Episode Transcript
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or situations. Prices vary based on
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how you buy. Ryan
0:48
Reinhardt is a food writer. And when he
0:51
was growing up in southern Indiana, he remembers
0:53
that there was a way people talked about
0:55
one particular cuisine, Mexican food.
0:57
The perception I always had what people told
0:59
me because they were Midwestern people was, oh,
1:01
well, you got to be careful with Mexican
1:04
food because so much of it
1:06
is so spicy. And those peppers, you
1:08
got to watch out for because they'll light you
1:10
up every time. One winter, Brian's
1:12
family went on vacation to San Antonio
1:14
and Brian finally got to eat the
1:16
real thing. It was it was a revelation.
1:19
It was December 27th and we were sitting
1:22
out on the river walk. It was 70
1:24
degrees outside and we were calling
1:26
home saying, yeah, we're having enchiladas and we're
1:28
sitting outside and there are all these ducks
1:30
floating across the water and we're enjoying everything.
1:32
And all the people at home were saying,
1:35
well, there's two feet of snow outside and
1:37
we're all miserable. So we all started
1:39
lobbying. My dad saying, can you get a job down
1:41
here? Brian's family, lured
1:44
in part by the taste of good
1:46
Mexican food, moved to Texas when he
1:48
was in high school. I moved
1:50
down the week I turned 16. So
1:52
then visiting with friends and going
1:54
out and everything turned into Mexican
1:57
food or barbecue. Who
2:00
grew as he lot older than. eventually
2:02
he began writing about it professionally. The
2:04
past two years, he's been a food
2:06
critic a Dallas's D Magazine. He's out
2:09
in restaurants two hundred times. A year
2:11
but he and his girlfriend also cook
2:13
at home often Mexican food author with
2:15
hot peppers, some of which they grow
2:18
in their own backyard. We've got some
2:20
kind of bells this year we're going
2:22
to Sito Peppers for the first time.
2:24
We love fish peppers. They're very tiny
2:26
and they have racing stripes. They're beautiful.
2:29
One kind of hot pepper Brian doesn't
2:31
grow though is the jalapeno, a chilly
2:34
originally cultivated in. There a cruise Mexico.
2:36
Is hop so those at the supermarket And
2:39
a little while ago he started to notice
2:41
something. I kept buying. Have
2:43
been using the grocery store and then. More
2:46
more frequently it does. Tasted like a
2:48
bell pepper. There was almost nothing to
2:50
it. It was very simple, straightforward pepper
2:53
flavor. And holiday
2:55
nail after jalapeno it seemed Brian
2:57
legs a spice was gone. And.
3:00
At first he thought it was just
3:02
him maybe I present condition because now
3:05
he serrano peppers and know i you
3:07
cook with hub a narrow peppers sometimes
3:09
and maybe artist developed a greater heat
3:11
tolerance and then. Finally it started
3:13
get to the point where I. I
3:16
felt like I must be going crazy
3:18
and then I started asking people. Have.
3:21
You had This experience of jalapeno is also. I'd
3:24
be cooking and I'd hold one up. I'd say
3:26
it's what's wrong with these things. Have you noticed
3:28
this and more more people started saying yeah, They're
3:30
basically. Third, There's nothing to them. And
3:33
then I said you know what we can
3:35
do and I pull up my phone I
3:38
texted i think like for five different sets
3:40
all at once The answer came back quickly.
3:42
The first one was yes definitely sur Les
3:44
Hop on the used to be. The second
3:47
one was i tell my cooks my hands
3:49
must be too sweet because I can't make
3:51
the salsa hot enough anymore. It
3:53
wasn't Is the tastes the same difference?
3:56
Some evil noticed that jalapeno. Is look
3:58
to different to. You
4:00
can you can just look at
4:02
old menus and cartoon type image
4:04
or a bird. Jalapeno used to
4:06
have a big Ben's like almost
4:08
a ninety degree twist in the
4:10
middle but now most the jalapeno
4:12
that the store or streets by.
4:14
what did you think was going
4:16
on I think by working theory
4:18
was jalapeno. Growing. Operations were
4:21
prioritizing, growing them properly keeping
4:23
them happy compared to us
4:25
at home where. Maybe.
