12.12.07
It Tastes Like Burning
If I don’t get it off my chest now, I’m afraid I may never have the chance. Here goes:
Hello. My name is Jeff, and I’m addicted to Sriracha hot sauce. I put it on almost everything. Stir fry, noodles, ramen, mashed potatoes. The list goes on. And not just in small doses or occasionally. I use a lot. Butthole burning amounts. So much that I sweat while I eat. It’s quite the sight.
I haven’t been addicted for long, but I fear it’s going to take over soon. It started innocently enough. I saw the bottle in the local Asian grocery store when I was looking for a big bottle of soy sauce. I recognized the bottle and brand from the U.S., but had never tried it before. Curious, and since I was cooking a lot more than I had in a while, I figured I’d give it a try. I was hooked. It was love at first taste. It was hot and spicy that left my mouth tingling and my forehead and scalp all sweaty. (I used way too much that first time. It closely resembles ketchup and I think subconsciously I figured it wouldn’t be too spicy since I was in The Netherlands, home of the bland)
And the best part: no heartburn. I like spicy foods, but they don’t always like me. For some reason, Sriracha hot sauce loved me. No matter what I put it in or how much, no heartburn. Hell, I haven’t even had a any butthole-burning. (I know, TMI.)
Unfortunately, this addiction is just a gateway to something else: Asian food. I’ve always liked Asian food. I have an unhealthy appetite for chicken lo mein. But here in Amstelveen, my desire for Asian food has become almost an obsession. I’ve gone long streches where I had some kind of Asian food every day. Usually it’s stir fry with chicken, veggies, rice, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and of course, Sriracha hot sauce. Sometimes it’s ramen noodles. I even learned how to make my own teriyaki sauce (which is awesome, btw.)
Occasionally I’ll eat the stir-fry noodles from a place called Wok to Walk near Liedseplein in Amsterdam, which is okay, but always needs help. It’s typical of what I’ve found with Dutch food: bland. Not horrible, but it’s like they’re afraid of too much flavor. Fortunately Wok to Walk is easy to fix: just bring it home, heat up a wok, add some sesame oil, then toss in the food with some soy sauce and Sriracha hot sauce, cook for ~1-2min to get everything heated up and the flavors mixed in, and enjoy.
Mom said,
December 19, 2007 at 00:34
Could this be a gene rising from your Asian background? Just remember there is ALOT of sodium in Asian food. Keep cooking. Let’s see what other recipes you can create.