1 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to food Stuff. I'm Any and I'm 2 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:16,439 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum. And all of your intro lines are so good, 3 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: and then I always wind up being the one who's 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: who's tasked with delivering them. Yeah, because you're so good 5 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: at delivering intro line. Oh well, thank you. This is 6 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: food Stuff's hottest episode to date. Yeah, is because we're 7 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: talking about saracha saracha. Can you remember the first time 8 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: you had saracha? Oh? Oh goodness? Can I know? I cannot. 9 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: I think the first time that I realized that it 10 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,639 Speaker 1: was becoming very common was maybe about oh, I want 11 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: to say six years ago, right around then. Yeah. Maybe wait, 12 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: maybe it's been a while a while, maybe it was 13 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: more like ten. Maybe I have no idea, you have 14 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: no clue what dates are made of eat. Yeah. But 15 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: but when I started seeing it in like in like pubs, 16 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: oh yeah, like otherwise American or English style pubs, I 17 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: was just like, oh, this is this is here now? Yeah, 18 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: big time? How about you. I think I tried it. 19 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: I tried it pretty recently. Um, and I remember I 20 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: think it was our very own Tracy V. Wilson, who 21 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: she was talking about how most of her food she 22 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 1: saw as like a conveyance to get sarasha to her 23 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: mouth or something, and I was like, well, I gotta 24 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: try this, and I very overly, ambitiously. Um, I just 25 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: put way too much. It was good, but it's it's 26 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: spicy not spicy. Yeah, yeah, and I like tears were 27 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: coming out, knows was running, and I remember being sad 28 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: this was my first experience, but knowing it was good 29 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: and I should return right again. It was my first 30 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: sushi with Saby experience. Oh yeah, but not another story, 31 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: another episode, yes, say episode. Yeah, so saracha, what is 32 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: it for me? Always spicier than I think every single time, 33 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: but I do. Yeah, I love this stuff. It's called 34 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: rooster sauce pretty commonly because of the rooster logo based 35 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: on Hoifang's brand Saracha based on inventors, the inventors zodiac sign. Yeah, 36 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: I thought it was an interesting fact um or. It's 37 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: also sometimes called hipster catchup. Yeah. It's a condiment or 38 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: a sauce made up of red pepper, vinegar, garlic, sugar, 39 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: and salts plus maybe a couple of extra preservatives to 40 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: prevent microbial growth and to keep it bright red. Right, 41 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: And it is spicy about one thousand to two units 42 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: on the Scoville scale, tangy a little sweet. The Scoville 43 00:02:58,160 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: scale if you haven't heard of it or if you 44 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: are not sure how it works. Ranks, how like spicy 45 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: hot things are based on the sensitivity of human taste buds. 46 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: If you take a spicy thing and dilute it with water, 47 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: eventually you will get to the point where the human 48 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: tongue cannot detect the heat anymore. UH. Sparratch's ranking of 49 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: one thousand to two five hundreds Goville heat units means 50 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: that you would have to dilute it by that many 51 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: times in order to make the heat undetectable. So like, 52 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: if you have an ounce of saracha, you'd have to 53 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: add anywhere from one thousand to two ounces of water 54 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: before you wouldn't be able to feel the heat at 55 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: all anymore. That's quite a lot of water. I know. 56 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: Also fun facts about the Scoville scale. UH. This is 57 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: determined these days through much more precise, high performance liquid 58 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 1: chromatography instead of like physical taste testers as it was 59 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: back in the nineteen teens when it was invented. I 60 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: do not envy those people. I like spice a lot, 61 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: but hoof. Yeah. Also the scale does have a bottom. 