It’s about to get spicy around here

Eric & I have a thing for food tours. We’ve been to Ben & Jerry’s in Vermont. The fortune cookie factory in a sketchy alley in San Fran. Beecher’s cheese at Pike Place and Eli’s Chresecakes in Chicago. Coca Cola in Atlanta. Dr. Pepper in Waco. Coor’s in Colorado. Ethel M & Hershey’s? Check and check. Tequila & rum distilleries. Yes, those, too. (Of course!) and not 1 but TWO Jelly Belly factories.

So, to have the sriracha factory 30 minutes away from us… no brainer! Once a year, Huy Fong opens up their factory and welcomes spicy lovers in to burn their mucous membranes and see where the magic happens.

We’ve been before. In 2014, shortly after Anthony left for college we took the tweedles. Anthony’s response? “Why do you wait for me to leave to do cool stuff?” Ummm we did cool stuff throughout your childhood! I have the scrapbooks to prove it!

So, now that Big is home, we decided to go back for Chili Grinding.

First things first, don these attractive red hairnets. Anthony was obsessed with the giant blow up bottles and could not understand why I didn’t want one living in my house. Yes son, your room still constitutes IN MY HOUSE.

This year, David Tran, founder and chili guru was greeting guests! Better than taking a pic with his cardboard cutout.

The factory is insanely clean. I’d like to think all factories are this clean, but yeah. Probably not.

It’s annual chili grinding time so I grabbed a Kleenex and off we went.

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I passed on the chili and opted for sriracha ice cream instead. YUM!

Anthony dipped into his bag of snacks – popcorn, chips, and jerky. Then immediately to the complimentary bottle of water. LOL

They may not make tear gas, but this stuff can still bring tears to your eyes. 

Huy Fong has THE best gift shop filled with questionably appropriate apparel! I picked up a new Awesome Sauce T-shirt and grabbed some stuff for the tweedles. Anthony was still jonesing for the giant inflatable bottle. NO. Then he saw this sweatshirt…

Me: You’ll never wear it.

Random stranger: Yes he will and then you’ll regret knowing him.

Me: Too late.

Before leaving, Huy Fong hooked us up with free hats, shirts, and bottles of sauce. Pretty awesome way to celebrate the Year of the Rooster!

Who are we kidding? It’s always the Year of the Rooster when you’re cock sauce lovers.