Spice

Spice represents edginess, or a perception of authentic engagement with a culture or demographic. This symbolism is used in both a surface way, with characters acknowledging it as a metaphor, and with a certain irony, as Peters’ characters invoke the “spice” parallel in moments of vanity or resentment. This language first comes into play when Reese goes into a Thai restaurant to pick up an order of spicy curry for the “cowboy” she is dating, as he waits in the car because he is cheating on his wife with Reese and does not want anyone to see him. In this scenario, the spicy food is a metaphor for an illicit thrill the cowboy is seeking out in his affair with Reese that does not involve any real contribution or understanding on his part. When used in this way, it represents a colonizing attitude, a willingness to...