After a mostly “cleaning” January, that saw
me purge a couple sauces that had hung around just a bit too long, I finally
got back in the swing of new sauces. I had to go back and check to confirm my
suspicions but not since 2014 happened, which is that the first sauce I
reviewed was a SOTY candidate. I’m extraordinarily pleased that it happened
this year. I’m also down to 3 unopened sauces on the shelf, so another run will
be coming in the very near future. Also, due to yet another change to things,
I’m home a lot more now, so hopefully, after an improvement last year over the
preceding year, I’ll be able to see more posting activity this year, which
means more sauces to try.
I’m right around the corner from adding a new
criteria to the sauces I’m going to consider eligible for review and by that,
I’m very close adding another disqualifying ingredient. As it is, if I see
either onions or capsaicin extract, of any kind, it automatically DQ-es the
sauce instantly. I am right on the borderline of also adding apple cider
vinegar to those other two, as I’m trying –and failing – to think of a sauce
where I’ve ever liked it. I’m not there yet, but I think it’s coming, probably
soon. When that happens, I’m going to add a blog post about it, I suspect.
I’ve also tried a couple new “spicy” foods at
national chain restaurants, specifically the “Nashville Hot” fish at Arby’s
(ok, but nothing special, like most of the other “Nashville Hot” stuff I’ve
tried) and the Ghost Chili batter at Popeye’s, which is excellent and something
I wish they’d put on everything. A Korean place called CupBop also has a spicy
pork bowl, which, at 10, can get ratcheted up decently, though at that level,
the taste also leaves a great deal to be desired.
Sauce updates, to this point, have been kind
of low. I think I’m up to a whopping 3 total, which is probably the worst start
to any year since this blog has been active. This is mostly due to a constant
plague of illnesses this year, which has been of the worst I can remember. It
seems that one or another of the 3 of us has been consistently sick, though I
think, with spring finally on the way, this should abate.
Wife has also resumed
another weird diet, so it is sort of undercutting opportunity. I need to kick
my own ass and get back into better shape as well, which may cut down what few
are there further.
Back down again to 2 local storefronts, with
the sad closing of the beloved Burn Your Tongue. This probably means I will
need to resume ordering online, which is both a blessing and a curse. I’m down
right now to 5 or 6 sauces unopened, total, so that order will be coming
probably sooner rather than later, once the cold/flu season stops and I can
both have normal taste and capsaicin tolerance restored, both of which go right
out the window when sick…
