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The Chile Pepper Counterculture
	Robb Walsh, Austin Chronicle, Frinday, May 3, 1991
 
Endorphins, those natural drugs that are 100 to 1,000 times more
powerful than morphene, are released into our brain when we eat hot
chile petters, according to a New Mexico University scientist.  Like
other psychotropics, including peyote, coca and tabacco, chile peppers
alter our state of consciousness.  In the case of chile peppers the
high is non-hallucinogenic, but it is addictive.  Experimental
psychologist Frank Etscorn of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology told the New Mexico Chile Conference that chile addicts are
hooked on endorphins.  "We get slightly strung out, but it's no big
deal," he says.
 
Getting a runner's high without the running may be a bigger deal than
Etscorn imagines.  It also explains a lot about the perverse
psychology of chile-pepper lovers.  Eating more chile peppers produces
more pain, more pain produces more endorphis.  Maintaining a steady
burn has been called "mouth surfing" by many observers of the emerging
chile pepper counterculture.  The endorphins and physical sensations
that flood the brain when a chile addict bites into a pepper suddenly
interrupt the thought processes and overwhelm the senses.  This
phenomenon has been described by doctors as a "rush."  According to
Dr. Weil, a physician quoted by Austin chile expert Jean Andrews,
chile junkies "glide along on the strong stimulation, experiencing it
as something between pleasure and pain that ... brings on a high state
of consciousuness."
 
Psychologist Paul Rozin, whose studies on chile-pepper lovers provide
many clues to their behavior, has written that chile eaters have
several motivations.  Chile eating, according to Rozin, is one of
those "benignly masochistic" activities that provide thrills, like
horror movies, swimming in icy water or parachute jumping.  A more
primal motivation for chile eating and a clue to the introduction of
chile peppers into the human diet is the physiological phenomenon
known as "gustatory sweating."
 
In her book, _Chile Peppers_, author Jan Andrews reviews studies of
gustatory sweating which show that this unique kind of perspiration of
the face and scalp is induced by eating chile peppers in hot weather.
This probably explains the connection between hot food and the
tropics.  But tropical chile eaters get just as hooked on the thrills
as they do on the cooling effects of gustatory sweating.  Although
gustatory sweating does not occur at all in cool weather, once a chile
eater gets hooked, the habit continues regardless of the temperature.
The growth of the chile-pepper counterculture into the far reaches of
the temperate zone seems to indicate that cooling perspiration is not
the only reason people develop the habit.
 
The chile-pepper counterculture is growing fast; between the early
1970s and the early 1980s, the American Spice Trade Association
reported that imports of all dried red peppers jumped 61 percent.
Chile pepper production in New Mexico has almost doubled.  Thai,
Szechuan, Mexican, Cajun and other hot foods are popular in New
England and Minnesota.  Rumor has it that some former marijuana
smokers who used to grow a few plants in the basement have found a new
use for their growlights and imported bat guano.  They are using the
exotic farm equipment to turn out chile peppers as hot as the ones in
the tropics.  There's something happening here.
 
Faith Popcorn, the Madison Avenue marketing-trend analyst to Fortune
500 companies, has identified this trend as part of the "cocooning"
super trend.  People are staying at home and seeking "thrills" they
can experience without going anywhere.  Exotic food, especcially hot
foods like chile peppers, are replacing the more exotic kinds of
"adventures" that the baby boomers have given up to stay home with the
kids. 
 
Can you hurt yourself with jalapenos?  According to the United States
Dispensatory, "Capsicum [chile pepper] is a local stimulant... that
differs from other local irritants in producing practically
no reddening of the skin even where there is a very severe subjective
sensation; while it has a pronounced irritant effect on the endings of
the sensatory nerves, it has little action upon capillary or other
blood vessels.  Therefore it does not cause blistering, even in high
concentrations." 
 
In fact, peppers have many medicinal benefits.  The Mayans and other
Indian cultures used hot peppers for respiratory problems.  Peppers
are expectorants--they aid congestion and digestion by causing more
throat secretions.  Hot peppers have also been found to aid in
dissolving blood clots.  Most importantly, they are a better source of
Vitamin C and A than most other fruits and vegetables.  In fact the
Hungarian scientist who won a Nobel Prize for discovering Vitamin C
relied on paprika peppers as a source for large amounts of the
substance.
 
