Food buzz and philosophical musings

This is completely off topic, but I thought it was really interesting and would be fun to share.

So, we were eating at Genghis Grill last night - a restaurant that specializes in Mongolian stir fry.  For those unfamiliar with the concept, Mongolian stir fry is basically where you go down a line (not entirely unlike a cattle corral) and combine in typically random-like fashion your own choices of meats, veggies, spices, and sauces (at your own risk and possible your own peril) to be cooked on a huge wok by restaurant-employed cooks.  I thought I was careful to avoid any spices or sauces marked with a "hot" indicator since I'm one that can tolerate (and sometimes enjoys) the quick flash of spice but am wary of anything that might have the lasting linger of heat.

Well, my food was either contaminated by another's spicier creation, or I was not as thoroughly observant as I had originally believed, or their spices and/or sauces were mislabeled or underrated because I received a dish of exactly what I was trying to avoid.  However, the typical nature of such spices usually involves a slow increase of the heat which makes its near-immediate effects immediately unknown to an unsuspecting diner.

I was halfway through my food before realizing my mishap and decided to power through and finish my meal.  At the end, I was left with the characteristic burn that terrorizes lips and tongue.  But after a few minutes, I started feeling the sensation that one typically experiences after a glass of wine or beer.  I felt as if I had a buzz and the burning sensation had noticeably decreased.  I mentioned this to Kevin, and he said he's heard of such things happening but has never been privy to the experience himself.  After a quick google on the iphone we discovered that apparently this is a fairly common occurrence and is caused by endorphins being released in the brain causing a sense of general contentment.  He said he's read the same thing happens to burn victims.  I also remember having the same sensation after massages. 

The one article mentioned that people can become "addicted" (not in the crack-addict way, but more like an adrenaline-junkie way) to the sensation but start building tolerances to the heat-inducing spices.  But these spices are completely safe and healthy for our bodies.  I find this completely fascinating how something so simple or innocuous can affect our brain and subsequently our mood.  But I think I'll stick with my massages for getting my "brain high" rather than spicy food.

It reminds me how important it is to take time to do the self-care items that are not so obviously important to our mental and physical health.  There are things happening behind the scenes in our bodies that aren't so apparent.  If we take care of our bodies, our bodies will take care of us, and we will be in a better mindset and physical condition to enjoy the simpler things in life.  We will be better able to be in the moment and enjoy the journey for the journey rather than being so focused on the end destination when we can forget to "stop and smell the roses".  I struggle with being in the moment because of my personality and because of our pregnancy loss experiences, but I think this experience has reminded me to make that a priority.  So maybe this little experience isn't so off topic as I originally thought when I first sat down to write about it.