=Mark

The heat level will vary due to the growing conditions, but the red pods will retain as much heat as the green.

As was mentioned in the article it is suspected that the stimulation of the pain receptors by capsaicin causes the brain to release endorphins which can result in feelings of euphoria similar to that expeienced by those who run long distances. A couple years ago at a Hotluck in Red Lion, Pa. Doug Barnhart (3 Time winner of the Bowers Pa. Chile Fest Jalapeno Eating contest) and I were browsing through Chip Welch's chile garden and came across these tiny yellow chiles that looked like kernels of corn. Well we popped a couple of these babies, which had a nice citrus flavor, but after there was minimal reaction we moved on to other things. Then, 30 to 45 seconds later the base beat of a major burn started making itself known. For the next 10 minutes or so we were usless. There was nothing to be done but stand, red faced and crying, sticking one ice cube after another into our mouths. As soon as were were semi recovered we each exclaimed "We gotta get the others to try this!" Soon there were half a dozen of us passing these beauties around like junkies with a crack pipe... Logical? Hell no! A complete rush? You bet! I took a dozen of them home... PS - The Bowers Chile Fest and Jalapeno contest is tomorrow.

The interesting thing is that a dozen or so years ago I could not tolerate hot foods, then I lost a lot of weight and had a major reduction in gastric problems as a result. I started eating chiles as a snack because such a little goes a long way. Eating chiles has sometimes been referred to as "culinary bungee jumping." Honestly, why on earth would somebody fling themselves off of a perfectly good bridge? There seems to be an entire range of human activity that defies logic, and much of it seems focused on food and eating. Some folks spend a huge slug of $$$ for a meal of Fugu, with the knowledge that if the chef was not up to his game that they would die as a result. Personally I'll more likely eat a nice spicy platter of Larb and risk a flaming bung hole before I'm gonna scarf down any poison puffer fish.

Rachel, I'll be giving wawairis a lift to the shindig.

Really? I was there last year, and the men in our group didn't wear jackets. Management didn't ask them to wear the "requisite jacket in the back". I don't recall other men wearing jackets either. Did their rules change recently? I've also been there and did not wear a jacket...

Not to mention having former customers blabbing to everyone they know that the food at such & such restaurant gave them the hershey squirts...

OK, all this talk of chile pepper burns and intimate contact leaves me no choice but to post a link to a story by a member of the Chilehead list that delves deeply into both. Be aware that there is explicit sexual content. Rael 64s "Good Vibrations"

They are of the same family of pepper (Chinense) but are likely of different cultivars. Habaneros generally have a more pointy extended tip (outee) Where Scotch Bonnets have a more rounded, sometimes even recessed tip (innee)

This is really just my opinion, but I generally separate the "heat" of chile peppers from the "spicy" flavors of... well... spices. This harkens back to the fact that capsaicin does not stimulate the taste buds, but instead activates the heat receptors in not only the mouth but in any other sensitive part of the body. Spices on the other hand do directly stimulate the taste buds, so are to me a different animal. You can have foods that are very hot, but not particularly spicy. You can also have foods that are overly spicy with little or no heat. Of course when you get to other foods that have their own combination of flavors and heat like raw garlic, onions, ginger and horseradish all bets are off!

It's possible you were too kind to your plants! It is theorized that the heat in chile peppers is a method to prevent predation of the chiles by mammals. The extensive digestive tracts of mammals destroys the chile seeds. Birds, however, have a much shorter, simpler digestive system and are also not sensitive to capsaicin. Not only will birds pass the seeds unharmed, but they will widely disperse them complete with their own little blob of fertilizer! Now, to your wimpy chiles... As theorized, the chiles use heat as a defense against being eaten by mammals. It has been noted that anything that causes stress on the chile plant will result in an increase in the capsaicin content. It seems that in stressful times the investment into the seedpod makes it even more imperitive that they not be destroyed by being eaten by mammals. Many plants use chemical means to avoid predation, and they all will react to stress by increasing the amounts of these chemicals. By dutifully watering and feeding your plants you provided the perfect environment to encourage lazy, wimpy chile plants. If you have plants that have not been picked yet, stop watering them for a week or 2 until they appear to be uncomfortably wilted (Of course unless you are using containers this will be dependant ot rainfall), give a watering to just perk up a bit, then another dry spell. This should piss them off enough to get some flames going!