There are some scientists who feel that peppers my cause some damage
to the stomach and taste buds, but they are in the minority.
Gastroenterologists in India report inflammation using pure capsicin,
the heat-producing chemical substance in peppers.  Studies by Paul
Rozin have shown that people used to eating lots of peppers lose some
ability to detect the heat after awhile.  That is, in laboratory
testing, hot-pepper lovers culdn't detect any heat at all when given
chile extract in extremely low concentrations, while regular subjects
could.  You can conclude from this that a tolerance to chiles is
acquired.  But to say that some damage is caused, some tastebud
burnout has occurred, is a more suspect conclusion.  It is the pain
receptors in the mouth that detect chiles, not the taste buds.
Capsaicin, the chemical causing the burn, is completely tasteless.
 
The overwhelming body of opinion indicates that the pain of peppers is
intense but causes no real damage.  That's why blistering or reddening
is not associated with pepper pain.  People with ulcers should avoid
peppers because of the effect peppers have on gastric secretions.
Peppers cause more digestive juices to flow, but it is the stomach
liquid, not the pepper itself, that will aggravate the ulcer.  Of
course, from a pure pain point-of-view, eating chile peppers when you
have an ulcer is not a good idea anyway.  But otherwise, don't worry
about hurting yourself eating chile peppers.
 
The chemical capsicin is fooling your nerves into believing that they
are burning in hell, when in fact nothing is wrong with them at all.
And your dumb body rushes all those painkillers to those special
receptors in the brain.  That's a pretty good practical joke, huh?
Pass the hot sauce.

    Endorphines are these little things inside your body that say "you've
    done something that really hurts and now I'm going to medicate you".
    
    						- Robin Williams
    

    Neat article, Dave.  I've been hooked on hot foods for several years
    now - a side effect addiction of my first tenure in Software
    Engineering in MRO...But I think the article is a little biased.  Chile
    peppers, and spicey food in general can aggravate marginal physical
    conditions, like ulcers.  The 'gastric juices' that they stimulate in
    the stomache are, basically, hydrochloric acid at a pretty high
    concentration - the last thing an ulcer needs.  The expectorant nature
    can also trigger severe hiccups, and stimulate more serious esophogeal
    spasms which restict breathing and place a strain on the heart.  Older
    men frequently suffer from such spasms naturally, and hot food
    irritates it.  But I still eat 'em whenever I can. ;-)
    
    BTW, what's another, more benign source of these endorphines?  Hugs.
    
    tim

    I've outgrown the super-hot stuff. I much prefer mildly hot with lots o
    flavor. My favorite is green chile mexican style. Hot, but more green
    chile and cyanne taste than fire...if ya get my drift.
                     ^^^^^      ^^^^
    
                                    rfb

    This is a pretty hot topic!

    getting peppered with spicy replies too!
    
    					da ve

    I can eat the real hot stuff, but I prefer a mixture of medium hot with
    other unusual spices.
    
    One hot spice people tend to forget about is ginger.  I have some
    ginger candies that I bought at the Thai store in Lowell.  They're
    called Ting Ting Jahe Ginger Candy, made in Indonesia. They're really
    yummy and quite spicy but not too sweet.
    
    Just planted about 18 hot pepper plants this weekend, it's a mixture so
    I'm not sure what I'll get.
    
    Scott
    

>>   <<< Note 262.7 by JUNCO::DWEST "Dont Overlook Something Extraordinary" >>>
>>                          -< i didn't start it!  :^) >-
>>
>>    getting peppered with spicy replies too!
>>    
>>    					da ve

    
    Don't sweat it, da ve.  I admire how Scott gingerly added the last
    reply.
    
    dave
    

I like spicey food to some extent, although it does tend to disrupt my
disgestive system and/or give me heartburn.  ...

    I had hot-n-sour soup with my shrimpfried rice at lunch today. HOT!
    enough for the kid!!!
                         rfb
    

Yeah, I admit it, I'm a Thai-chili-pepper-sauce junkie!

I get my stuff at the Thai market Scott mentioned, the South-East Asian in
Lowell.

I'm very fond of putting it in my ramen noodles, with a splash of soy sause 
and rice wine vinegar, and a few broccolli florets.  (You get yer veggies
and starch in just ONE pot, and if you eat it out of the pot you don't even
have any bowls to wash!)

Some scallions and/or lime juice, and/or GREEN THAI CHILI PASTE!!! and this 
mixture really begins to approximate the taste of Thai hot-and-sour soup.

I also put about a teaspoon of the chili sauce (also with some soy sauce, or
Joyce Chen "Szechuan Sauce" better yet) on pork chops, then broil the chops
in the toaster oven for about 25 minutes.  Yummy!

I have definitely been using more and more of the chili sauce (and chili 
paste).

Josh

    Sounds like a good time to talk about Buffalo wings.
    
    Jeremiah's in Rochester has the best I've ever had.  Get the
    "Catatonic" strength.  Stand back from the "Wise Guys".
    