62 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: I think think of something like Bell Peppers pimento perhaps, 63 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: but it does not have a top. Carolina Reapers are 64 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 1: among the world's hottest known peppers and have been ranked 65 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: it over two million s h U s oh Man. 66 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: I think there's a video of Joe McCormick, one of 67 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: our coworkers, trying at Carolina Reapers, straight up eating it 68 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 1: and it kind of went all wrong and you feel 69 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: bad for him, but it's also funny. Well, it went 70 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: wrong in the sense that it's incredibly spicy. You can 71 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: tell just by watching said it felt like I think 72 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: getting stung by thousands of bees. Oh yeah, oh now 73 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: I remember that video. Yeah, but it is um mother 74 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: in law was trying to be helpful and it was like, 75 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 1: I'll get you some milk, and she gave him some 76 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: milk and he took a sip and it was expired, 77 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: like really expired, really bad expired. And then we tried 78 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: that ship. Yeah over on the Facebook live show Snack 79 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: Stuff that Ben Ball and I and I do, our 80 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: producer Ramsey had gotten as one of these Grim Reaper 81 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: uh Carolina it's a single chip. It comes at a 82 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: single uh package and we had we shared like a 83 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: fraction of it, and then after the show was over, 84 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,799 Speaker 1: any eight a fraction of it too, And I responded 85 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: much more strongly than she did. It was quite spicy. 86 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: It was quite spicy. I don't know, you're you're very 87 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: Your poker face is great, I learned from Lady Gaga. 88 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: The biggest brand of Sarata sauce is the aforementioned Hoifunk 89 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: Foods in the United States, and that's the classic bottle 90 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: you see with the green with the green cap and 91 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: the green rooster logo. Yes. Yeah, it's owned by David 92 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: Tran of Vietnamese immigrant The name Sarata itself comes from 93 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: hot sauces from sirasha A town and Thailand, and those 94 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 1: chilies are key um, not just for obvious reasons, but 95 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: also because they are made. Sarata is made with fresh chilies, 96 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: not dry chilies um. And this has presented some obstacles. 97 00:05:57,320 --> 00:06:00,599 Speaker 1: According to Tran quote, we can only oh, it's quickly 98 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: as our our ability to harvest chilies grows. In sixteen 99 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: that came out to onion pounds around forty five million 100 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: kilos of fresh chilies. That has to last an entire year, 101 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: which well, due to our love of this stuff is 102 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: not necessarily a given. And I will touch on this later, 103 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 1: but that's one of the reasons why, Um, you don't 104 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: see ads for saracha. They're like, well, we we basically 105 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: sell everything that we make already, so yeah, we're doing 106 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 1: what we can. Um, let's look at some numbers. If 107 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 1: we take hot sauce as a whole, the industry is 108 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: in the top ten of America's fastest growing and globally, 109 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: sales exceed one billion dollars. What yeah Haifunk Foodsota sold 110 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: twenty million bottles in sixteen, coming out to around sixty 111 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: million dollars. In Los Angeles hosted the first La Saracha Festival. 112 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,239 Speaker 1: I hear tell there's a whole saracha menu at Taco 113 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: bell Um, but it is or was, I'm not sure 114 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: if it's still around, made in house, not the White 115 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: Funk brand. If any of you listeners know about that 116 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,440 Speaker 1: right there and let us know. Um. One of the 117 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: reasons it's so popular is because it is so versatile. 118 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: It's good straight but also good for mixing with other 119 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: sauces or condiments like mayo. You can add it to 120 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: soups like fun use it as a marinade in cocktails. 121 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: It was bona Patites ingredient of the year in I 122 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: had a Satcha milkshake one time. Yeah, I can't say 123 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 1: that I enjoyed the experience of it. Was it with 124 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: like ice cream? Yeah? Like peanuts, like peanut sauce. This 125 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: is blowing my mind. Yeah, is this local, local place? Yeah? 126 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: It was at Pelucaville. Oh, yes, they have many an 127 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: interesting milkshake over there. Yeah, this one might have been 128 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: too interesting, too too much for howe Root shows that 129 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: Saracha can be used in many, many ways and it 130 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: has been absolutely Yes. A lot of copycats are trying 131 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,559 