4:27
We go out of town for a weekend and
4:30
we forget about them and then we come back
4:32
and they've been completely neglected and they become spice
4:34
here because. The you
4:36
took what you knew it is that likes
4:38
peppers are or under stress and where you're
4:40
like the as are the most well taken
4:42
care of peppers. Yes southern. ah that's why
4:44
are we need a farm to the street
4:46
their peppers like absolute garbage. Leave them for
4:48
months and months and come back to them.
4:51
And. Say oh my gosh, I forgot we
4:53
have these and then self analysis. Brian
4:57
knew that it is it going to figure
4:59
out the truth? He needed to run his
5:01
theory by an expert. He immediately thought of
5:03
New Mexico State. University which is a
5:06
whole institute dedicated to chili peppers.
5:08
People that want to. Their faculty members
5:11
style her up and told her everything
5:13
you just heard and see. Started.
5:15
Off very kindly as he said. I've.
5:18
Heard these complaints before. The
5:20
first and I felt really good for
5:23
moment and then she said. But.
5:27
He. Goes a lot deeper and there's
5:29
a lot better explanation available for
5:31
us. And then she said the
5:33
peppers are designed that way. And
5:38
I said it's easy. And
5:41
she said well is completely on purpose.
5:44
And that's when the story of the
5:47
Great Chili Pepper Conspiracy really start on
5:49
fault. This
6:00
is Dakota Ring. I'm Willa Paskin.
6:02
The shiny, dark green jalapeno is
6:04
the workhorse of hot peppers. They're
6:07
in hot sauces and shallotas and
6:09
salsas. They're canned, pickled,
6:12
fresh and smoked into chipotles. And
6:14
they outsell all other hot peppers
6:16
in the United States. But
6:19
these everyday chilies are a scientific
6:21
and sociological marvel. A complicated testament
6:24
to the American love affair with
6:26
Mexican food sitting right there on
6:28
the grocery store shelf. In
6:30
today's episode, we're going to tell
6:33
the decades-long saga of the jalapeno
6:35
and its fluctuating spice levels. It's
6:37
a story about how this one
6:40
pepper helped American palates progress from
6:42
mild to medium to hot and
6:45
then couldn't keep up. So
6:47
today on Dakota Ring, who
6:49
took the heat out of the jalapeno? Apple
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So to test out his theory, Brian
8:55
Reinhardt had called an expert at
8:57
New Mexico State University. Someone named
8:59
Stephanie Walker because she had been
9:01
the chair of the Chili Pepper
9:03
Conference. Yes, I've been getting a
9:06
lot of calls about jalapenos lately. We
9:08
call Dr. Stephanie Walker too. She's a
9:10
professor and extension vegetable specialist, and she
9:12
got back to us during a break
9:14
from planting. This is the time of
9:16
year where we're putting our various chili
9:18
experiments in the field. Turns
9:20
out, like Brian, Stephanie wasn't born
9:23
with spice in her life. I
9:25
didn't know anything about chili peppers
9:27
or heat. When we moved
9:29
to Las Cruces, New Mexico, when I
9:31
was starting middle school, I started eating
9:33
chili. I developed a love
9:36
for it. And then I actually, after I
9:38
got my bachelor's degree, I went to work
9:41
in a chili pepper processing facility. And that's
9:43
where I really fell in love with chili
9:45
peppers. So have
9:47
jalapenos gotten less spicy? So
9:51
in my opinion, yes. And
9:55
to really understand why, I asked Stephanie
9:57
to start at the beginning. What
9:59
is the theory? They make chili slice of
10:01
have say a certain can see
10:03
a sense and very closely related
10:05
chemicals are only made in members
10:08
of the Catholic. And Zenith for the
10:10
chili peppers. a very unique and having
10:12
that type of plunges see that youth
10:14
spirits and each chili peppers. I
10:16
actually I'm really interested in. Like.
10:19
How how a pain as it may be more
10:21
largely chili peppers. Crow. And
10:24
also how their bread? like. How do we have
10:26
all these different kinds of chili peppers to begin
10:29
with? Or they. Just naturally occurring are
10:31
some of i'm like slate. they've been
10:33
created by human, some so into the
10:35
original chili peppers called the mother of
10:38
all chili peppers is that silted pain
10:40
type to. They're very small, easily round
10:42
are slightly elongated peppers that said growing
10:45
buses and even though the heat's who
10:47
said have evolved and silly peppers to
10:49
dissuade mammals from eating them, human mammals
10:52
discover they love this heat sensei so
10:54
so so humans and started the process.
