WARMING UP
Most of my friends believe that the best comfort winter is a thick hearty stew, or a nice bowl of soup. I prefer something with a little more kick. Stews, soups, even shepherd's pie and lasagna are not without their merits, however, something a little more exotic - with a little more kick, makes a lot more sense to me.
Often, I will resort to a nice Indian curry. There is something inherently pleasant about the full body heat delivered by a nice spicy curry. The sweaty brow, the runny nose; they are part of the process. Those meals make an impact. They heat from the core, radiating the spices outward until your full body basks in the glow.
Mexican can be nice for the same reason. A healthy helping of jalapenos added to the mix will have the same effect.
The thing with spicy foods is that they release endorphins. It is those endorphins that create the sense of comfortable internal heat that eases us into a sense of complacent docility. It is those endorphins that relieve us from the cool embrace of winter.
Even just the process of chopping jalapenos can create the illusion of heat. It is in their smell, their taste. One wayward swipe of the brow can set the eyes to stinging on a level of excruciation befitting the deepest bowels of Dante's Inferno itself.
Next time you enter from the cold embrace of winter, remember what I have mentioned today. The more spicy you can make your winter, the merrier it will be.
Sorry, there was a knock at the door just now. My guests are arriving. On the menu tonight: chicken fajitas with extra jalapenos.
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