It’s the age old problem of appealing to your audience. A restaurant gotta carve a niche, or adapt. My favourite thai in Annecy ended up taking away a lot of the Thai coriander and bean shoots because the average person in town didn’t aporeciate the flavours.

And if you don’t speak the language they probably won’t serve you spice anyway, because they know the average idiot doesn’t know how strong the real stuff gets. Side-note : watching my Chinese wife argue with a Vietnamese chef to serve her more spice was hilarious. He definitely used the European spice scale. She never wants to eat there again, even though it’s one of the too few Asians in town.

On the other hand, if you get lucky, you’ll find something like “Deux Fois Plus de Piment” in Paris where last time I went they had a warning literally telling you that string spicy food can give you diarrhea if you’re not used to it, and your sinuses instantly unblock as you step inside. I knew I had to take my chinese wife there once I found the place, even though the place tested both our limits :,D

If you find a place like that, praise them, let them know, and defend them at all cost, is all I’m saying.