10:56
The list goes back. Thousands.
10:59
Of years as a sit through, humans
11:01
are actively selecting. We have the vast
11:03
array of chili pepper varieties that we
11:06
see today. And that
11:08
vast array of different
11:10
human selected breeds of
11:12
peppers is what Stephanie
11:14
emphasize to Brian. The
11:16
points you made me was the jalapeno
11:18
is a family. There are so many
11:20
different varieties of jalapeno. It is not
11:22
just a pepper. And humans
11:24
are still actively selecting when it
11:27
comes to chili pepper varieties. In
11:29
fact, it's keyed. What's happened to
11:31
the jalapeno. In
11:34
the early Nineteen eighties, demand for Mexican
11:36
food is growing all over America cells
11:38
that Mexican restaurants had doubled in just
11:40
a few years, but consumer tastes varied
11:43
widely. Even that, as a lot of
11:45
folks out there who love very very
11:47
hot how it handles, there's a lot
11:49
who don't like hot surface. It's companies
11:51
wanted to be able to sell products
11:54
at every level of spice, but there
11:56
was this big problem. One Stephanie is
11:58
very familiar well because he was working
12:00
at a chili pepper process or back
12:03
then. A big issue was
12:05
predicting heat level for chili peppers
12:07
predicting punches the is hard so
12:09
the plenty sea level of a
12:11
different silly pepper variety is based
12:14
on genetics but also the environment
12:16
where we did vast of salsa
12:18
we would have mild medium or
12:20
high. it's and if you happened
12:23
to get like a load of
12:25
hell opinion that with extra hot
12:27
we might miss label a whole
12:29
days run a medium or mild
12:31
salsa. So we actually had. A
12:34
program where I feel depart would go out
12:36
free samples seals before they were harvest as
12:38
we could get a good idea how hot
12:40
of these peppers? How do we need to
12:43
adjust the formulation? Will we make mild, medium
12:45
or hot salsa us and we discovered it
12:47
didn't work in the chili peppers was just
12:49
too unpredictable haas. But. There is
12:52
a more predictable substance. And
12:54
extract called only or as and capsaicin
12:56
which is pure capsaicin structure from hot
12:59
chili peppers basically And then it's It's
13:01
like a liquid that you can very
13:03
very dangerous. Like was suspicious as a
13:06
desert as a greedy of buckets has
13:08
a soul and crossbones. Ana yes I
13:10
hear pure heat. so it's the yeah
13:13
you that? what a mess with it
13:15
Only or As and capsaicin is active
13:17
ingredient in pepper spray. It makes it
13:20
possible to take something mild and make
13:22
it. A scene where you. Can
13:24
never take something spicy and make
13:26
it a mild. It's just like
13:28
salt. You can add more but
13:30
you can't take any away. The
13:32
on mild jalapeno from the manufacturers
13:34
perspective, is actually a lot more
13:36
versatile than a spicy. And
13:39
feel as Brian Reinhart learned, companies
13:41
that growing a mild pepper could
13:44
solve the problem. Okay, well.
13:47
If. We can find a way to make sure
13:49
they're all miles. Then. We
13:51
can choose the spice level so
13:54
as his prom became more widely
13:56
known in the industry, agriculture department
13:58
some and breeders. Working
14:00
on: how can we standardize the jalapeno
14:02
pepper and get something that hits all
14:05
the attributes and we want. And.
14:07
One of the people they called it was
14:09
a chilly expert named Dr. They need know
14:11
the Allen who goes by bed. Among. Other
14:13
names erotic com it does the paper you
14:15
know so I will demand for the job.
14:19
Then Yates. He was raised on a
14:21
vegetable farm in South Texas and he
14:24
is degrees and plant breeding, genetics and
14:26
pathology. He also worked at Texas A
14:28
and M for thirty years and that's
14:30
where he was when the salsa industry.
14:32
Reached out they came to me
14:34
face hurts all about Olympic glory
14:36
and honor the be three and
14:38
a says if wait a while
14:40
I'll have a it would consider
14:42
a lot more shots that because
14:44
it was less eight serve as
14:46
their lawyers have it wouldn't work
14:48
as a society to do. In.
