I like it hot, or at least I think so. I have always enjoyed the tingle of capsaicin burning a hole through my tongue and always search out new, tasty and hotter pepper adventures. That is why I was so intrigued watching a show on satellite and seeing the host taste the wares of street vendors in Thailand. His face lit up like a cartoon character and I was sure he was going into convulsions any minute. I thought to myself, "I have got to have some of that!"

Unfortunately, real Thai food, real, good Thai food can only be found in Thailand. If you want the authentic tastes, curries and noodles, you have to visit Bangkok or Phuket. Oh, I suppose you might convince some Thai cook here in the U.S. to spice a dish up for you, but chances are very good it will not be the same. American Thai is just too "Westernized" and made to appeal to the mild, uninitiated tastes of the Western cuisine.

Thailand, (which means "Land of the Free"), has long been a destination for sailors and travelers, and, in the same way that other seaports absorbed the cultures of those who visited, Thailand reflects the tastes of those who passed through over the years. The cornerstone of Thai cooking is a curry paste made with red and green chilies. The other color chilies are from other regions or countries. Their curries of coconut milk and brothy soup noodles are very popular as are the "pad" or stir-fry. The three most popular dishes in Phuket are: 1) Tom Yam Goong, 2) Pad Thai, and 3) Kuay Tiew. It is interesting to note that the number four most popular dish is McDonald's, just to show not only the Western influence but also how foreign countries continue to influence the local cuisine.

Thailand, especially Bangkok, is a culinary destination. People of Thailand, rich and poor, believe food is a very important part of life and often eat together in any of the 30,000 restaurants in Bangkok or countless outdoor street vendors. They do not stick to a regimen of breakfast, lunch and dinner, but, rather, follow the creed of "eating when you are hungry" and dine at any hour of the day or night. The main dishes are soups, noodles and stir-fry, and, because the dishes tend to be brothy, they do not use chopsticks. Instead, Thai cuisine is eaten with a spoon and a fork where the fork is used to push the food onto the spoon and the spoon delivers the food to the mouth.

The chilies in Thai cooking are not indigenous. Christopher Columbus brought chilies to Europe that later found their way to Thailand by way of Portugal. Now, the chilies of the region are some of the spiciest in the world. By comparison, the modest Jalapeno rates a mere 4,000 Scoville heat units, but the Thai chili Prig Kee Nu, or Prik Kee Noo rates 80,000 to 100,000 Scoville heat units. It is little wonder that these small, red and green peppers are known as "Thai Dragon", but they still fade in comparison to the Scotch Bonnet, (also called Habanero) at 300,000 to 550,000 Scoville units. The peppers are cooked in hot oil at the beginning of preparation, with more peppers added for more heat, but they are not intended for consumption. Many Thai chefs use the ground chili powder called Prig Kee Nu Bonn instead of the whole peppers to allow for better heat adjustment. Yet, from my experience, you can pretty much forget about finding any Thai restaurant serving authentic heat with any of its dishes. They are in the business to stay in business and are afraid the real heat would induce spontaneous combustion in loyal, paying customers they cannot afford to lose.

For the record, I am one who likes it hot. I still want to find some real, (or reasonable facsimile thereof), Thai or Szechuan heat. Too many of the restaurants in the Denver area serve the Westernized version that just does not suit my tastes. My most recent adventure was to TOTT, which is an acronym for "Talk of the Thai". It was a cute restaurant with good food, excellent service and good prices, but it was just not hot enough for my tastes, even though I asked for extra spicy. I also did not like the way they do tofu. I suppose some people like tofu lightly fried so the outside is barely crisp and the inside is a gooey mess, but I prefer my tofu cut in triangles and cooked on a hot wok until it achieves an even, al dente texture throughout. Cooked this way, it absorbs more of the flavors including the flavors of the chili. I also like my peppers whole and left in the mix. I know I am not supposed to eat them, but, since the cook will not make my food hot enough for my taste, I can augment my experience by consuming any whole peppers he chooses to leave in.

Right now, I only know of one restaurant in the area that still cooks the peppers the traditional way, and that is a Szechuan restaurant. My experience with Thai food has been Americanized and so have the versions I have tasted. If you know of a Thai restaurant in the area serving a more authentic version, please, let me know and I will take my asbestos-coated tongue down for a taste. Now, do not get me wrong. The Thai restaurants I visited were all very nice, very clean and the food was very good. I know they were trying to please the bulk of the American customers. They do, however, need to know that some customers appreciate authentic cuisine, and, despite what they might believe about Western cuisine, some like it hot!