system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Eli5: Why do spicy foods like wasabi, mustard and horseradish burn differently to foods like chilli's and curry's?

I always feel that wasabi and horseradish effects the back of my throat and nasal more, whereas the chilli's and curry's burn my tongue. What makes the spices react differently to the human body?
gpt
Different molecules, different chemistries, but the same sensory receptor. 

Wasabi and horseradish get their effect from a volatile sulfur-based compound. This means it's carried very easily into your nasal passages and throat by normal airflow, where it binds to those receptors and gives you the distinct pungency.

Chili/Currys and similar foods contain oily capsaicin, which binds to the receptors in the mouth and isn't wafted up into other areas as much.