Food will never be spicy enough for me, unless New makes it.
I always knew that I liked spicy food. Buffalo wings, Franks Red Hot Sauce, Tobasco, cayenne pepper on my pizza, you name the spice and I will tell you I love it. But there are plenty of foods in the States that aren’t spicy and you can’t douse with Franks. I would usually add some black pepper, and be satisfied. This method no longer suffices. I crave the heat. I yearn for the burn. New makes it right every single time.
The first time I ate New’s food was December 26, 2009. Yes, the occasion was that momentous that I remember the exact date. We were sitting in Paul’s backyard, under his canopy of bamboo plants. New had cooked at her apartment, two doors down, and brought the food over to his house. She was shy and nervous, meeting and cooking for two new white girls, and I was thrilled to have new Thai food. I took my first bite, and I nearly died. Paul had warned me about the heat, but holy smokes! This was like nothing I had every tasted. Immediately the roll of tissue was brought out, and I alternated between wiping my tears and my runny nose. But, I couldn’t get enough of it.
My hunger for New’s spicy food, and the spice of authentic Thai food, is insatiable. The times I have visited the States, I was ecstatic to have bread again. But it never took more than a few days for me to miss New’s cooking. Som tam. Yam woon saen thalay. Moo ping gap naam jin. Plaa paow. Oh. My. Word. My mouth is watering just to think of it all. I am going to start saving money for the “New Needs To Open A Restaurant In The States Fund.” I promise that she can also make food at a level of spice on a more humane (read: Western) level, so you too will want her to open this restaurant.
Donations can be mailed to my home address.
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