed to, will be unpleasant if you all of a sudden ingest a lot of. Also poorly prepared beans that have not been sufficiently soaked, etc. to draw these out.
Passerby6497@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 77d
It probably boils down to people not getting enough fiber and beans end up acting like colon blow.
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org · 6 pts · 77d
I have this rule that Americans are always wrong. Works out well 80% of the time I'd say. Good enough to live by it
cdf12345@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 77d
As an american, I think you're right....
NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 77d
I’m a Canadian in my 40s and a regular once-a-day shitter. I have not experienced a shit so violent that I have destroyed a toilet. However, I have enjoyed Thai food so spicy that my asshole burned.
wizzor@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 77d
Spicy food, is my understanding of this.
Drusas@fedia.io · 7 pts · 77d
It's really because of the beans. Most Americans don't eat much fiber, so when they suddenly do....
Gloomy@mander.xyz · 5 pts · 77d
Yeah, i get that. It's just that we, on the other side of the pond, also sometimes eat rely spicy food without being exposed to it on a regular basis. And still, have yet to hear or read about this from single non american.
ieGod@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 76d
Pakistani, Indian, Tamil food fucks me up real good. Every time. So delicious though.
gmtom@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 76d
volore@scribe.disroot.org · 47 pts · 77d
found the person who doesn't use enough wasabi on their sushi to hate themself after
Viceversa@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 77d
Wasabi is very mild. Even milder than horseradish
maccentric@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 76d
Most Wasabi served in restaurants is actually horseradish. Real wasabi is definitely milder and also more interesting tasting.
FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 76d
Ya know what's fun, is I'm just not sure I care if it's wasabi or horseradish. The green shit that i dab on my sushi rolls tastes great and unique, and the burn hits me right between the eyes. Give me the non-descript green shit, please.
lime@feddit.nu · 4 pts · 77d
i just eat it on its own. doesn't do much.
BillyClark@piefed.social · 1 pts · 77d
You made me suspect there's probably somebody out there who mixes a lot of wasabi into their natto.
Rozauhtuno@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 34 pts · 76d
I lowkey hate this stereotype that Mexican food makes people sick. If all the "Mexican" food you ever ate is from some shitty fast food place, that's on you.
Croquette@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 76d
American average diet sucks, so when they eat an inordinate amount of beans, they shit they heart out because they are not used to the fibers
anotherspinelessdem@lemmy.ml · 17 pts · 76d
I don't think it's about making people sick but rather so spicy the cracker body can't handle it because of their typically bland diets.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 76d
Yeah, I didn't start liking spicy food until I was a teenager/adult and when I started eating it regularly there was a bit of a reckoning until my body adapted.
That said I think it's a combination of spicy and lots of beans. If you don't get enough fiber in your daily diet your meal every few weeks that includes an appropriate amount will cause some gastrointestinal discomfort.
manuremy@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 76d
I live in an area that has no Mexican restaurants, Northern Europe, so I have searched for recipes and made them myself (well, tried my best obviously) and no sickness at all. I guess this myth is just about fastfood or restaurants' hygiene levels? (EDIT; And racism?)
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 76d
Beans and capsaicin. If your daily diet is low fiber low spiciness a meal that's spicy and high fiber will do that to you.
For comparison consider the "traditional" diet of the American Midwest. It's largely casseroles from canned goods, with large amounts of dairy. The plants involved are often pasta, potatoes, carrots, or canned. You also have cut of meat + fried potato. It's a diet high in sodium and fat and low in fiber and where piquancy is delivered in a dash of pre ground pepper. It's the sort of diet you'd recommend to someone who would rather schedule a day for their bowel movements rather than spending less time more frequently (and easily) on the task. This is rarely how people eat every day even there anymore, and it's an extreme example, but it's not that far off of (white) poverty food in much of the US.
To someone with a diet even resembling what I just described, a dish with lots of beans, some rice, veggies, and some kick to it can very easily overwhelm your digestive system.
Then you add some racism in to generalize it in a way associated with food in poorer countries, and add in the fact that Mexico is the most common place for Americans to get travelers diarrhea (often called "Montezuma's revenge" here).
All these issues are really easy to blend together in your head if you're the sort of person who normally eats like crap and doesn't do research before taking a vacation to Mexico.
manuremy@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 76d
This makes a lot of sense, thank you for explaining! I absolutely love beans and eat them everyday, so yeah, my tummy must have been used to them already.
SwissArmyKazoo@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 76d
They clearly haven't went to Pujol.
Several a social homebodoes experience with Latino Cuisine came mostly from Doritos and Taco Bell.
