The cuisine of Szechuan is a brilliant freak which breaks all the rules and gets away with it. Their use of relishes and seasonings is another language. One is shocked by the first taste, then one begins to see that theirs is a different logic.

The purpose of the red peppers is not to paralize the tongue, but to stimulate the palate. The hotness is the key which opens the spectrum of Szechuan flavors. Under stimulation of hot peppers the palate becomes more sensitive and can accomodate a number of flavors at once. First comes the mellowness after the hot taste has passed, then the manifold flavor characteristic of Szechuan in which the sour, salty, sweet, bitter and hot can all be tasted at once.

If the taste is too hot, water just makes it worse. If your initial introduction requires some relief - I recommend eating some plain white rice. The mellowness only comes IF the food is fried dry but oily and chewy. While Peking food is prettier, Szechuan food has more character.