    Pat

    enchilada pot pie w/ lot's of green chilis and jalapenos last nite,
    with a couple of Someday Stouts. 
                                     burp_rfb

    Sigh.... If I could only find a recipe for that black-bean soup we used
    to get in Marblehead at La Bamba's (long since closed).  I took Mom and
    Dad there once when they were visiting and had to finish their bowl's
    for them. ;-)  I've tried a few different recipe's, but never really
    came close.  
    Are there any good Mexican resturant's in the Nashua area?  I've 
    been spoiled by being introduced to Mex food at some of the better
    places.
                                            Later,
                                            PeterT
     

    *Good* Mexican restaurants in Nashua?  Not really ... unless you add
    Manchester and Concord.  There's a good one in Manchester near the city
    hall - what was the name?  First went there before the Dylan show in
    '89.  In Concord, Hermano's on Pleasant Street extension.  One of those
    little hole-in-the-wall places in the basement, but very good.
    
    Shorty's is ok - there's one on 101 in Bedford and one in Litchfield.
    They make a "margarita from hell", it's red and I think it's made with
    cinnamon schnapps instead of triple sec.
    
    Anyone know if the Vietnamese place in downtown Nashua is open yet?
    
    Scott
    

>          <<< Note 262.16 by HANOI::ABBOT "J. R. "Bob" Dobbs in 92" >>>
>
>    Anyone know if the Vietnamese place in downtown Nashua is open yet?

Ex-squeeze me!?!

I haven't heard about this yet!!!  Where is it going to be?  Are they
opening it up in that doomed location that used to be Tengu, and before
that used to be Little Tokyo???

Dave (psyched for local vietnamese food!!!)

    Just checked today - keeping with the former names, there's now a sign
    saying "Little Saigin - coming soon".  Looks like they're nearly ready
    to open.
    
    I think it should be christened with a Northern Lunch.
    
    Isn't Saigon now Ho Chi Minh City?
    
    Scott
    

    > I think it should be christened with a Northern Lunch.
    
    Sounds good.  It would be the first one I caught BEFORE the 
    date!
    
    > Isn't Saigon now Ho Chi Minh City?
    
    I believe so, but "Little Ho Chi Minh City" doesn't have quite
    the same ring to it ;-)  Speculating big time here, but perhaps
    the Vietnamese immigrants are quite thrilled with the new 
    name.  Kind of a St. Petersburg -> Leningrad -> St. Petersburg
    thing??  (Hmmm, that might make a catch Dead segue ;-)
    
                                               PeterT
    

    had green chile enchiladas, with a nortino (large green pepper stuffed
    with sauced meat, covered with cheese) beans, rice, taco, tostada
    and 5 cold tecates with a heavily salted glass last nite....nice and spicy
    
                                                            rfb

    
    Thanks for the recommendation on Hermanos in Concord, Scott!!!!
    
    Had lunch there Saturday.......mmmmmm!!!!
    
    Hogan

	Okay, I'll admit it.  I like REALLY! HOT! food.

	The hottest food I've been able to find in the Nashua area is a place
called Bangcock Oriental in the Harris Pond Plaza in Merrimack.  I understand
that they're now under new management.  I had the old owner convinced that I
really could take hot food, and they'd make it extra hot for me.  I've eaten
there once since the switch, and the food was still very good (they have things
that aren't hot, as well), but not quite as hot.  I have hopes that I can
convince them to liven things up a bit, over time.

	For Mexican, I really like Shorty's.  I haven't tried either of the
other places Scott thinks are better, though.  The food at Shorty's isn't that
spicy (if at all) when served.  You need to jazz it up a bit.  They have
several sauces that you can get, if you know to ask for them.  There's there
regular salsa, that they normally bring out with the chips.  While this has
a reasonable flavour, it isn't at all hot.  They have a hot salsa that is a
bit hotter (still pretty tame), and has a nicer flavour, as well.  Then, they
have three sauces in bottles.  There's one called Melinda's XXXtra Hot Sauce.
This is my favourite, though it isn't the hottest, since it has a very nice
flavour.  Then they have two Habanero sauces, a red one, which has tomatoes
added, and is probably the weakest of the three, and a bright green one,
which is the hottest.  I have, on occasion, used half a bottle of the Melinda's
or the green stuff with a meal.

	Anyone know of a source for fresh (not dried) Thai style chilis?  I'm
talking about the ones that are about an inch to an inch-and-a-half long, and
somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4 inch in diametre, bright red, and really hot.
I had some years ago, but they're long gone.  There's a great sauce you can
make with them by taking four or five, and slicing them up, and then grinding
in a mortar with salt, and mixing that with a bit of lemon juice, and some
tamari.  Goes great on rice!