Speaker 1: to get in on this game, and the lawyer behind 132 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: Saracha's creator reports this means an annual four to five 133 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: infringement complaints. Like people, I've seen pictures. The bottle is 134 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: very similar designed right, because they they don't actually have 135 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: it copyrighted that anyone can make a sauce call it Saracha. Sure, 136 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: but you the logo look precisely is what is getting 137 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: these copycats in trouble and Tran. The guy behind Saracha 138 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: is a very interesting fellow despite being at the helm 139 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: of an extremely lucrative brand, the success of which has 140 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: led to a cult like following merchandise and a documentary. 141 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: He isn't interested in being filthy rich, or that's not 142 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: his main goal anyway. He claims to never have raised 143 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 1: throughout his wholesale price, never mind inflation. He says he's 144 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: not entirely sure who the distributors are, just that he 145 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: has been using the same ten for over ten years, 146 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: and that he's only certain that it's sold in the 147 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: U S, Canada, and Europe, but he speculates it's sold 148 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: in other places. He doesn't know for sure. Um I 149 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: would speculate that too, though, I think that's probably a 150 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: very good guess. Yes, Sir Racha has never been officially advertised. 151 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: Like I mentioned, he's refuted several offers to buy the 152 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: company and intends to keep it in the family. His 153 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: son and daughter are the president and vice president, respectively, 154 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: and he once said, rather than being a billionaire, he 155 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: simply wanted to make enough fresh chili sauce so that 156 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: everyone who wants Hoifunk can have it. Nothing more. Yeah, 157 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: that is not your typical CEO. I think. He also 158 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: said he's going to keep making it until no one 159 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 1: wants it anymore, and then they'll stop. I think that's 160 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,679 Speaker 1: a long way off based on some of yeah, the 161 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: coming details. Yes, I would say probably gonna be making 162 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:07,000 Speaker 1: it for a lot longer. So let's let's look at 163 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: some of those details that led to saracha becoming this 164 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 1: huge behemoth of a condiment. Right, but first let's take 165 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: a quick break for a word from our sponsor, and 166 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you. The history 167 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,200 Speaker 1: of saracha goes all the way back to nine thousand BC, 168 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: when someone was looking to add a kick to their omelet. 169 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 1: No just kidding. It actually all started with Thomas Jefferson 170 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: in France what faku um. The consensus is that the 171 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: first person to make saracho was a Thai woman named 172 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: Tanam chucka puck over eighty years previous. At first, she 173 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: made the stuff mostly for her friends and family, but 174 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:04,760 Speaker 1: eventually she made it available for purchase under the name Siraja. 175 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: This version is a bit thinner and tanger than what 176 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: most of us are probably used to. You can still 177 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 1: find it in some specialty stores and I believe on 178 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 1: Amazon Prime if you are interested. If we look at 179 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: David Tran and Hoifang Foods throughout just specifically. Tran had 180 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,240 Speaker 1: been working with chili in Vietnam since nineteen seventy five. 181 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: His first hot sauce, pepper sat became came in baby 182 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: food jars and he mostly reserved them also for his 183 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: family members, and I think he'd like hand delivered them 184 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: on a bike. Um Yeah. In nineteen seventy nine, escaping 185 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,319 Speaker 1: from increasing persecution of Chinese people by the new Communist 186 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,199 Speaker 1: government in Vietnam, he took a freighter by the name 187 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: of Haifang to the United States, and later the name 188 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: of the freighter would be the inspiration for the name 189 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:59,080 Speaker 1: of his company, H Yeah. Ran arrived to the US 190 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 1: as a refuge. He found the American hot saucing lacking, 191 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: so he set out to come up with his own recipe. 