No More Capsicum!

This week we went into Borders book store and could not resist the "Buy 3 get one free" special on some reduced books. I have a weakness for cookbooks, so I found some that I think we will enjoy. One of them is called "Stir-Fries, Best Ever Wok & Pan Recipes." I scanned the whole book and picked out three recipes I wanted to try right away. We found the special ingredients and I stir-fried up a storm. One of the ingredients for this special dish was called "capsicum." I did not know what this was, so I looked it up on the internet. Here is what I found: "the fruit of most species of Capsicum contains capsaicin (methyl vanillyl nonenamide), a lipophilic chemical that can produce a strong burning sensation in the mouth (and, if not properly digested, anus) of the unaccustomed eater. Most mammals find this unpleasant; however, birds are unaffected. " Just let me tell you that the burning sensation was EXTREME (I have been accused of having a weenie mouth) in the mouth and later on the way out! And being a mammal, I did find this sensation unpleasant. As you can see from the illustration, the capsicum is, indeed, a chilie pepper. I thought that just one little red chilie pepper in the wonderful recipe "Curry Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry" would just add a little flavor and color. WRONG! It was too, too, too hot for me! I don't think I will be using "Capsicum" in further stir-fry recipes. I think I will substitute with a nice, benign, red bell pepper. At least that will add the red color and look pretty with out burning the mouth, gut and anus!