Start Them Young And Free The Tongue!

A political manifesto on eating spicy

Don’t you hate it when you go out with friends or family members and can’t order those extra hot wings, or how about when one of them overreacts to something spicy? Does it bother you in some incomprehensible, gut wrenching way? You’re not alone. We are stunting our society by enabling people to not eat spicy.

It’s understandable, capsaicin, the molecule found in the hot peppers used in Sriracha causes a burning sensation by binding with temperature receptors of our tongue to communicate pain. But with pain, comes glorious pleasure. People enjoy spice because it release endorphins, pleasure chemicals for our brain.

So how did we get here?

The traditional American pallet once consisted of meat and potatoes and the only kick was in the ground pepper. Black pepper similar to hot peppers cause the tingling sensation on our tongues, so do mustard and radishes, but much milder. Fortunately, American demographics and its cuisine have evolved for the better and spicy food is more prevalent.

When you consider the tongue, we taste sweet, salt, bitter, sour, and umami. Sriracha delivers us from food damnation with all five of these tastes satisfied. So how can we save others? We must start them young and free the tongue!

Let your kid or sibling take a small bottle of Sriracha, or a Sriracha2Go keychain to school to add on his sandwich, nuggets, or even to convert another kid. If someone bullies them, they’re prepared and can even defend themselves (disclaimer: Sriracha in eyes causes more intense burning sensation). Refills are safely authorized by a responsible adult.

Kids who grow up with limited experiences may have trouble developing into their fullest potential. Likewise, kids who grow up with a limited palette don’t reach their gluttonous peak either. Sriracha teaches us about balance, it is a magical condiment that wasn’t created to mask bland flavors, though it can,  or make us addicted to high fructose corn syrup (ketchup, I’m looking at you). Rather, it enhances flavors and brings an extra layer of kick to a simple or complex dish.

It will be the best $5 you’ll ever spend on your kid. As a well functioning and successful adult, he or she will thank you later, and hopefully invest in a bigger bottle.