Black Pepper

I am a pepper freak -- I think I learned it from my father -- but never knew the correct description until I heard one of the two female chefs from "The Border Girls" refer to themselves as a pepper freak. I mean, she carries a pepper grinder in her purse when dining out! I will wait to eat a salad or soup until the pepper is available and love restaurants where there is a grinder on each table or self service (like Luby's!)
It probably started from the days of lunching with my father at Knight's Diner in Seattle. We ordered a grilled burger and salad, and the waitress at the counter brought out a special tin with partially ground pepper. I then was able to continue this obsession at Marin Joe's with a bowl of partially ground pepper was made available (and left at my spot for the whole meal).
We have many assorted pepper grinders. If an item is billed as black-pepper anything, I will eat it. And recently, a wonderful olive oil store in San Francisco, had a tin of "long pepper." They told me to slightly break up the jalapeno-shaped pods before putting them in a grinder. I opened the tin this morning -- something new in store for a pepper freak. I don't yet carry a pepper grinder in my purse, but stay tuned.....