192 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: He set up shop in Chinatown at near A, Los 193 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: Angeles in a five thousand square foot building. In along 194 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,199 Speaker 1: with this pepper sautet sauce, he started selling a chili 195 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 1: garlic sauce, some bolo leak, and of course sacha. Various 196 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 1: kinds assemble are my other favorite thing on the planet. 197 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: I add them to all the stuff I'm not entirely 198 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:31,280 Speaker 1: sure what those are. To be honest, I saw him 199 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,199 Speaker 1: on the website and I'm very interested to try them. 200 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 1: I've got like three different kinds in my house right now. 201 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 1: I'll okay, we'll work this out. Yes, awesome. It's like 202 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,320 Speaker 1: a thicker, chunky or kind of chili sauce, kind of 203 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: like maybe sausa meats chili sauce, like salsa meets sacha. Yeah, yep, 204 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: I'm on board. At first, transceled his creations out of 205 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: the back of a van, a blue Chevy van, according 206 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: to the hard Phone website, yep, he delivered directly to 207 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 1: Asian restaurants. As sales and profits increased at an unforeseen rate. 208 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: Over seven years, Chand moved to a much larger sixty 209 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: eight thousand square foot facility and Rosemead, California started developing 210 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:23,080 Speaker 1: his own custom equipment and the company was born. Yes, 211 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 1: by sixty square feet was not enough to satisfy Sarata demand, 212 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: and Hoifang moved two doors down to the old Wammo building, 213 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: upgrading to seventy thousand square feet. If you don't know 214 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,079 Speaker 1: what Wammo was, it was a place that sold Frisbee 215 00:13:40,080 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: slipping sides hula hoops from what is it from Wammo? 216 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 1: I don't know. There was this like parky lady voice 217 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: or child voice that was always at the end of 218 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:53,920 Speaker 1: the commercials man, I was so good at hula hooping 219 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: and this. I had forgotten about slipping sides until we 220 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: did this, And now I'm like nostal check for that side. 221 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: Time of my life, I always injured myself. I don't know. 222 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: They weren't painful, like there's no cushioning, right, you launch 223 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: yourself and you're just pretty much bailly flopping onto hard soil. 224 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: But still I missed them. Nonetheless, Nostalgi is funny that way. 225 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,080 Speaker 1: Um Trans said of this and the in the documentary 226 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: about Saracha. Before that building was filled full with hula hoops, 227 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: now filled with chili I love. But even that wasn't enough. 228 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 1: Trans relocated operations to a six fifty thousand square foot 229 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: facility in Irwin Dale, California, in two thousand ten, so 230 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,520 Speaker 1: it wasn't up and running until a few years later. 231 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: The facility could produce three thousand bottles of saracha per hour. Yeah, 232 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: and this brings up the Great Saracha Panic of twent thirteen. Oh, 233 00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: it was very serious. I actually do remember this one. 234 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, um, it seems and not. Everyone in Irwin 235 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:09,200 Speaker 1: Dale was thrilled with the new Saracha factory and specifically 236 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: the smell. A Los Angeles Superior Court ordered the factory 237 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: to shut down, to which Tran hung up a sign 238 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: that read, in all caps, no tear gas made here. Yeah. 239 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 1: Saracha had to pause operations. Hence, Panic ten Cities contacted Trand, 240 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: offering to host the factory. However, moving would not be 241 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: so easy. All of the fresh chilies and chili farmers 242 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,560 Speaker 1: were in California and he didn't want to have to 243 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: lose all of his employees. The solution came in the 244 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: form of an upgraded filter for the ventilation system, and 245 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: the lawsuit was dropped. In that same year, Trand open 246 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: the doors to his factory to the public for the 247 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,760 Speaker 1: first time, in his words, to prove they don't make 248 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: tear gas inside. It sounds like a very Willy Wonka 249 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: esque tour too. I really want to go. Yeah. Apparently 250 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: there's there's weird like memorabilia rooms. They have fire hydrants 251 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: that are specially branded with the Siacha local Yeah. Um yeah. 252 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: In Atlanta. I remember this happening because one of my 253 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: favorite local food trucks, Yumbi, they have a Caso Saracha 254 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: sauce and as you can guess, it's very popular. Um 255 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: And when the saracha panic