When I think of spicy food, I think of tropical weather. You can grow chilies almost anywhere, but Indonesia, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, and southern India are invariably, the first places that come to mind.
Why don’t I think about China – somewhere I’ve spent about 1.5 years – or Hawaii, the only tropical US state? Allow me to give them a hat tip right now…
Flashback to 2008…I had just landed in Honolulu after a flight from Taipei, and was feeling the usual hunger pangs that I would after, um, doing anything.
I marched myself from Waikiki to Honolulu’s Chinatown, clearly forgetting where I just left, and came upon a wonderfully random tray of condiments:
If had frequent visitor status at a hotel – or a hot dog stand? – this exact tray would be present every time I checked-in. Actually, everything but the MSG jar.
We’ll be seeing more entries about spicy food in the coming minutes months, but until (and after) then, I’d like to ask, are you a fan of spicy food? What does spicy mean to you?
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