000@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 32 pts · 77d
Skill issue. Literally have never had any problems with Mexican, Indian, or any other non-european food. I think people who have had issues are more likely to speak about it, causing this warped perception. Maybe your stomach isn't equipped to handle this stuff? If a billion plus people can live with these cuisines, then maybe let's not blame the cuisines
blujan@sopuli.xyz · 13 pts · 77d
I'm mexican, I love mexican, indian, thai food. I still have a bad time with them sometimes.
FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 76d
For me, it depends on the spice level. The more adventurous i am at the dinner table the worse off I am in the bathroom the next day. Worth it tho.
wrinkledoo@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 77d
It's either beans, spice, or grease. They get more fiber than normal, they get some exceptionally spicy food, or more grease than normal. And the grease is only if they get taco bell or some other shitty "tex-mex" food.
protogen420@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 76d
I never understood this relation of spicy food with a bad time in toilet, do people feel the spicy saucen when pooping? I dont
Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 19 pts · 77d
BS they don't have Mexican food. They've imported a lot of Mexican culture if their media is anything to go by.
PP_BOY_@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 77d
The best carnitas I ever had was at a place off Takeshita Street
Axiochus@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
More like... nvm
BillyClark@piefed.social · 4 pts · 77d
Fine... you can take the high road. I'll take the low.
More like "take a shita street".
(By the way, Takeshita means "under the bamboo" in Japanese.)
farmgineer@nord.pub · 4 pts · 77d
It's getting easier to find, but it was really hard for years. Even if you find a place that does Mexican (or TexMex or CaliMex), the menus tend to be limited and it tends to be expensive. I think the place I go in my nearest big city (Sendai) has tacos that are only a few cm in diameter and like 500 JPY each (pre-tax median annual salary is < 5 million JPY).
I found one place that did decent TexMex in Tokyo and it really went downhill after corona IMO. Not only did the menu get smaller, the prices went up.
FudgyMcTubbs@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 76d
Dude.... Have you tried papusas yet? Not Mexican but, ya know, south of the USA. They're so friggin good.
Mexican food and tacos are just scratching the surface of Latin American food. It's all so good and so different.
farmgineer@nord.pub · 1 pts · 76d
I had them once when I was living in Houston, TX, USA. Unfortunately, I can't have gluten-containing foods anymore so anything wheat-/flour-based is out. Thankfully, I can get corn tortillas. I mostly just cook things at home, these days.
I've eaten at a few Peruvian restaurants as well and I'm sure other countries that aren't coming to mind right now. I just mentioned Mexican (and derivatives/fusions) as that was what the post was talking about.
Not_mikey@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 77d
I'd say it's about as prevalent there as Vietnamese food is here in the US. Mid and large cities will definitely have it but outside there the best you'll get is maybe they'll have some tacos or quesadillas at an "American" restaurant, similar to how there'll be an "asian" restaurant in town that might serve one or two Vietnamese dishes.
Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 2 pts · 76d
And where I'm at, I can think of two pho places.
EvilHankVenture@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 76d
I pass 3 pho places when I'm walking my dog. Gotta love the Pacific Northwest.
cogitase@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 18 pts · 77d
I used to go to a fantastic Mexican place in Fukuoka in the 2000s whenever I went from Korea to Japan. The owner, who worked in a restaurant in Mexico City for years, had this wall of hot sauces and tequilas behind the bar. All the sauces were free to try and he’d give you a shot of tequila on the house too occasionally.
OldChicoAle@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 76d
Americans need more fiber and flavor in their daily lives.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 77d
TIL taco rice doesn't count as Mexican...
jaybone@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 77d
Taco… rice?
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 5 pts · 77d
An Okinawan specialty. Imagine taco bell, but better, and instead of taco shells, it's served over white rice (good white rice by the way, Japan doesn't fuck around with shitty rice).
farmgineer@nord.pub · 2 pts · 77d
I'll agree that it's better than taco bell, but that's a really, really low bar. I've never found taco rice to be that good (within Okinawa or otherwise); it's not terrible or anything, but often very bland.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 77d
I guess that depends where you get it from. I've had bland taco rice too, but find the right hole-in-the-wall stand (literally, like the places where it's just a window in the side of the building and you walk up and order without going inside), and it can be really good.
Ultimately it's just rice, lettuce, taco meat, sauce, and cheese. So if those ingredients are quality, it's gonna be quality; and if not, not. The biggest difference often boils down to the sauce, but of course some lettuce/cheese/etc. is better than others...
Hiro8811@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 77d
I mean some sushi can give you food poisoning if it's not prepared right, also they do eat lots of raw food so their toilets might've seen worse horrors.
mojofrododojo@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
any food can give you food poisoning if it's not prepared correctly. undercooked hamburgers can kill you just as easily as tuna sashimi.