happened, the customer fan base 256 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:29,680 Speaker 1: freaked out that their sauce habits would be impact and 257 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: Umby brought out all the saracha they could find to 258 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: to make sure that they would not run out. People 259 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: are very serious about this. They are well in there. Yes, 260 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: their case of saracha is really tasty, so I understand 261 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 1: it is. It is as offungs Sacha finally started being 262 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: distributed in his home country of Vietnam, Oh, where it 263 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: is popular, although apparently not not not a complete hit yet. 264 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: Is there's a lot of hot sauces on the market 265 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: over there, and so you know, so it's kind of 266 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: it's a tie style thing in a viet in Vietnam 267 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,959 Speaker 1: and all kind of working it out. But for some 268 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: people over there, they're like, oh, no, this is the 269 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 1: best thing that's ever happened. More of this. Yes, it 270 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:18,920 Speaker 1: is quite delicious, and I love this story. It's um 271 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:24,880 Speaker 1: it's a good one. It's a good company. History story. Yeah. Yeah, um, 272 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,199 Speaker 1: but we do have some science for you up to 273 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,399 Speaker 1: and including what's up with that bad smell from the 274 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 1: saracha factory? Yeah, what's up with that? But first we 275 00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:37,920 Speaker 1: have one more quick break for a word from our sponsor, 276 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: and we're back. Thank you, sponsor, Yes, thank you. So, 277 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 1: as you have probably noticed, a few compounds in hot 278 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 1: peppers are irritants to mammalian mucus membranes. Yep. Oh, things 279 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:09,240 Speaker 1: are starting to fall into place now. Yes, your your 280 00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:12,239 Speaker 1: your eyeballs, your your mouth, your sinuses. There are a 281 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: couple of things in hot peppers that will irritate any 282 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: of them. This is also the science behind why people 283 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 1: get so excited about spicy foods. Really, oh, really, Kept says, 284 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: and it's great. Yeah and okay in the case of saracha, 285 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: sacha also does have salt and sugar, and those things 286 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,120 Speaker 1: also make people kind of excited some of the time, 287 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: as we have discussed before. But you know, those are 288 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,640 Speaker 1: essential parts of our diet, so our brains reward us 289 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: for seeking them out. Spicy hot stuff. Not not really, now, 290 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,119 Speaker 1: there are no essential nutrits, and Kept says, and that 291 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: I'm personally aware of. And it also, sugar and salt 292 00:18:54,640 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: do not to the same extent injure us. Yeah, not 293 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: that immediate burn anyway. But cap sasin does interact with 294 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,840 Speaker 1: our nerves and brains in a very interesting way. It 295 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,119 Speaker 1: is one of the active ingredients, so to speak, in 296 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: hot peppers, which probably evolved to make it in order 297 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: to protect their seeds from fungal or or other microbial infections. 298 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: Cap sasin and other similar particles sometimes called cap sasonoids, 299 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: are antimicrobial. They may also deter the kinds of animals 300 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 1: that eat their fruit without properly spreading their seeds, like birds, 301 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: for example, would just swallow the seeds and then spread 302 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 1: them far and wide, where mammals might chew up the 303 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:42,399 Speaker 1: fruit a little bit too much. It kind of masticate 304 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,679 Speaker 1: the seeds in the process. So they evolved this this 305 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: irritant to many mammals taste receptor nerves. Mm hmmm, all 306 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,360 Speaker 1: jokes on you, Yeah, because then humans got here. We're 307 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:59,480 Speaker 1: a little bit masochistic apparently, all right, we've we've talked 308 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: on the show, but for about how our taste buds 309 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,679 Speaker 1: and other taste receptor nerves work in our mouths and 310 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: our sinuses, not just on your tongue. They are in 311 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: other places mucous membranes. Yeah, all of those nerves are 312 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: set up to react to particular compounds. Some will send 313 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 1: a signal to your brain when they encounter sugar or 314 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: other sweet tasting molecules. Others react to salt or something 315 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 1: bitter or sour or savory or spicy. As the brain 316 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: collects those signals repeatedly and from enough