Monday, April 18, 2005

Pepperheads

OK, I am a pepperhead -- I love black pepper on everything, and the bigger the chunks are, the better! We have several pepper mills and a variety of peppercorns, but now, Penzey's is on the scene. They are a mail-order spice house that just opened one of a very few retail locations in Scottsdale. There is a pepper section! It is amazing -- I plan to take everyone I know with sinus problems there for a new form of treatment -- smelling pepper, cinnamon, basil, and other spices I am not familiar with. I don't carry a peppermill with me when dining out, but I really should as only the rare restaurant has an adequate supply of cracked pepper available. I miss Marin Joe's, with Georgette, as she always left the pepper bowl in front of me for the whole meal. As a pepperhead, you must know that that Vietnamese-style black peppered crab is a heavenly delight. I don't care about the crab, as I delight in simply licking off the spices. Run, don't walk to Penzey's. If you don't live close to one, find them online. We will soon have a whole cabinet dedicated to our newly acquired spices, as they join our growing sea salt and tea collections.