Food for souls.

Scenario 1: I'm on my way from Santa Cruz to San Fransisco. I'm driving along the coast and with me is Kim and Lars. Kim is an American with Latino blood, high strong and with temperament and a contagious laugh. Lars is a tall, dark, handsome Dane, down to earth, and quiet until something needs to be said. Kim and Lars are lovers and we are all friends and I have never eaten oysters before. (Somehow I previously labelled them boogers instead of food, even though I'm aware some people do not separate these two categories)

On the way there are plenty of shops selling seafood, and we decide to stop for a "zwischenurch" of oysters by the coast. We get a plate of five/six each. How do we eat this, I ask. With this (lemon) and this (chilli) and some of this (garlic) if you like, they say. Ah. I watch them and follow their lead. They squeeze half a lemon on to an oyster (as do I), they take a teaspoon full of chilli on the oyster (only those with previous experience with Mexican influenced food can fully understand the spiciness of putting a teaspoon full of chilli unto a mouthful of food) (as do I) and they put a pinch of garlic on the oyster (as do I)

They open wide and swallow. Sweat emerges on their foreheads and their eyes glazes over. They moan and I'm pretty sure I'm watching an out of the bedroom orgasm right there. They look at each other, smile and go for the second. I go for my first. OH, the pain, the suffering. My mouth opens automatically to air out soar feelings, my throat burns with the chilli, I fall over, moan, sweat, begging for mercy, let it stop. I scratch my tongue, my throat, I'm burning up, turning red, dying. HELP. They look at me with smiles, as if they were sharing something beautiful with me. I'M DYING HERE. I'm never eating Mexican chilli again!


Scenario 2: I chop carrots and leek and simmer it gently with butter and freshly grinded pepper in a pan. I add a cup of champagne ( it should have been white wine, but I have none), put the lid on and let the juices give their flavours to the vegetables. When there's almost no fluid left, I add a cup of buillion and a little salt and pepper. I let it simmer. I take five tomatoes and remove the seeds and use only the tomato shells. I add them to the mix with some basil (should have been fresh, but I only have it dry, it almost gives the same taste).
I let it simmer for five minutes, then i add pre-cooked pieces of salmon and shrimps (some people like to have these in the dish from the beginning, but I prefer to leave them till last). I add some cream and a little pepper and salt to my likings.

I cook spaghetti and serve it all to my mom. I roll my spaghetti on my spoon and enjoy. I even add some pepper. My mom chews and swallows. Opens her mouth to let the air cool her burning tongue. Its spicy she says, my throat is burning, my stomach, oh, the pain.

I'm stunned. I just added some pepper.

Hey, Einstein, here's your theory of relativism in praxis, applied to humans and food.