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Decoder Ring: How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Decoder Ring: How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Released Wednesday, 8th May 2024
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Decoder Ring: How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Decoder Ring: How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Decoder Ring: How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Decoder Ring: How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

Wednesday, 8th May 2024
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0:01

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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

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8:53

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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maybe even are murdered. She was also

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conclusions based on what their prejudices

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are subscribed to The Queen on

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a Cognac or wherever you're listening

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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

with Mexican food from the moment

21:23

they encountered. A Gustavo Adriano is

21:25

a columnist or the L A

21:27

Times and the author of The

21:29

Taco Usa. How Mexican food conquered

21:32

America. Mexican food's first starts getting

21:34

into. The American Consciousness. Really?

21:37

In the eighteen. Eighties but explodes

21:39

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

we're fan! Of the Cell. I also love

34:33

for you to sign up for Flight Plus

34:35

Les Plus members that elicits Dakota Ring and

34:37

every other Slate podcast without any as. You.

34:40

Also, get unlimited access to Slates

34:42

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34:44

crucial to our work. So please

34:46

So to sleep.com/disorder Plus to Join

34:48

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34:50

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From The Podcast

Slow Burn

In 1978, state Sen. John Briggs put a bold proposition on the California ballot. If it passed, the Briggs Initiative would ban gays and lesbians from working in public schools—and fuel a growing backlash against LGBTQ+ people in all corners of American life. In the ninth season of Slate’s Slow Burn, host Christina Cauterucci explores one of the most consequential civil rights battles in American history: the first-ever statewide vote on gay rights. With that fight looming, young gay activists formed a sprawling, infighting, joyous opposition; confronted the smear that they were indoctrinating kids; and came out en masse to show Briggs—and their own communities—who they really were. And when an unthinkable act of violence shocked them all, they showed the world what gay power looked like.Want more Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to immediately access all past seasons and episodes of Slow Burn (and your other favorite Slate podcasts) completely ad-free. Plus, you’ll unlock subscriber-exclusive bonus episodes that bring you behind-the-scenes on the making of the show. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.Season 8: Becoming Justice ThomasWhere Clarence Thomas came from, how he rose to power, and how he’s brought the rest of us along with him, whether we like it or not. Winner of the Podcast of the Year at the 2024 Ambies Awards.Season 7: Roe v. WadeThe women who fought for legal abortion, the activists who pushed back, and the justices who thought they could solve the issue for good. Winner of Apple Podcasts Show of the Year in 2022.Season 6: The L.A. RiotsHow decades of police brutality, a broken justice system, and a video tape set off six days of unrest in Los Angeles.Season 5: The Road to the Iraq WarEighteen months after 9/11, the United States invaded a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. Who’s to blame? And was there any way to stop it?Season 4: David DukeAmerica’s most famous white supremacist came within a runoff of controlling Louisiana. How did David Duke rise to power? And what did it take to stop him?Season 3: Biggie and TupacHow is it that two of the most famous performers in the world were murdered within a year of each other—and their killings were never solved?Season 2: The Clinton ImpeachmentA reexamination of the scandals that nearly destroyed the 42nd president and forever changed the life of a former White House intern.Season 1: WatergateWhat did it feel like to live through the scandal that brought down President Nixon?

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