The King of Condiments

If I’ve learned anything from my many years playing Euchre is that you lead strong. The thinking is that you play you strongest cards first and that will not only pull in the tricks but also let your partner know what you’ve got. It is this philosophy that forces me to open up the pantry and pull out my favorite condiment, Sriracha.

Sriracha’s wiki page filled me in on some historical details and various facts that were heretofore unknown to me. Such as:
· The name is actually a catch-all term for hot sauces from the Sriracha region of Thailand.
· The sauce that is found here in the US can remain unrefrigerated thanks to sodium bisulfate. Sodium bisulfate is a common preservative found in wine and veggies.
· That Huy Fong Foods, the makers of the popular American version, have trademarked the name Sriracha thus preventing the import of Thai hot sauces with Sriracha in the name.

And why is that last point sad? If it will please the court, allow me to present Exhibit One…

Yes, my friends, you are looking at bottles of Extra Garlic, Galanga, Super Sour, Lemongrass, Onion, and Ginger variations of Thai-only Sriracha. The mind boggles at which I’d want to try first! I fear that Leanne and I are going to have to spend our Honeymoon in Thailand. I picture us both wearing a Chewbacca-esque bandolier of the various flavors of Sriracha. Ah romance!

Don’t think for a moment that this will be the only time I’ll be playing my Sriracha trump card. You can expect many updates as to what I’m using Sriracha on, with, or whatever. Also expect to find out what the legal department says regarding the import of trademark restricted hot sauces.

Condiment Bust!

So the Sand Pearl, while truly beautiful (yep, we failed to take pics of our rooms - yikes! See why I make up for it later), was not high on the condiment rating list. In fact, I have no condiments really worth mentioning (from the resort or from nearby Frenchy's - although their lime pina coladas were fantastic!). I suppose we may not have tried very hard, but condiments are usually pretty easy to come by.

Alas - our one saving grace from our stay? This snapshot of the cute little condiments that arrived at our 2 a.m. room service snack session (please note the HUGE burger in the background - which we failed to finish).

I recently saw these mini Heinz jars at our local grocery - one in what I originally thought was mayo, but turned out to be a creamy looking balsamic vinegar sauce. I'll pick one up next time I find one, and use it to redeem my total Sand Pearl condiment failure.

Welcome

I think perhaps it is time I (or we - not as in the proverbial we, but the we as in Tim and I) broke this thing in.

I don't know if I have a mission statement as far as the purpose of this site goes, but I can tell you that I'm here to indulge in one of my many foodie obsessions - condiments - otherwise known as drizzles and schmears. The fantastic thing about condiments is that they can encompass so many forms - sauces, salsas, dips, or if you need to be fancy, coulis or edible accoutrements. Ah yes. I'm sure as time goes on, and as I collaborate more with my co-host, we'll have a more defined purpose, but at least you have a general idea as to where we're going.

As far as the condiment update goes - I will tell you that the two of us are visiting a top of the line, brand new resort in Clearwater beach - the Sand Pearl and we'll keep our eyes open for drizzle and schmears about which the masses should be informed. Should nothing pan out, perhaps will add some info about our old faves - those lovely little diddys that never leave our fridge.

Thanks for checking us out, and we're always looking for suggestions, so if you'd like us to take a dip into something new (oh yes, pun intended) send it our way. I'm always on the lookout for new saucy... well, um - sauces!