Brace For Bhut Jolokia Mayo
There’s no doubt that Americans are increasingly into spicy food. Look no further than the mainstreaming of Sriracha and chipotle everything. How many decades has that stat about salsa outselling ketchup been floating around?
Food service research firm Technomic solidifies this with figures showing that last year the number of Americans who prefer their food “very spicy” tipped over to the majority (54%) for the first time.
The Wall Street Journal provides some examples of packaged food brands getting into the spicy food game like Kraft going beyond pepperjack with Hot Habenero cheese and Bumble Bee adding jalapeños to its gourmet line of canned tuna, but the premise that spicy food creates loyalty is sort of bizarre (as is lumping in Cracked Dijon Mustard Ball Park hot dogs when really the story is about heat, not strong flavors).
I did learn one thing, and it’s that young people and Latinos aren’t the only ones to blame in this crusade against blandness. Old folks and their deadening taste buds must also take some responsibility.
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