individual nerves, we 317 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 1: experience whatever flavor those signals add up to. And the 318 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 1: particular nerve receptors that are activated by capsasin our proteins 319 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 1: called trp V one, and these happen to be the 320 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: same proteins that tell us when something is physically hot. 321 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: Temperatures above about one nine degrees fahrenheit that's forty three 322 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,440 Speaker 1: degrees celsius will trigger it. It's also the same nerve 323 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:57,119 Speaker 1: that tells us about electrical voltage. And when these nerves 324 00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: are activated and send signals to our brain, are brain 325 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,639 Speaker 1: interprets the signals as a something is very wrong and 326 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: it's causing damage. We're like, ha ha, Well we get 327 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,800 Speaker 1: that way for a couple of very particular and excellent reasons. 328 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:15,280 Speaker 1: Because because this this warning triggers a couple of reactions. First, 329 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: you experience pain, which is the body's way of telling 330 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: you that you know, like you've you've done stuck your 331 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,639 Speaker 1: hand in a fire. You should probably pull it out, probably, 332 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,240 Speaker 1: But your nervous system also gives you extra resources to 333 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: help you cope. It may trigger your fight or flight response, 334 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 1: so you're you're alert. You can react in order to 335 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: prevent more damage, like getting away from the fire or 336 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: or putting it out perhaps, and your nervous system will 337 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,840 Speaker 1: work to lessen the pain. It will release endorphins into 338 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,919 Speaker 1: your system to block the pain signals, and dopamine to 339 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,679 Speaker 1: calm you down and make you feel like you know 340 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,199 Speaker 1: everything's going to be all right. It's been compared to 341 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: the rush of euphoria that you get during a runner's high. 342 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: Just a serious thing. Yeah, So if you can bear 343 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: out that first pain part of spicy foods, that second 344 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: part can be pretty nice. There's even been research into 345 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: how cap sasan might be used to moderate chronic pain. 346 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, m hmm, I can't wait to do an 347 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: episode on to dive deeper into spicy foods. Oh yes, absolutely, 348 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: Oh maybe maybe we could get that gem McCormick back 349 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 1: I know he loves talking about that. He does. We 350 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:27,320 Speaker 1: have a lot of spicy food aficionados in the office, 351 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: we do. Oh and I can tell you, I can 352 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 1: tell you from firsthand experience about that runners high kind 353 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:37,159 Speaker 1: of kind of feeling, euphoria feeling were One time on 354 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: one of Jonathan's Jonathan Strickland's Facebook live shows, he held 355 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: a hot sauce eating contest and he had like, I 356 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 1: don't know, maybe like fifteen or twenty bottles lined up 357 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 1: in order of least to most spicy, with the most 358 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: including like Carolina Reaper and stuff like that. And uh, 359 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: I jumped in after the stuff that bothers my stomach, 360 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,119 Speaker 1: but in so right around the like the like Haban 361 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: arrow and on. And I guess so I must have 362 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: tasted ten or twelve hot sauces just in a row, 363 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 1: and not a lot of them, just like a couple 364 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: of drops. But like the thing ended, and my boss 365 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: came up to talk to me, and I was like, 366 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: I can't talk to you right now because I feel 367 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: so high. I was just like bracing myself on the 368 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 1: table and I was not okay. I was not okay 369 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:34,640 Speaker 1: for like maybe half an hour, and it wasn't. I mean, 370 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: I don't know, like like the physical It was really funny. 