Okay, couple of weeks ago we were wandering around historic downtown Ellicott City, Maryland when we came upon the Sweet Cascades Chocolatier at 8167 Main Street. I’m not sure what a ‘chocolatier’ is but I’m pretty sure it means they make candy. Anyway, we stepped inside to see what savory wares they might have.
In no time, the Mrs. was pointing out a thing called a “Hoochie Mama” (right) on one of the lower shelves. It was a jalepeno pepper dipped in chocolate. Oh my! Since “Hoochie Mama” is my catch word for everything (kind of like a mainland version of “da kine”), I just had to get one. I asked how hot the peppers were and the proprietor said they were fairly hot. I asked if the chocolate would cut the heat any. She lovingly smirked as she replied, “Honey, you won’t even know the chocolate is there.” Yikes! She tried valiantly to convince me to bite the Hoochie Mama right there in the store but I had bigger plans. We were meeting a large group for dinner and I wanted to show off my Hoochie Mama. I’ll add here that I also bought a slice of chocolate covered bacon. That just sounded too strange to pass up. So off we went to meet our group. There were about 30 people from the our week-long conference gathered for dinner at the Crab Shanty. I probably made a spectacle of showing off my Hoochie Mama but I think it was fun for everyone. I will also add that I gave everyone in the place a chance to bite the Hoochie Mama and none stepped forward.
So, after polishing off the Soft Shell Crab Volcano, I gathered everyone around to witness the event. After offering my Hoochie Mama one last time to everyone in the crowd and finding no takers, I lifted my chocolate dipped pepper friend and took the plunge.
I’d like to admit that I chewed my Hoochie Mama with a casual abandon befitting a man of my stature. I’d like to… but I can’t. I had a glass of milk waiting there on the table and quickly chased the Hoochie Mama with the milk. She was still pretty danged hot. It was an event. George Wright tried some of the pepper (without the benefit of the milk – I drank it all). He ate it and he liked it. He was sweating profusely and had a kind of wide-eyed look on his face, but he liked it. I liked it too.
So, if you ever find yourself in Ellicott City (just outside of Baltimore), head to historic downtown Ellicott City and the Sweet Cascades Chocolatier and find yourself a Hoochie Mama. I’m sure you will enjoy it.
