[Sca-cooks] re:long peppers, etc.

[marilyn traber 011221]

> I know the judicious application of a bit of capseicum can really 
> augment flavors (paprika, say?) and I'm todl that theres chilis ot 
> there that are sweet rather than hot, but I have to admit being a chicken.
> 
> so I wonder if some folks are just more sensitive to the nuances of 
> the chilis than others?
> 
> -_AM

That might well be. I know I can taste the chemical in cabbage that makes 
many people dislike it- that was tested in Biology class, when we were 
working on genetics, but since I LIKE bitter in many cases, I like cabbage 
despite that particular taste. And, many of my classmates absolutely couldn't 
taste it. I think it's the same with cilantro. While I, and many others think 
it tastes like soap, I know from discussions here, that many other people 
haven't a clue as to what we're talking about. Hot peppers to me taste warm 
and comfortable, not painful, unless you're talking straight capsaicin, or 
even the really strong peppers, like Adamantius' beloved Scotch Bonnet, and 
even then, it's simply too much of a good thing- rather like ingesting a 
tablespoon of salt.

I thoroughly enjoy other hot flavors too- horseradish, "black" pepper, no 
matter what color, ginger, mustard, wasabi, etc, but like capsaicin, they 
need to be balanced. And, hot peppers to me still have a bit of that flavor I 
detest in bell peppers, but the other flavors, including the heat, ameliorate 
that sonsiderably for me.

I'm likely to add hot peppers judiciously in unusual foods, too. Quite a few 
people on the List have tried my chocolatl chip cookies, from the Xmas Cookie 
exchanges, and one person commented that they were stunned that they weren't 
as hot as she expected ;-) Same thing happened with the recent savory 
cheesecake I made, other than the odd chunk I got that had a rather large 
lump of pepper, that hadn't seperated- startled me a bit. And, I usually add 
a nice flavored hot sauce to my eggs for French toast- nice flavor, and a bit 
of a tingle. That's what I've been using the Hot Sauce that Adamantius guided 
me through making a few weeks ago for.

I figure, Anne Marie, either you're tasting something we don't, OR you're NOT 
tasting something we are that ameliorates the simple nasty flavors you're 
tasting.

Phlip