371 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 1: Dylan joined us for for that experience as well. He 372 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: was cool as a cucumber. Yaounce about right. Remind me 373 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,959 Speaker 1: to never play poker with the two of you because 374 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 1: because both of you, I've I've witnessed eat like the 375 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: spiciest stuff that I've ever put in my face, and 376 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:57,480 Speaker 1: you were both like, that's spicy. But on the inside 377 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:02,200 Speaker 1: we were screaming. I was screaming on the outside. Yeah, 378 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: but yeah, I'm so interested. I love spicy food, but 379 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: I have I've learned that I'm not well. I I 380 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 1: perhaps when I traveled the Asia, I learned that maybe 381 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:18,360 Speaker 1: I am not as strong as I like to think 382 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: I am. It's a different kind of spice, it is, 383 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,639 Speaker 1: it is, and they're different. One of the things that 384 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:24,880 Speaker 1: I found when I was researching this is that there 385 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,120 Speaker 1: are different types of spice will hit you a little 386 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: bit differently. Yeah, long versus shortened, Uh yeah, stuff like that. 387 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: So whole. Yeah, I'm really excited about looking more into that. Absolutely, 388 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: and you do build up a tolerance over time. Yes, 389 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: this is true future research, But for now it's time 390 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 1: for listen. Man, you did. I was not expecting that one. 391 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: Oh man, yeahs have been all that sauce. I was 392 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: chugging for a game in here. Kevin sent us a 393 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 1: blog post that he wrote at the end of one 394 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: of my favorite podcast food stuff. Oh thank you. Um. 395 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: They mentioned pets with food names and reiterated their request 396 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: for photos of those pets. Yes please. The first time 397 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,920 Speaker 1: this came up, nothing came to mind. However, this time 398 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,679 Speaker 1: it reminded me of a friend from college. I say college, 399 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,879 Speaker 1: but I had dropped out of s i UE at 400 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: this point and was attending a technical school. Had a boyfriend, Jeff, 401 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,199 Speaker 1: who attended Blackburn College and he had several pets with 402 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: food names. Jeff had a Gerbil named Chili Dog, an 403 00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 1: unusual name for a Gerbil. Later he mentioned his gerbil 404 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,080 Speaker 1: name Cheeseburger. I asked how many Gerbils he had, and 405 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: his reply was just the one. The first time I 406 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:51,240 Speaker 1: visited Jeff at Blackburn, he had a new Gerbil named Pepperoni. 407 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: Jeff had a very high turnover rate of Gerbils. As 408 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 1: a kid, I was unable to keep a Gerbil for 409 00:25:57,920 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: longer than a few months, perhaps a year for a die, 410 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,719 Speaker 1: but This was unusually high turnover for a college student. 411 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 1: I finally had to ask what happened to cheeseburger? Fife 412 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:14,119 Speaker 1: was the reply, m M. Jeff pointed to his aquarium, 413 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: which I had not realized did not contain fish in 414 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: it was a very large snake. The reason all of 415 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: his gerbils had food names was because they were all 416 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: food for Fiefee. Oh no. While walking down the hallway 417 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 1: of his dorm, Jeff was carrying FEEFI. Jeff turned to me, saying, 418 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,719 Speaker 1: hold this. Naturally, my reaction was to hold out my hands. 419 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: I did not think this through. I didn't and still 420 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: don't like snakes. Jeff places Fiefee in my outstretched hands 421 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 1: and stepped into the bathroom. The cacophony of voices in 422 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 1: my head had one very clear message, drop snake. I 423 00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:59,240 Speaker 1: may have been trimbling ever so slightly as I carefully 424 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:01,959 Speaker 1: placed Fifie all the floor and then closely watched us, 425 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: she slipped over to and under the baseboard heat register. 426 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: Oh yes, this is what I was thinking. I stood 427 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: there nervously waiting for Jeff's return and wondering how he'd 428 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: retrieve Fifi. When he asked for Fifi was I cleverly 429 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 1: said she wanted down, then pointed to where she was. 430 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:25,439 Speaker 1: He smiled and said she does that a lot. He 431 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: just felt around under the register and pulled out Fifi. 432 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: What a relief. I only dated Jeff for a few months, 433 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 1: and even though the memories of him are fading, the 434 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 1: day with Fifi will not be forgotten. Yeah. That stick 435 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: with me too. Oh goodness, you are you also not 436 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: a fan of snakes? Oh no, I love snakes, but 437 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,719 Speaker 1: I just feel like that's ah oh no, yeah, almost 438 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: losing someone's pet. Yeah, finding out all these devils with 439 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: food names or first said surprise snake. Yeah that's beautiful. Yeah, yeah, 440 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,840 Speaker 1: thanks for sending that, Kevin. Yes, Travis wrote, I have 441 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: in serving with the United States Peace Corps in a 442 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: rural village in Java, Indonesia for nearly two years. Let 443 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: me tell you, I am fairly certain my body is 444 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:11,440 Speaker 1: eight percent Tempe. At this point. In your Tempe podcast, 445 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: you mentioned how popular, widespread, and locally revered Tempe is, 446 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,399 Speaker 1: and you are absolutely right. Almost every village or region 447 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 1: has their own special type of Tofu Tahu or Tempe. 