My wife and I like food that is hot and spicy. We relish the cuisines of nations like India and Thailand, provinces like Sichuan and Hunan, and states like Louisiana and New Mexico. Curries and chili, sates and sambals: we love them all.

Our children however share neither our enthusiasm nor, apparently, our taste buds. When my daughter boasts to her friends about trying different ethnic restaurants, she doesn't mention that her culinary adventures are usually limited to sampling infinite varieties of breads and rice. This can make cooking at home a challenge. The dishes have to start out bland enough that the kids will try them. Then, to jazz them up a bit I bring out the hot pepper rack.

I've been collecting hot pepper sauces for years, it's a fun, relatively inexpensive hobby. The rows of five-ounce bottles with their differing liquid levels with hues of red, orange and green adding color is just the ticket for an otherwise drab kitchen counter. There is even a little sense of drama in the collecting. Some bottles are from exotic places that I'll likely never visit. Using them gives me a small taste of other cultures. Others, some of them my favorites, are from the local supermarket. A few are even souvenirs from past vacations, but none of them last forever. Like fine wine that will eventually turn to vinegar, my prized sauces, which ironically already have vinegar in them, will turn into who knows what, certainly not wine, changing colors, separating into layers, clouding up, or solidifying. I've learned to limit the size of my collection to the brands and types that I am likely to use regularly. Then I use follow the adage, "use it or lose it1x"

There are a number of web sites worth visiting that feature a fascinating variety of pepper sauces. But first, a warning about pressure from "pepper head" or other macho types. I would stay away from the super hot items, those that are listed with five peppers or five flames, or are shown at the top of a scale or thermometer or whatever, for good reasons. First, too much heat for its own sake, heat without flavor, does nothing to enhance the character of a dish. A true spicy food connoisseur wants to be able to taste things, not test pain tolerance. Second, these sauces are difficult and dangerous to work with. Some are made not only from the hottest of hot peppers, but from pure pepper extract, concentrated capsaisin oil. I had one sauce that even after having been diluted gave me puffy eyes, and burned my lips and tongue. Remember that when police want to incapacitate someone, they use pepper spray1x

Some day, our kids will like hot food. Or they'll move out. Either way, until that time arrives and variety being the spice of life, I'm taking things a few drops at a time.