14:51
The seventies then had been trying
14:53
to breed of virus resistant bell
14:55
pepper by crossing it with different
14:58
peppers including Jalapeno Us. After a
15:00
lot of cross breeding he realized
15:02
he the inadvertently. Created a low
15:04
heat jalapeno. Took us about ten years
15:06
to get back to the Alibi you're
15:09
flavor stutter list of things to do
15:11
that goes out. Every paper number was
15:13
it is is showing the flavor profile
15:15
and they said they wanted it because
15:18
customers said that they didn't want space
15:20
as writes a book. Those I did
15:22
get their mouths burned and all a
15:24
ghost up. And show us your
15:26
letters You is a mile Allah Feel. As.
15:29
though a couple years later with it. That.
15:33
Low Heat Pepper was released in
15:35
the early nineteen eighties as the
15:37
Tam Jalapeno him since Texas and
15:40
Am and it seemed to do
15:42
exactly with the processing plants wanted.
15:44
If was control of li.
15:47
Mildly. Hot it was resistant
15:49
superbugs, it didn't develop kind
15:52
of gnarly black spots, and
15:54
it wasn't so curved is
15:56
a glorious little invention. It
15:58
was a sushi. Help to industry
16:00
because somebody who get jalapeno you could
16:03
predict what the formulation was going to
16:05
be. Our able to give
16:07
you a mild radio talk show.
16:09
Zoc swing salsa industries really started
16:12
bombing Versailles which helps that older
16:14
or of the process and are
16:16
you sure but the fresh market
16:19
Also by nineteen nineties the United
16:21
States out soul cats are one
16:24
hundred miles thousand. Things
16:26
kicked up even more and the
16:28
early two thousand when the tam
16:30
to came out and even milder
16:32
more predictable pepper developed by then
16:34
successor a Texas an app sixty
16:37
percent of how of hang you
16:39
gotta processing plants so that's what
16:41
farmers prioritize and so mild jalapeno
16:43
became the dominant crop. So.
16:45
Useful for mass produce. salsa the
16:47
trickled into the produce aisle to.
16:50
And this seems to be happening more
16:52
and more according. Both the Brian's taste
16:54
buds and even to those of then the
16:56
alone, The man who created the mild jalapeno
16:59
and the first place. I don't
17:01
like the store because they're highbridge
17:03
and asia alarmed at Heathrow, so
17:05
you don't like the ones that
17:07
have. No.
17:09
Record of flavors. I
17:12
ask Brian how he felt when Stephanie
17:14
explained that his experience was the result
17:17
of a deliberate decades long. Effort
17:19
to grow milder jalapeno.
17:21
As. I definitely felt like
17:23
I was being. Soon. The
17:25
man behind the curtains. I felt
17:27
like I was talking to somebody
17:30
who was telling me that they
17:32
knew what really happened to Jfk.
17:34
Are women are nobody's been fighting
17:36
this information. Nobody's been conspiring with
17:39
this information. But somehow we just
17:41
missed it. And
17:43
in part of the reason we missed it
17:46
is because it's not the first time something
17:48
like. This
18:06
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The Queen tells the story of
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are subscribed to The Queen on
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right now. What?
21:12
Happened at the Jalapeno. has happened
21:14
before. In fact, it's happened.
21:16
Over and over again. for the
21:18
for most Americans have been obsessed
21:21
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they encountered. A Gustavo Adriano is
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Times and the author of The
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into. The American Consciousness. Really?
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In the eighteen. Eighties but explodes
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in the eighty nineties and you had
21:41
to. This is in particular that made
21:43
it happen. One of them were tamales.
21:45
Tamales are of course the quintessential Mexican
21:48
food. On the other hand, you have
21:50
to lack of.net. In a
21:52
plaza San Antonio women known as
21:55
Chile Queens opened all night open
21:57
air restaurant serving up fulfils. As
21:59
guitars. In and family street vendors
22:01
hawk their wares all over cities like
22:03
San. Francisco and Americans were just
22:05
so enticed by the scene of
22:08
it was partly there enticed by
22:10
the food and the American media
22:12
that curious about them until he
22:14
started seeing these dispatchers and publications
22:16
like The Atlantic like Harper's Weekly?
22:18
how are they describing like what
22:20
are they saying about that They
22:22
always. They.
