I was offended on behalf of all chili peppers when I learned that "spicy" is technically not considered one of the "tastes" that trigger the taste receptors on our tongues (the five widely recognized tastes are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and now "umami").  Rather, spicy food triggers the touch receptors on the tongue that signals to the brain the sensation of heat or hotness.  The same idea is true when we eat foods that have a cooling effect on the tongue like mint or baked goods with too much erythritol.  Although I can't tolerate too much spiciness, I have always stocked hot sauce and chili oil in my kitchen. 

Chili oil is quite universal and versatile.  Practically every nation in the world makes some sort of a chili oil with locally grown peppers.  I grew up eating the chili oil that you find on the table of every Chinese restaurant serving dim sum.  Our fridge always had the chili oil or "Spicy Chili Crisp" made by China-based...

I remember the exact moment I fell in love with mayo.  I was six years old and on a school field trip.  A mom of one of my classmates had made sandwiches for our school lunches, including turkey and mayo sandwiches on soft sliced white bread.  It was a hot day, and I was not in the mood for a dry sandwich.  But to my surprise, the sandwich I was given had a generous amount of mayo which, to my young 6-year-old palate, tasted like heaven.

During the near two three four decades since then, I have always continued to love mayo.  However, as I learned about unhealthy oils, it was difficult to find store-bought mayo with healthy ingredients and none of the bad stuff.  Frankly, the few that I could find that were made with only avocado oil left a lot to be desired.  They just tasted bad.  Despite their "healthy" ingredients, they tasted artificial to me. They certainly did not compare to the mayo of my 6-year-old self's memories. Perhaps if they...