Mark

    re .21
    
    yep, that's green chile Marv! I like mine with just a little tomatoe.
    rfb (who had grilled cheese flying saucer sandwiches this weekend 
    at 10,000 ft. smoothered with
    green chiile that had been frozen for 3 months, made with fresh ham I
    smoked for Thanksgiving last year as the meat ingrediant) 

    I am not sure what a scoville is but here is a rating chart --
    
    
    
                                                 Pepper
    Approx Scoville Units       ---------------- Variety ---------------
    
            100,000 - 300,000         Habanero     Bahamian,     Scotch Bonnet
             50,000 - 100,000         Santaka,     Chiltecpin,   Tai
             30,000 - 50,000          Piquin,      Cayenne,      Tabasco
             15,000 - 30,000          DeArbol
              5,000 - 15,000          Yellow Wax,  Serrano
              2,500 - 5,000           Jalapeno,    Mirasol
              1,500 - 2,500           Sandia,      Casabel,      Rocotillo
              1,000 - 1,500           Ancho,       Pasilla
                500 - 1,000           Big Jim,     Anaheim,      NM-6
                100 - 500             R-Naky,      El Paso,      Cherry
                   Zero               Bells,       Pimiento,     Sweet Banana
    
    

    My friend Amy grows these Portuguese peppers that blow away any pepper
    I know of as far as heat goes. You cannot even touch them without your 
    hands burning quite painfully for the better part of an hour. She has
    to wear gloves to cut them up for chile. I don't even see them on the 
    list. Go figure.

...and you say, she EATS those things?

(to quote an old joke)

Does she kiss her mother with that mouth?


tim

> ...and you say, she EATS those things?

Sure beats using 'em as a suppository...

:-}

blech!

(sick-o)Dave

I've yet to be brave enough to use 'em in anything, tho'...

When you go to a vanilla supermarket (tm), they usually have 2 kinds of hot
peppers, jalepeno, and these other kind, which they just call "long hot peppers".
They're about 4 inches long, pretty thin, and sorta shaped like a cone in the
fetal position...   Does anyone know (hmmmm, should I be askin' MR. U?) what
kind of peppers these are.  They're not, like, death-killer hot, or anything,
but they add a nice little bite to the jarred picante sauce I buy.  Actually,
the thin end isn't hot at all, but the wider end (where all the seeds are) is
decent.  The seeds start around 1/2 way up...

Dave

I believe the "long hot peppers" you're referring to are Anaheims (probably
known under other names as well).  There are variants of these called
New Mexican that are considerably hotter (almost but not quite as hot as
the jalapeno peppers).  Anyways, Anaheims are the ones most often used
for things like chile rellenos.  For anyone interested in chile peppers,
I highly recommend Marc Miller's book on the subject, "Chiles". This is a tall,
narrow book with good descriptions and color photographs of all sorts of
chile peppers, both fresh and dried.  It also has recommended uses and a number
of useful recipes (beware the habanero salsa!  It's a killer!!!)  Marc is
owner of the "Coyote Cafe" in Santa Fe, New Mexico -- a definite "must visit"
if you're ever in Santa Fe!  There's a general store underneath the Cafe where
they sell all sorts of good stuff, including dried and fresh chiles.  I hear
that he's recently opened a new restaurant in Washington, DC, as well. 
Finally, if you're at least a semi-skilled cook, I highly recommend his
cookbook "The Coyote Cafe Cookbook" -- grilled shrimp on cornmeal pancakes
with habanero salsa, YUM!

    getting back to the topic of buffalo wings (since i'm still majorly
    behind in my note reading and just saw this note)
    
    the only time i've ever been decently satisfied from wings i've ordered
    in a restaurant was the sunday in buffalo after the show, although i
    don't remember the name of the place now; however, even though i asked
    for a bucket of the absolute hottest wings they could make, i still
    think they could have been a little hotter
    
    personally i like making my own wings; my sauce consists of Red-Hot
    cayenne pepper sause, tobasco sause, black pepper, white pepper, red
    pepper, hot oil, vinegar, garlic powder, and oregano; i'm eager to
    start experimenting with some new and different peppers, though; two
    things that make a big difference for me: 1) make lots of sauce (yes,
    i really can spell the word); it's much better to have too much than
    too little; i can't stand it when i order wings and there's not
    enough sauce on the bottom of the bowl to dip the wings in; 2) cook
    the wings until they're a little bit crispy; the vast majority of
    wings i've tried at restaurants are way undercooked
    
    just my $0.02
    
    - rich
    
    p.s. oh yeah, how could i forget, i also use chili powder
    

 Sounds good Rich, but do you put anything *hot* in the recipe :-)





 Jum