22:24
Always end up obsessing on the
22:26
spice. You. Have these stereotypes
22:28
like that? It tastes like the fires of
22:31
the hell. But they're not disparaging it, They're
22:33
not disparaging at the are crazy. Get a
22:35
warning people in advance: Hate. This has gotta
22:37
be Hot. The
22:40
dishes became even more well known
22:42
after the Eighty Ninety Three Chicago
22:44
World's Fair and that's arguably were
22:46
Mexican food had it's nationwide debut.
22:48
The city of Chicago is awash
22:50
with the molly vendors. Chicago's also
22:52
the meat packing capital of the
22:55
United States. It's also the tanning
22:57
capital. So as this is happening,
23:00
These. Big companies. They get a
23:02
brilliant idea. Of packing
23:04
Somalis. In a Can. And.
23:06
Packing silicon gardening in the Tampa
23:08
Bay then spread around the rest
23:10
of the United States and Americans
23:12
got what up? Man
23:16
made famous by
23:18
ah. So
23:21
those were the first famous. This
23:23
is that Americans got obsessed over.
23:25
and then every decade. Everything that
23:27
I just told you repeats every
23:30
decade. You. Have Americans
23:32
quote unquote discovering something.
23:34
At a restaurant in travel somewhere
23:36
they become obsessed with this. Entrepreneurs
23:39
then spread it around the rest
23:42
of the United States. Americans love
23:44
it either, to the point where
23:46
it becomes assimilated into the American
23:48
diet. As an American,
23:50
say okay, what's next? I
23:53
want something more quote unquote
23:55
authentic. It happens almost every
23:57
decade. In happens in the
23:59
nineteen hundreds. of silly powder in the
24:01
nineteen twenties with rice and beans. none
24:03
entrepreneurs sell the country I'm Marguerite As
24:06
and fajitas and especially. On tacos.
24:10
Oh okay. And
24:16
onward and on What it says
24:18
it has been slow but steady
24:20
march of Mexican food conquering American
24:23
palace and stomach. When the food
24:25
or the days are the ingredient
24:27
becomes like so omnipresent. Does there's
24:29
hardly a conversation about like it's not as good?
24:31
Or yeah, I mean it's It's
24:33
partly true though, and a lot
24:35
of this does have to do
24:37
with the mass production of the
24:40
cuisine. I mean, look, when you're
24:42
going to mass produce anything, you
24:44
have to sacrifice certain attributes yeah
24:46
to come modify everything. So people
24:48
who grow ingredients for Mexican food
24:50
in the United States. Have
24:52
always. Modified. Their.
24:54
Flavor. So. They
24:56
could become more popular. You're talking about
24:59
hello thing as right now by in
25:01
Mexico. Remember the key left and only
25:03
come from five states and Mexico is
25:05
a protected designation was the nineteen forties.
25:07
These the killer producers realize hey, Americans
25:09
are started. Come to Mexico in record
25:12
numbers. They're lighting articulate, but they find
25:14
it too harsh. Let's. Change the
25:16
recipe so they changed the recipe to make
25:18
it more palatable to Americans and we all
25:20
know what hapless the killer becomes. A huge
25:23
huge sensation. To the point now of course
25:25
where he getting the same city let companies
25:27
Now you have to collect company saying we
25:29
need. We need to make the killer for
25:31
Mexican. That of course the Americans don't the
25:33
want the Americanize the killer anymore they want
25:36
the Mexican. I used a good. Little
25:38
I mean is it it sounds like
25:40
this is kind of paradox right? Like
25:42
this is growing taste for spiciness or
25:44
forty t laugh or something and then
25:46
it starts to take off. and then
25:48
this businesses are like oh, we actually
25:50
need to get even bigger. We have
25:53
to standardize even more and then it
25:55
does get bigger. And it is really popular,
25:57
but it opens up space. For. Certain
25:59
can see. To be like know now we
26:01
want like the first thing you mentioned paradox. That's
26:03
the best. We're putting it. the American consumer at
26:05
first they want something that's a watered down. The.
26:08
A sept it. You. Have
26:11
an entire industry, Being.
26:13
Created to match what
26:15
they wanted originally, but
26:17
then the American gets
26:19
inured to that modified.
26:22
Flavor. Profile. And then that's when they
26:24
want marks. but by then. It's.
26:26
Too late. And that's
26:28
the story of holidaying. In two
26:30
and the latter part of the
26:32
twentieth century, Americans became interested in
26:34
South As and the peppers that
26:36
go into them. The jalapeno
26:38
immediately resonated with American
26:40
pilots. That name itself
26:43
is just so intriguing.
