The essence of bipartisanship is to try and find the common ground, and then work from there. You do that whether you are negotiating election security, infrastructure or taxes. The trick is finding those things on which all can agree, however inconsequential they may seem. And with fewer and fewer things appealing to people regardless of age, religion, location or other factors, it's indeed looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. But a recent survey did find one thing where a vast swath of the country does see eye to eye, even if there are pronounced regional differences. Still, the way forward begins with a single step. And so let's put down the hatchets, take our fingers off the Twitter, and come together over this: a whopping 74% of Americans agree that hot sauce makes food taste better.
The survey, sponsored by shopping service Instacart and conducted by The Harris Poll, found that nearly half of Americans dash a bit on their food on a weekly basis Instacart's own real world figures back up that survey data. The company delivers from more than 65,000 stores across more than 5,500 cities in North America, and has a customer base of over 9.6 million, so its sales reports are more than just anecdotal or opinion. And that hard data says that between December 2020 and November 2021 Instacart customers purchased 444,854 gallons of the stuff. To put that into perspective, that's enough hot sauce to fill 18,536 kiddie pools.
Not surprisingly, when asked when they use the sauce the vast majority said the dinner hour (81%) while some also used it at breakfast (24%). The top destination was unsurprisingly tacos (66%), followed by burritos (60%), and the generic "meat" (57%). And while we're rarely shocked by anything these days, it's worth noting that some respondents reported that they used on it on chips (30%), popcorn (17%), and even ice cream (8%).
If you had to name an iconic hot sauce, you might rightfully pick the oldest commercial brand in the country, Tabasco. But while it's still going strong after more than 150 years, the Avery Island product is hardly the most popular. Sriracha, descended from a Thai condiment, has emerged since it was first produced on these shores in the 1980's to become number one in the nation. Frank's Red Hot, the stuff of Buffalo wing fame, comes in at number two, with Cholula at number three.
While sriracha is the winner in 31 states, and Frank's in 14, there are a few regional aberrations. Texas Pete leads in North and South Carolina, while, perhaps no surprise, Original Louisiana is tops in its namesake. Bueno is big in New Mexico, and Burman's rules in Iowa. And in a moment of semantic confusion, Village Hot Sauce is number one in North Dakota, even though it is really a spicy salsa, and even recommends that to give it some kick you add hot sauce to the hot sauce.
And to prove that contrary to the current thinking that Americans are set in their ways, while 67% are "passionate" about a favorite brand, those folks are open to looking at, or more correctly, tasting new possibilities. In fact, 68% show their situational awareness, and have two or more varieties at home (i.e, Frank's for wings and Cholula for tacos). Furthermore, unlike those who believe in stolen elections, they are persuadable: given the chance, 83% of aficionados are open to trying new brands and switching if they find the new entry agreeable to their taste buds.
But sriracha can barely rest on its laurels. There's a lot of buzz about newcomer yangnyeom, also known as gochujang sauce, a South Korean specialty. Described as "swicy," it blends red chili paste, soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and ginger to get a condiment that is both spicy and sweet. Look for it on the fried chicken from new chain NeNe that is moving into North America as we speak.
While I've tried many, I have to say I keep coming back to Frank's. That doesn't mean that we don't have at least 5 other bottles on the door of our fridge. So while I'm unlikely to give much ground on many issues, if you want to tempt me with another way of looking at chicken wings, at least we can start a conversation.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford has found his "hot" tolerance has decreased with age. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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