I don't think "contrasting" is the same as "opposite" though. There are many flavors you'd consider contrasting to each of those; which would be opposite to the other?
I agree that maybe ‘opposite’ isn’t the best word, but I feel like he was asking about contrasting flavors without thinking of that particular word. But really, sweet is pretty opposite of spicy. Can you name a flavor profile that’s contrasting to spicy that isn’t sweet? Like bitter and spicy are different profiles and probably don’t go together at all, so I don’t think it even makes sense to describe them as contrasting, just a bad pairing
Sweet and spicy are used together all the time, especially now that they put sugar in everything. "Opposite" sounds like they cancel each other out, and they don't.
In what way do opposites cancel each other? Do a tall person and short person cancel each other out when they’re dating? Are you emotionless if you feel happy and sad at the same time? Weird way of viewing this.
Sweet and spicy are used together because they’re opposites that work well together in their differences. A lot of people don’t like this combination, and I’m pretty sure that’s the point of this post.
(post is archived)