I also prefer not to use green jalepenos, as I find they have a grassy flavor remeniscent of green bell peppers. Like the bell peppers, however, jalepenos when ripened to red have a pleasant sweet flavor. I agree that habaneros and Scotch Bonnet peppers have a nice citrus flavor (This is when that resistance to capsaicin comes in handy) that goes well with many tropical fruits. Several years ago at a gathering of chileheads (a Hotluck) one of the participants made a batch of Habanero Mango ice cream that was awesome! It was also instantly physically addicting; as long as you kept spooning the cold stuff into your mouth the heat was tolerable, once you stopped it would start raging until you quelled it with another spoonful... As to pronunciation it is hab-an-air-o. It refers to something or someone from Havana. As such there is no tilde (~) over the "N." If you do see the word Habanero with a tilde in the spelling, it is incorrect (There are a lot of products out there with that spelling).

I have heard anecdotal accounts of this happening, but I've never heard an explanation as to why hot peppers might have this effect. My only thought is that some particularly sensitive parts of the body might react to the high concentration of alkaloids in super hot peppers.

The concept that mayo is a common cause of illness and that it will make foods more likely to spoil is a misperception. The sheer amount of oils coupled with acidity cause it to actually have antiseptic properties. If you've ever let a nearly empty jar out of the fridge for a few days you'll note it becomes translucent but does not spoil or mold. In essence you have acidified crisco.

Sawmill used to be a really good dive bar from which you could watch some of the ugliest folks in swimwear cruising the boardwalk (Just because they make it in your size does not mean you should buy and wear it in public...). Went there last in February when they were in the middle of renovating and have not been back since. Am really worried they may have renovated the "dive" aspect out of the place. Are my fears justified? Has in been turned into a flourescent lit "Family Friendly" establishment?

What do you mean? What are they? Uncooked broccoli florets. Look like little trees (And have similar consistancy...)

I have issues with the apparent 90s fad of undercooked veggies. If it's in a salad, OK let em crunch. As a side, please cook them. Also, things like pork ribs that are lauded as being "Falling off the Bone" tender are simply overcooked. There should be some resistance. As to pink chicken, breeding of ever faster growing chickens has resulted in commercial chickens that are slaughtered before the bones have fully calcified. As a result, when cooked, myoglobin from the bones leaches into the meat near the bones giving it a pinkish cast, no matter how well cooked. I've seen signs in chicken and rib places about this trying to quell fears of customers who worry they are getting undercooked food.

I like to sautee diced onions in butter till they start to carmelize, then add them to mashed potatoes

Yes.

There is a lady who runs a shop specializing in Hot & Spicy foods in nearby Red Bank and she also recommends Los Dos Molinos. 119 East 18th St. (212 505-1574). Am anxious to try it myself...

I remember back in college in the late 70s I was watching an episode of Julia Child's show where she was focusing on poaching eggs. She went through all the techniques for poaching eggs and was finally confronted by a fancy, complicated, electric thermostatically controlled multiple egg poacher. She promptly hefted it up, looked at it quizzically, and unceremoniously dumped it in the trash can. It was so unexpected that I could not help but laugh out loud.

You must take great pains to avoid the eGullet Webzine...

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A good juicy hamburger with a slice of red onion cries out for catsup (Heinz only need apply).

Slices of fresh farm stand Jersey tomatoes, slices of good fresh mozerella, a nice sampling from the local supermarket olive bar toped with chiffonade of fresh basil and a splash of EVOO and vinegar. Along with this I have the above mentioned cucumber and onion salad, though I use more vinegar (cider vinegar preferred) cut with spring water till veggies almost covered. Chilled for a couple hours or overnight the cukes and onions become semi pickled, seasoned with black and red pepper flakes. Oh yeah, for flavor and temp contrast a couple ears of fresh corn rolled in a stick of butter dusted with black pepper. A full day's servings of veggies!

Last weekend was eating a alfresco lunch wearing a white tee shirt. I still can't figure out how I managed to get a drop of Buffalo wing sauce on the top of my shoulder.