26:45
Paula. Pino.
26:48
Jaw love. Her know.
26:51
You. Know the American just gets so intrigued
26:53
by foreign words and hello thing? I
26:55
mean god you want to talk about
26:57
a Mexican word? Try Jalapeno Said jay
26:59
is pronounced like a ha. Does.
27:01
Any other little see they of course
27:03
on top the last quickly thing that
27:05
n which turns into an ng yes
27:08
as if you really want to go
27:10
deep track hello thing you'll refers to
27:12
the town of her lap ah in
27:14
the state of Veracruz and how lot
27:16
by dissidents use americans more is with
27:18
an axe. The name
27:20
itself is so intriguing. And this
27:22
is all by the way before he actually taste
27:24
it and then you tasted. I mean. Yet to
27:26
put yourself of the mindset, Of Americans in the
27:28
sixties and seventies when Mexican food is still
27:31
not where it is today. Of course there
27:33
to get entry. And they
27:35
want it is in their cell says
27:37
and hot sauces as long as it
27:39
wasn't too hot. To readers develop miles.
27:41
Happens for processors and suddenly
27:44
they were everywhere see such
27:46
as just south of was
27:48
only fresh have a thing
27:50
as an average our eyes
27:52
born in San Antonio system
27:54
by his New York see.
27:58
What? Does not Mexicans A. More and more
28:00
of this stuff there pal have changed in
28:02
turn. There was a point where
28:05
Americans or but not next against could
28:07
not stand here at all Split? Yes,
28:09
as a decades have gone on, Americans
28:12
have done the tolerance for salsas, spies
28:14
and Americans are starting to escalate. Their
28:17
seats To the point Now of course
28:19
we have the hot one. The have
28:21
kids just loving all and adults who
28:23
for that matter American more that you'll
28:25
see Mexicans doing These fucking contests were
28:27
like oh under existing Carolina reapers at
28:29
once. What you just say is the
28:31
hottest, most disgusting hot sauce and. To
28:34
the American thing, it's kind of funny and kind
28:36
of pathetic. says i. Get
28:40
This is the actor Jennifer
28:42
Lawrence on the popular youtube
28:44
self Hot Ones for Guess
28:46
He increasingly. Spicy Hot? I
28:48
don't. Know
28:51
where I know, That
28:55
is just masochism. I don't want that.
28:57
still. have you noticed that jalapeno than particular
28:59
have that mile the now because. For
29:02
me, the whole thing you'll never spicy
29:04
to begin with. The hottest. Jalapeno.
29:07
Are. Not that hard but Cel Jalapeno historically
29:09
least in my family you would use them
29:11
for the flavor as a good jalapeno has
29:13
a good bird is a flavor to it.
29:15
very fresh, very invigorating flavor the way other
29:17
see less don't have but there's nothing wrong
29:19
with putting a little bit of spice to
29:22
it. I out I do not take a
29:24
little bottle of hot sauce with need to
29:26
diners but I do take a big you
29:28
said on or I just wish I just
29:30
eat out of French Bistro the other day
29:32
and mike what was it I had of
29:35
broke. Madame. Yesterday friends I
29:37
love french food for not going to have any he
29:39
i need a little bit he say without my said
29:41
i know my friend who's with me he didn't blink
29:43
as he knows why amp with the waitress comes into
29:45
site on did we give you one on like. Know
29:48
and she was impressed like on can do like us or
29:50
a nice like that when you do. It that are
29:52
you tall with with word "sea levels" as
29:54
have other hell no covered sealer them or
29:56
the law abiding chili's so you get. You.
29:59
Eat it And. I'm you eat it like
30:01
a carrot that's oh my god setting it up into
30:03
small little pieces. That's why I mean apple below the
30:05
out of as you're going to bring it, see less
30:07
you eat it or see them or to the that
30:09
like. Fighting and it was freaking good. and
30:11
as as if the owners of the restaurant there
30:13
a bemused and I tell them look your foods
30:15
absolutely amazing Don't get me wrong it was super
30:17
super good. Bye. Still need some
30:19
spicy? Know I'm Mexican. Food.
30:22
Is salvo? What's happened to Mexican food
30:25
over and over again is on the
30:27
whole a good saying because even imperfect
30:29
the Mexicans, it can bring people together.
