That is true (in reverse) for westerners too, especially Americans. They only like "Asian" food if it's close to American Chinese (General Tso's, Cream Cheese Wontons, Egg Rolls) or American Japanese (California Maki, Tempura rolls, Dynamite Sauce). My white American friends mostly eat those things and can't handle heat, with a few exceptions (people who love food in general).

I totally get your family explanation. I am Chinese by ancestry too, and my mother and aunts all harp about how food sucks just because it isn't dimsum or steamed fish.