2K20 Q1 Update

2K20 Q1 Update

I’ve decided, at least for now, to go back to quarterly updates here. It is an interesting challenge, to keep up with the pace I’ve set for myself with the FOH series. The response to COVID-19 is going to impact the FOH series somewhat, without some major reversion. I have enough in the pipeline to go through the end of April, but filming further episodes may be somewhat challenging in the near future. It has been doing a great job of driving content for the blog, so it’s working out well, to this point. It’s also a great load of fun and I’m hopeful that everyone has checked it out and enjoyed it. It both allows me to branch out a bit, as well as to keep this blog consistent, at least in terms of content and tone...aside from one small difference, that being that I have also decided to open things up a bit and accept product, on a limited basis, for review. For now, that is mostly Roger Damptz, of Burn Your Tongue, up in Ogden, Utah, who has provided some products he wanted to see reviewed here and on FOH, but if manufacturers of hot sauce and/or spicy snacks (or restaurants either offering or considering spicy menu entries) out there happen to be reading this want to get in on it, please feel free to contact me.

The biggest posting year that the blog has ever had was 2013, with 52 entries. I’m not sure I’ll ever be enjoying that rarified air again, as I tend to finish through sauces before opening a whole bunch more (hence the inconsistency of posting schedule here), but between this and the FOH series, there should be a lot more content available from me...at least for this year. I don’t know how long I will be able to maintain the posting schedule at FOH, as I’m bound to run out of snacks and so on at some point, though right now, the non-sauce videos are greatly outpacing the sauce videos, at least in terms of planning and scheduling, but sauces should be good to go for (hopefully) at least all of 2020, regardless of COVID-19, assuming I don't wind up getting taken out by it, which is, of course, a very real possibility for all of us.

One of my goals, in addition to getting everything on my Standards AND the previous SOTY winners (as  many as I can find, anyway)  to have video support, is to start checking though the sauces (barring any that have prohibited ingredients, naturally) featured on The Hot Ones video show. I have posted a full list of The Hot Ones sauces throughout all 11 seasons and linked to the ones I’ve done. I also will be doing a quarterly round-up/fridge door sauce clean-up in the style of The Hot Ones, with the first episode coming out tomorrow, April 01, 2020 (no joke!).

Skip this paragraph and the next  if you don’t share my love of statistics, but out of a total of 66 sauces on the show, I have done 7 in full reviews and 7 in mini-reviews. There are 4 sauces that are discontinued entirely. I have rejected 33 due to having onions, which leaves about 15 or so to do, assuming I don’t go back and expand the mini-reviews for the ones I've done there (unlikely).

All sauces that I have done that also appear on the show will have their reviews referencing that factoid, as well as in which season they appeared. There are zero seasons I currently will be able to do to 100%, so my goal now is really just to do as many as I can that I’ve missed, which I may possibly be able to do this year, as there are a lot of duplicates. As long as the show runs, I will keep tabs and update.

I also wanted to mention that due to a counting error, the totals were wrong at the end of the year for 2019 and maybe beyond. By my reckoning, I’m at 203 sauces overall already, with the 200th overall review (including the mini-reviews) being the Bear River Buffalo. I’m still a bit off with 200 full reviews and that total includes, as mentioned, the mini-reviews, but I’m going to wax philosophic for a moment...I always expected, when I started this blog and was doing it, that I would eventually hit that number, but for the early part of last year and even in 2018, it seemed very, very far away and as mentioned, I was considering running out what I had and then letting the blog drift more towards hiatus. Without Roger both bringing back BYT and clearing up a significant sourcing issue for me AND giving me the support, it is certainly possible it may not have happened at all, so, again, my deepest and mightiest heartfelt thanks that Roger is in my corner. 

Right now, BYT, as it is situated in a closed mall, is, for all intents and purposes, mostly shuttered at the moment, but I look forward to the day I can triumphantly return to browse those shelves. I'm also hopeful he will move forward with an online shop. The Burn Your Tongue Facebook page seems to be the best place to get updated news from him, which would include stuff like I mentioned, so I will include that here: https://www.facebook.com/BurnYourTongue/. I know he definitely could use your support and definitely deserves it.

Take care, everyone, and thanks for dropping by.