BeUnique@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 77d
They do however have Thai food... I'd argue that Thai food is worse than Mexican food when it comes to "hot shits" because the fiber comes from vegetables and hot sauce instead of beans and hot sauce. Meaning there's nothing dense to soften the blow that your asshole is about to experience. I also believe this is why all Thai people are so thin! The food literally goes right through them!
mynona@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 77d
Just to note on fiber, there's a number of thai ingredients such as fragrant leafs that are added for smell and not to eat. Most of us eat around these but literally if you eat these add ins combined with the fantastic amount of bird beak peppers we love, you're going to have an interesting day. Another example, the number of seeds alone that you can find in some ส้มตำ is almost comparable to a chia flax smoothie. In my opinion the number of fresh plants is not something found in many other cuisines.
Eating like this may not even be possible for every meal, best start your day with a nice fried egg with rice to recover, you know. (Drizzle with chili vinegar fish sauce to survive until your next glorious meal)
BeUnique@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 77d
Sounds wonderful! My go to us Pad See Ew when I'm eating Thai. I learned how to make it when all of my Thai restaurants closed down during the pandemic and I got pretty good at it! I'm now sort of a snob about the dish knowing when it's not made correctly...
Hot Thai Kitchen in YT has a wealth of knowledge that she provides to make authentic Thai food and as a bonus she's gorgeous!
tomiant@piefed.social · 4 pts · 77d
Sensible chuckle magazine.
fritobugger2017@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
There are some good Mexican, Thai, and Indian places that will gladly give you all the fire your ass can handle.
mrodri89@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 77d
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 77d
Bragging.
bridgeburner@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
Better comparison for the second part would be: "What's the point of having a Ferrari if u don't live in germany" (cos we got no implicit speed limits on the Autobahn if one isn't explicitly mentioned)
hamid@crazypeople.online · 2 pts · 77d
If you just ate vegetables and beans then Mexican food wouldn't do this to you.
Dagnet@lemmy.world · -17 pts · 77d
Unless you are a girl using a public toilet, then its the worst toilet I've ever seen in the world (didnt see it myself but my family told me, its terrible)
EDIT: nice downvotes, like the other guy commented, there are squat toilets there, specially if you go to not so touristy areas.
frozen@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz · 13 pts · 77d
Your family is incorrect. Been to Japan twice, the toilets are so nice, I invested in a very nice bidet when I got home after the first trip. Now I don't want to shit anywhere else.
BeUnique@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 77d
Totally get it, never been to Japan but as a proud bidet owner, I hate shitting without one. It just makes me feel dirty if I don't use one.
wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 9 pts · 77d
It depends on if it's an old style (squat over the hole on the ground) or a European style one. In hotels at least, the European/American style toilets have bidets, seat heaters, some play music, etc.
farmgineer@nord.pub · 3 pts · 77d
In Japan over a decade here. There are still a lot of places with squat toilets and some people suck at using any toilets and are gross. I would not be surprised about this, particularly at a drinking establishment late at night.
Dagnet@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
Thank you, a bunch of people here downvoting me probably based on their 5-7 days stay in Tokyo/Osaka saying it barely exists anymore.
farmgineer@nord.pub · 3 pts · 77d
My wife and I did a lot of travel so far this year. A ton of places, particularly more rural ones, had squat toilets. Even bars we went to in bigger cities would have them. Even when we lived in Tokyo, some places I used to frequent had them. It really just depends on the area.
Dagnet@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 77d
We didnt find any in Tokyo or Osaka but Nara had a few and the smaller cities had a bunch
ieGod@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 76d
You didn't even see the toilet yourself and are weighing your bullshit versus their real experience? Lmao, learn some humility.
Dagnet@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 76d
Why would I, a man, go inside of a female public bathroom to confirm something my own mother and sister told me after leaving said public toilet? Learn to not talk like an asshole
ieGod@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 76d
The only asshole here is you, who must defend down votes by surely projecting faults on others. Own up and shut up, or don't and continue to be dense.
Dagnet@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 76d
It seems I have made a mistake and for that I am sorry. In my desire to give you the benefit of the doubt I failed to notice you talk exactly as it befits your demeanor.
glimse@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
When were they there and where did they go? IIRC it hasn't been the norm there in a VERY long time and now the only places you see them are in very old buildings. I did some traveling there 10 years ago and didn't come across a single squat toilet
Dagnet@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 77d
I have family there and went to places that are not touristic. One such toilet was in a train station.
Drusas@fedia.io · 3 pts · 77d
The squat toilets are fine. Not fancy, but fine.
I lived in Japan and have used many different toilets there. The only problem I ever encountered was a lack of soap in some restrooms.