Turistas

Robin and I haven’t been everywhere in the world, but in the part that we have explored, it is obvious to us that putting an image of a chile pepper on the license plate of New Mexico is no empty boast.

Everywhere we went this past weekend we were given chances to take a shot at one fiery dish after another, starting with the free chips and salsa offered many places. Those salsas all had more authority than we find here in Paradise, where they seem to tone things down for the gringos.

Being a card-carrying gringo myself, I really don’t mind being cosseted in this way, it has probably saved my stomach lining on countless occasions. My Nordic genes came from people who had never seen a chile in their lives, and thus had no opportunity for evolution to prepare their bodies for such onslaughts.

All this heat in all those peppers comes from capsaicin, and at full strength it is something awesome to deal with, no matter where one is from. But even this killer substance pales before a Moroccan cactus.

The hottest natural substance known to man is resiniferatoxin, a chemical found in the sap of the Moroccan cactus Euphorbia resinifera. While pure capsaicin measures 16 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), Resiniferatoxin clocks in at 16 billion SHU—making it roughly 1,000 times hotter than pure capsaicin.

Wikipedia

Now that cactus would make a salsa that could walk itself right to your table with no need for a waiter. Each serving would come with a burner cell phone with its speed dial already set to call a nearby hospital.

******

******

One of the most striking of commemoratives to fallen soldiers is the Viet Nam Memorial Wall. It is stark, black, and 493.5 feet long, containing the names of 58,318 U.S. service members who died or remain missing. Iris DeMent offered this moving song about the wall, in 1996. The song goes a long way toward explaining why visiting that site and reaching out to touch the name of someone dear is enough to bring tears.

Each time I look back on that war, I wonder how such a thing was allowed to happen. We deserved so much better from our leaders. Ahhhhhhh, what folly, what a criminal waste of those lives.

******

There are moments when the headlines get me down, especially when I contemplate the appalling ignorance and hateful behavior of the MAGA side of the political spectrum. And the ugliness of the Trump faction. And the craven cowardice of most of the Republican Party. But this morning it occurs to me that there is no reason to be surprised by any of this.

Let’s take a look at myself, for instance. Most of the time I act in a civilized manner, am kind to animals and small children, respectful of my elders, and always remember to zip my fly before going outdoors. But there have been times when I behaved quite differently. When I forgot or ignored not just the Ten Commandments but my own personal commandments as well (and there is quite a list of those, way more than ten).

And yet that less moral person co-existed with another more moral one in this same body, and I must prudently assume that he is still in there somewhere waiting to see if he gets another turn one sunny day. What I see as my assignment is to be vigilant and aware, to recognize each time he puts his boots on or asks to take the podium and deny him that access.

I have learned along the way that there are others who have this same struggle. Perhaps not you, dear reader, but it appears that it is not only me who has a Mr. Hyde as part of his makeup.

In fact let’s take a look at America, land of the free and home of the brave. Studying our history reveals this same sort of dichotomy. We have much to be proud of and much to regret. Right now we are in a regret-filled moment. Our national Mr. Hyde is at the helm and we can easily see what a mess that has made of things. But we forgot that he was in there, didn’t we? We assumed that normality and decency would keep him in check but it didn’t. When we finally get the upper hand again one of the first things we will have to do is strengthen our resolve that he not be allowed out in public ever again, while never assuming that he won’t try.

******

In 1958 a tune called Rumble was launched, and is still one of the best rock instrumentals … ever. It was originally done by Link Wray, and here he is all decked out in perfect rock and roll swagger in 1974, playing it live.

******