Dirk, I just regard it as a way of stimulating a palate jaded by indifferent
food. However my favorite tongue heater isn't any chile, it's hot mustard
and horseradish. The sensation rushes through the head and sinuses, then is
gone within a minute or so leaving one refreshed and ready to try again.
While hot mustard is a staple of Chinese food, my favorite Szechuan
restaurant while I was in college had a ritual that was unsurpassed. When
you asked for the hottest sauce the waiter would feign surprise, then bring
out a small silver bowl of the potion. He'd dip a tiny spoon - perhaps
1/16th teaspoon in size - and merely wave it over your dish. Then look at
you to confirm whether this was satisfactory. The brave and foolish would
indicate he should repeat the gesture, and with another, more exaggerated
look of shock, the waiter would again wave the spoon over the dish.
Dunno whether this actually did transfer heat to the dish or whether it was
a form of hypnosis, but it certainly was effective.
I tend to think of fans of nuclear chiles as the culinary equivalent to the
S&M crowd.
===========
Lex Jenkins
===========
"Yeah. Me. Baby. Love. Dig. More. Night. All. You. She. Car. My.
Her. Top. Down." - Assemble it yourself rock song
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 10:12:49 -0500
From: Dirk Wright <wright@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
I don't understand why people think that eating food should be a painful
experience. It is not logical.
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