It wasn’t that long ago that chilis were something foreign, something exotic, something other. But it feels long ago because so much has changed in such a relatively short period of time. Now chilis are no more exotic than, oh, I don’t know, burritos, chili or salsa–in other words, things that contain chilis.
What’s really happened, I think, is Americans in general have become more involved in their food: how they get it, what’s in it and, yes, cooking on their own with ingredients maybe they were eating in restaurants but weren’t buying from the grocery store. Now people don’t just make chili with chili powder; they actually make their own chili powders (so you’re putting the chili back into chili). Now people don’t just buy the cheapest, most familiar-looking salsas; they seek out ones with habaneros and peaches, or they make their own (with chilis). Now people don’t accidentally mispronounce Chipotle (the pepper and restaurant); they mispronounce it on purpose, for ironic value–of course I know how to say it, but it’s funnier when I say “chip-ott-ul.” (No, it’s not, by the way).
Many people even know what chipotles are now: smoked jalapenos in adobo sauce. It’s a different world. It’s a post-foodie revolution world and chili awareness has both been part of that revolution and a reaction to it. The wonderful breadth of flavor and spice chilis add to an infinite list of existing and yet-to-be discovered dishes is unrivaled by anything and it is one of the great results of the American food awareness zeitgeist (that’s right, zeitgeist) that chilis are more available, more understood and more common.
(photo credit: kapkap)