448 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: Some will have spices in them, others will not. Some 449 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 1: will be that white nougate color. Others will have a 450 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: fuzzy green layer of mold growing on it. In my village, 451 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,479 Speaker 1: we have three varieties. There are the mass produced sticks 452 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,920 Speaker 1: of tempe that sell for about three thousand rupia that's 453 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: twenty five cents, and two local temp as, one soybean 454 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 1: and the other peanut that are more like large square 455 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 1: patties that sell for five thousand rupia about thirty five cents. 456 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: I personally prefer the local soi tempe, but my partner 457 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: hates the moldy flavor. It's usually in such high demand 458 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: that we eat the mass produced tempe from Jakarta or 459 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 1: ben Doo. Meals in Indonesia are not uniquely separated like 460 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 1: they are in the West. Yes, they have a morning, 461 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: mid day and evening meal, but what they cook for 462 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,960 Speaker 1: breakfast is what they eat throughout the day. Since I 463 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 1: don't eat much rice, tempe and boiled vegetables is literally 464 00:29:11,080 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: what I eat three or four times a day every day, 465 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 1: and have done so for two years. I'm pleased to 466 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: say that it is so delicious that it remains my 467 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: favorite food. Here. Sliced raw tempe is first soaked in 468 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,760 Speaker 1: a mix of water salt, and chicken boullyon for about 469 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: five minutes before being fried to a crispy golden brown 470 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,120 Speaker 1: in a coconut palm oil mix. It is delicious when 471 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: it's fresh and crispy, but I usually stir fry it 472 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 1: with some sweet soy sauce and whatever chili sauce is 473 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,160 Speaker 1: lying about to give it some added flavor. Another local 474 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 1: delicacy is called some balgorenge tempe, which is basically thinly 475 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 1: sliced tempe strips that have been pan fried with local 476 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 1: chili pastes until dry and then served with rice. Food 477 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: is of utmost importance in Indonesian culture and a critical 478 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: distinguishing point of pride for local villages because of that, 479 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: tempe is a way of life here still in and 480 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: also certainly be sharing it with friends and family back 481 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: home when my service has ended. Well that brings you 482 00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 1: near Atlanta? Yeah you know where to give us a shadow? 483 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, yes, oh that sounds so delicious and 484 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 1: and it and it ties in to two episodes. Yeah, 485 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: two episodes, yes, hotchily sauce, Sir ratcha the very episode 486 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: you're listening to and how many meals a day? And 487 00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:30,800 Speaker 1: why we do that? Thing. Yeah, I have determined the 488 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: more listener mail we've gotten about Tempe, I gotta add 489 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:39,640 Speaker 1: more of it into my diet because it sounds so good. Yeah, 490 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: and I really want to try making it. Oh yes, 491 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 1: Oh that's a reason to use a time lapse camera. 492 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I heard one, all right. Well, hopefully that's 493 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 1: something we'll get to do soon a we stuff project. 494 00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: In the meantime, if you would like to email as, 495 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 1: you can do so. Our email is food Stuff at 496 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:01,720 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot. We're also on social media. You 497 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 1: can find us on Twitter and Facebook at food Stuff 498 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 1: hs W. We're also on Instagram at food Stuff. We 499 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,400 Speaker 1: hope to hear from you. Thank you so much, as 500 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,720 Speaker 1: always to our amazing producer Dylan Fagan who reminded me 501 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:18,160 Speaker 1: what the word for time lips cameras are. And thanks 502 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:19,920 Speaker 1: to you for listening, and we hope that lots more 503 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 1: good things are coming your way.