Trove dragons
During one Ring of Fire challenge, I went through two glasses of water, one beer, and a small mound of tissues, which I had blown my nose into several times. It’s just that my tolerance is lower than my son’s. There’s no way I could fulfill the requirements of my job without the ability to endure infernally hot chiles. It’s not that I have a low tolerance for capsaicin. “Watch out, Papi, you might crap your pants with the next one!” “Are you crying?” “This one’s going to fry your nose hairs, Pops.” The next salsa could be milder than the previous one-or it could scorch your intestinal lining. During the tastings, we arrange six to ten salsas in a random order, with the labels facing the camera to increase suspense. The tastings allow us to bond, and they give him the freedom to let loose his cheeky attitude.
#TROVE DRAGONS SERIES#
Taquito loves those broadcasted contests, which comprise a series he christened the Ring of Fire. “Your butt is gonna burn, old man,” he once said, referring to our Instagram Live tasting sessions hosted on my account. I bring home a few bottles or jars of salsa whenever I return from a trip. His lineup has expanded since I began my tenure as Texas Monthly’s taco editor. My son, nicknamed Taquito, is among them, and he’s collected his own spicy sauces over the years.
It was a runaway hit that has been the subject of library reading series and children’s theater productions. We’re not alone.Ī generation of children and their parents have found humor and reflections of themselves in the picture book. Even ten years later, Dragons Love Tacos continues to make my kid and me laugh. At the end of the book, an accidental addition of jalapeños leads to the dragons unintentionally burning down the boy’s house. If there is even a hint of chiles, steam will eject from the dragons’ ears and the creatures will eventually exhale fire. Dragons can only tolerate the mildest of salsas. In the story, a young boy hosts taco parties at his house and invites some mythical reptiles to attend, only to find out they don’t like spicy salsa. He and I were introduced to the children’s book-illustrated by Daniel Salmieri and written by Adam Rubin-when a friend left a copy of the New York Times best-seller on my porch a decade ago, shortly after the book’s publication. My teenage son’s love of all things chiles started with Dragons Love Tacos.