This show highlights an aspect of food rarely discussed: its capacity to inflict pain
Over the years, many programs have taken advantage of the spiritual value of a shared meal.
Watch any episode of MasterChef to see people waxing lyrical about the deeper meaning of food – the way it brings people together, represents culture and identity, conjures up happy memories of love and family, and the sweetest moments of life. You'll frequently see cooking show contestants assert that a dish they've made is 'me on a plate', suggesting that food isn't just what we eat, it's who we are.
Which is why it's so interesting when one show goes against the grain and highlights an aspect of food that isn't so often discussed: its capacity to hurt you. And so here we have Hot Ones, the show that combines insightful celebrity interviews with the weaponisation of hot sauce to cause human beings entertaining physical distress.
You may already well be familiar with Hot Ones. If not, it's time you got on board, given the show has been around for 10 years and has become such a phenomenon that last year First We Feast, the YouTube channel that produces the show, was sold for $US82.5 million. This is a testament to the public's craving not just for food-themed programming, but also for watching other people suffer.
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