I have a very sensitive pallet and if you know me, have eaten at a restaurant with me, you know I can’t have spicy food.

There are a few things going on here. First, I have some digestive issues and spicy food is on the list, it doesn’t work well for me, ’nuff said. On the other side, I don’t like the way spicy food makes my mouth feel. Some people, who enjoy spicy food, like the way their mouths tingle or pucker, maybe even make them sweat. I am not one of those people.

PSM la la la la loves spicy food! I tease him, he has not taste buds, so if he says something is spicy, I know I am gonna diah [read that with dramatic emphasis, maybe even throw in a little Southern drawl]. When I got out for certain meals with JCT, she’s not happy unless she’s sniffling. More power to all of you!

Back to the post…When I ask if something is spicy and the person tells me, not really, I always reply with ‘black pepper is spicy to me’, that might give you an idea. Now, don’t misunderstand, I love flavor, I just don’t love my eyes watering and my tongue being on fire. And garlic is a flavor that I LA LA LA LOVE! There are times you can tell what I’ve been cooking, y u m! When I order pasta, many times if there isn’t a great option for me on the menu, like it’s mostly red sauce and dairy-laden sauces, I ask for garlic and olive oil. Sometimes I get lucky and garlic and olive oil is already on the menu as an option. Fabulous!

Now…I always ask if there is anything else in there, besides garlic and olive oil, when they tell me no, I ask about white pepper and other things, nope, not at all. ok…When I order garlic and olive oil, I say, please don’t add anything else, I appreciate that a chef wants to make something taste good, but please don’t add anything else, don’t get creative. Garlic and olive oil. Let’s just say, there have only been a handful of times I have not been disappointed.

Tonight was not the case…I ordered pasta primavera cooked in garlic and olive oil. Great! I even asked…are there are any other spices in it? No white pepper, right? Nope… fabulous! When it comes out, I am so excited, it looks great, but I can see a bunch of other stuff on it, it’s peppered, no pun intended, or is there…ha ha, with black pepper, among other things. I take one bite and my mouth is on fire!

When the waiter came back over, I reminded him I asked if there were other spices, he said, you said no white pepper. He took it back and asked them to make another. It came back out…no black pepper, but covered in other Italian seasoning. Really? I mentioned that I ONLY wanted garlic and olive oil, no other spices, why is it covered, you can clearly see it. Sigh… Did I tell the waiter it was still covered in stuff, no, I didn’t want anyone to get upset, it’s fine, I took the leftovers home and I’ll do something with it, maybe add some cheese to cover it up, I’ll make it the way I want it.

I’m sorry, I know I’m a PITA, that’s a pain-in-the-arse, for those of you who didn’t know, but I know what I like and what I can actually process. If the food is too spicy, it doesn’t bode well for me later. Please don’t be creative, well, at least not with me.

Mange!