30:32
I could tell you how low
30:34
Mexicans have always been and how
30:36
low the next in some was
30:39
the now you have kids growing
30:41
up, your kids growing up with
30:43
good hot sauces are you know
30:45
people in Southern California in the
30:47
American Southwest? In Colorado, White kids
30:49
growing up with Mexican food as
30:51
part of their our mother's milk
30:53
so to speak. and growing up
30:56
with Mexican, it does make relationships
30:58
better between Mexicans and Americans. So
31:00
I do remain optimistic that Americans.
31:02
Will all eventually become
31:05
Mexico. City?
31:10
Go to a supermarket basically anywhere
31:12
in America? At this point there
31:14
is an aisle were there will
31:16
be salsa. Lots. And lots and
31:19
lots of salsa. A bounty of
31:21
options and many of these options
31:23
are only possible because of the
31:26
existence of a mild jalapeno. For
31:28
the rob is that this same
31:31
jalapeno is in another part of
31:33
the grocery store, the produce aisle
31:35
keeping us from having options. In
31:38
our cooking, Brian Reinhart Again, I
31:40
think the issue is not so
31:42
much that with him, Pepper exists. I.
31:44
Think of birth sailing. The.
31:47
Failing came at the marketplace when
31:49
they took over and we didn't
31:51
really understand what was happening. We
31:53
didn't understand that of certain amount
31:56
of choice was going away or
31:58
that. Even. That there are. The another
32:00
kind of jalapeno available at this point
32:02
that was certainly not their intention. They
32:04
didn't mean to dominate market in that
32:06
way. see if they didn't intend for
32:08
us all to forget that. Another kind
32:10
of passes for. Me I mean I'm like I
32:13
can always to school at her own feel has his
32:15
and hard to tell at ten years if I wish
32:17
to get the heat level. I was. Doctor.
32:19
Seventy Walker, the Pepper expert. Again, that
32:21
does. Yes, your sister, the mercy of
32:23
grocery stores or even farmers markets is
32:26
going to be harder to get exactly
32:28
what you may words if you go
32:30
to a grocery. Store and you like
32:32
are in the I'll can you just
32:34
eyeball them and be like I know
32:36
and know Now you know how for
32:38
the rest of us is are they
32:41
are viewed as seventy. Hopes run the
32:43
cusp of an heirloom pepper movement. Like
32:45
what's happened with Tomatoes the girl she's
32:47
just used to sell generic read: softballs.
32:49
The now you can get colorful, wrinkly,
32:52
tasty heirloom tomatoes and every shape and
32:54
size and markets and restaurant. Zeman plant
32:56
them in your own garden. If
32:58
you want a good heart, healthy and
33:00
you buy some of these heirloom varieties
33:03
it'll plants are owed if you are
33:05
a south and what a predictable he'd
33:07
a predictable flavored your peppers for good
33:09
to say So to say I wouldn't
33:11
feel mile pepper the what hot peppers
33:13
to get to know these varieties because
33:16
these are as with wine grapes as
33:18
with heirloom apple your they're very unique
33:20
and we the to celebrate this amazing
33:22
germ plasm and and hope that we
33:24
keep it available. In the
33:26
meantime you can just do with Doctor Ben
33:29
the alone Ak a Doctor Pepper the one
33:31
who created the first smiled jalapeno. Does it
33:33
make a different choice at the market? And
33:36
I go over there. Serrano's a
33:38
disagreement over there. And
33:41
of the day ever comes when you are
33:43
Serrano peppers start a taste of. Friends
33:45
Well, maybe it's not just.
33:56
This is decoder rings. I will
33:58
have Haskins you have. Corporal Mccreevy wanna
34:00
see the code? Please email us at
34:02
the code or in a flight Sap
34:04
com. This episode was produced by
34:07
As Enchant. We produce Decoder Ring with
34:09
Katie Shepherd and Max. Friedman stared as
34:11
executive producer Marriage Take Up. a
34:13
senior technical. Director up. I also really
34:16
encourage you to go read Ryan Ryan
34:18
hard to these for D Magazine all
34:20
about his Jalapeno Hunt which. Will links
34:22
to on our show page. If.
34:24
You haven't yet? Please subscribe and rate Our
34:26
Feet and Apple podcasts or wherever you get
34:29
your podcast even better. Tell your friends
34:31
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