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My first experience with spicy food came when I was a youngster. I was a latch key kid, and that included lunch. My grade school was literally across the street from the house, more or less. So I would let myself in and prepare my own lunch, as early as age 11. This was circa 1974-75. Nobody reported my mother to Child Protective Services. I managed to not burn the house down. I'd fix my lunch, eat it, and be back in class on time. Somehow along the way I have lost that efficiency in my life, but that's another blog post entirely. The point being, my first encounter with spicy foods came in the form of those Vlasic hot pepper rings in a jar. Again, I was 11 and I started nibbling on those tangy, vinegar-encased yellow rings, usually combining them with a sandwich of some sort. That was some 40 years ago, and it was way before I discovered Szechuan Chinese food, Indian cuisine and Thai delights. It was also way before fast food joints and snack manufacturers discov...
