The personal narrative, “Spicy Food and Acts of Bravery,” tells a sort of coming-of-age story about a teen who proves herself by eating and withstanding very spicy food. She tells of the “Wings of Death” at her fourth of July barbecue, what makes foods spicy, and how painful spiciness can be cured. She teaches lessons such as, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and how sometimes there aren’t heroes and villains. She ends off by telling how exposing yourself to only spicy or only neutral flavors isn’t normal, and that life needs both of them, and writes with a humorous tone throughout.
The best aspect of this article to me is how relatable it is throughout. An example of this in the text is when the author writes, “Water. That filthy liar… water is supposed to put out fires.” I can relate to this because I too, have reached for a glass of water after eating a ‘too-spicy’ food just for the water to make the burn worse. The article also ends on a very satisfying, equally relatable note when the author writes how what once mattered to her a lot—eating very spicy foods—isn’t important to her at all now, and this is a message that many can take away from and realize that things can and will change, and its unhealthy to hold onto something for an unnecessary length of time.