YA novel: a rebellious boy goes to live somewhere kind of remote (maybe a farm?) with a family with small kids. They eat a lot of spicy Indian food, which is too spicy for him at first but he gets used to it. I think he has spiky hair. Read it in ~2004

[Danit]

At some point in the novel, someone (maybe a social worker?) comes to visit and can't handle the spicy food, and he makes fun of them in his head.

[Rainbowheart]

Raw?

Hero?

Angry Waters?

[JB]

Sounds a little bit like Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

[Rainbowheart]

I'm sure JB has gotten it!



E.D. looked over at Mrs. Montrose. She was just taking her first bite of chicken. She chewed once and her eyes grew very wide. She looked wildly from side to side like a trapped animal, her face going a deep, rich pink. Her eyes watered. She gave a little squeak, put her napkin up to her lips, swallowed, and snatched at her water glass, gulping down its contents without pausing for breath. Beads of sweat had broken out on her forehead. "Very— very —interesting," she said in a strangulated voice. She smiled at Govindaswami. Then she reached for her daughter’s water and drank that, too.

“If you are finding it a little too spicy for your palate," Govindaswami observed, “you will discover that water does not help. It only dilutes the acid."

"No, no!” Mrs. Montrose said after a moment. "Not too spicy. It's— delicious.” She wiped her forehead with her napkin. "I'm just— ah— very thirsty."