Re: Re: [CH] Mad Dog Inferno Hot Sauce
terrabyte@tds.net
Thu, 18 Dec 2003 3:47:19 +0000
> Well, this is probably more of an answer that you had counted on but I
> trust it satisfactorily answers the question at hand :-)
Are you kidding? That was great!
Thanks for taking the time to write all that!
Dustin
>
> From: jim@wildpepper.com
> Date: 2003/12/17 Wed PM 08:19:11 GMT
> To: Doug Irvine <dougandmarie@shaw.ca>
> CC: chile-heads@globalgarden.com
> Subject: Re: [CH] Mad Dog Inferno Hot Sauce
>
> Well, I'll weigh in here also as one of the makers who does some of that
> extract stuff. Sandy O, of the moderate persuasion, asked me off list
> what was up with those things & it seems to be on topic. Her question:
>
> Re: Why do people have to make sauces that are so intense they stop
> people in their tracks. Is it a macho thing, a "mine is hotter than
> yours" thing or just craziness? Since they are almost impossible for
> most people to eat and have little flavor since they numb the entire
> mouth, what is the point of eating them?
>
>
> I've given that very thing lots of thought over the years, and can give
> you several reasons as to why folks (me included) make some of them them
> so hot.
>
> 1.) And, #1- people BUY them :-)
> 2.) Truly, some people like it that hot (we're all different)
> 3.) Everyone knows someone who thinks that nothing is too hot
> 4.) Misery loves company & everyone has a name in mind ;-)
> 5.) Economy- a years worth of heat, one drop at a time
>
> 1.) If no one bought these, no one would make them :-) The hottest
> ones, much to my consternation as well, are the best sellers. People
> will walk up and say 'give me the hottest thing you got' without even
> wanting to taste anything that I think might actually have some flavor
> first. I do not understand the appeal, but ever strive to give the
> paying public what it is they want.
>
> 2.) I maintain that no one truly likes getting 'lit up'. They just
> like what is for them 'a decent hot'. Wonderously, that is an entirely
> different thing for every two people. For some people katsup is a hot
> sauce and for others hot sauce is katsup. I do run into the occasional
> person (most often a woman) who honestly states that they like it that
> hot and can handle the heat of the hottest ones with little discomfort.
> I believe them when they state that they honestly like the flavor as
> well.
>
> 3.) Most often these are sold to bring a braggart down to earth. As we
> both know, there's hot and then there's 'hot'. Most folks think 'cause
> they use Tabasco, they're one tough hombre :-) I enjoy showing them
> (most often a Texan, followed closely by a Arizonian) that they really
> didn't know what 'hot' was ;-) It doesn't happen so much anymore, but
> when I first started selling these a decade or more ago, I'd have at
> least a few people at every show walk up with a swagger and state
> 'You've got nothing too hot for me boy- why, I can eat a Jalapeno!'
> I've come to understand the sense of joy that teachers get when they
> see the light come on in a childs eye upon discovering something for the
> first time :-P
>
> 4.) Upon being miserably lit up, most folks (especially Hispanics and
> teenagers) immediately have to go and get two or three (or more!) of
> their buddies to come and share the joy :-) Misery loves company as
> they say. My booth at the Fiery Food Show was open over 1/2 hour after
> the show had closed for the day as I had a LARGE crowd of folks all
> trying my UnBEARable on a piece of the bread. It was quite a sight to
> see ;-) They were all chanting and daring each other (and passers-by)
> to try the stuff. A few were flopping on the floor, some were mumbling
> in the corner, others were waving their arms about and shouting. The
> only things missing it seems, were snakes and a pulpit :-)
>
> 5.) It is also a matter of economy. People who buy these crazy hot
> ones are looking for something that they can use to heat up their own
> bowl of food on the table without changing the flavor much, or bothering
> the kids. A $6 or $7 bottle will last well over a year so they are
> convinced that it makes good fiscal sense as well (which I encourage
> ;-) These sauces are NOT designed to sit around and eat on chips.
>
> Well, this is probably more of an answer that you had counted on but I
> trust it satisfactorily answers the question at hand :-)
>
> -Jim C
> Mild to Wild(R)
>