[Sca-cooks] Capsicums

[smcclune at earthlink.net]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>
>
>This, ladies & gentlemen, is ridiculous. People are putting hot pepper 
>in deep-fried onions. They are dumping it on everything. Is this like 
>the well-done steak problem-- a way of disguising a horrible food? Or 
>what?
<<<

Well, I think it's partly because some people have gotten so used to eating hot pepper, they can't taste *anything* unless it has lots of hot pepper in it.  Eventually your taste buds burn out, I think.

And I think it's partly because some of the "celebrity chefs" (Emeril, Flay, et. al.) cook with a lot of hot peppers.  So if the famous guys are doing it, it must be good.  Right?

For what it's worth, I'm sick of it, too.  I like to taste the food, not the peppers.  I'm not there to have a contest with anyone to see who can "endure" the hottest food.  Nor am I likely to praise the fact that something is burn-your-mouth-out-HOT.  (I hate eating chili with my mom's side of the family -- if it doesn't eat through your tooth enamel, it's not hot enough for them!)

Not long ago, I went out to a local restaurant that had received very good reviews from the area restaurant critics, so I was looking forward to it.  Alas, nothing in the name of the restaurant or any of the reviews indicated that EVERY entree would contain hot peppers in some form -- a jalapeno chutney here, a raspberry-chipotle sauce there ... at least in many cases, the pepper-infested portion of the dish was a sauce that I could ask them to leave off of mine.

And at one of the "chain" restaurants recently, my Beloved Husband ordered a bowl of Broccoli Cheese soup.  Guess what was in it?  And more hot pepper was sprinkled on top.  Ew!  (He likes them even less than I do.)

Which is not to say that I won't eat a nice, mild green chile in its proper place ... like in a chile relleno.  But they don't belong in everything, dangit!

>>>>
>I like spices. I make mustard, and ginger sauce, and peppercorn sauce. 
<<<

A good peppercorn sauce is a heavenly thing!

>>>
>But short of pretending to a mild 'reaction' to hot pepper or only going
>to diners for american food, is there any safe way to avoid being hot 
>'peppered' everywhere?
<<<

None that I know of.  If you do find the answer, please share!

And I have to agree that the current pomegranate fad is much more pleasant to deal with!

Arwen
Outlands