Hot and Spicy

I love food, and drink is not bad either (really drink is just liquid food, they are two sides of the same coin). I am always in search of something I have not tried before. Living so near what use to be called the spice islands and in the middle of southeast Asia, surrounded by differing cultures and cuisines makes for a continual discovery of new flavors. Having grown up in the tropics (Hawaii), in a multi cultural environment, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what was out there. That was until I showed up here - here there are dozens of fruits, veggies and spices that I have never seen before, and food items I had never imagined. It is a blur of new things to try out in the kitchen (and brewery). At first I felt a bit overwhelmed, I had no reference to many of these things- what the heck is "Bakek", and do I wanto try it in beer ? And then I stumbled across Gernot. Gernot Katzer has complied what may be the definitive web site on spices. If you are a foodie, cook, or brewer who needs answers - well, Gernot is your man. His site comprises about 10500 names for more than 100 different spices and herbs, it is in at least 30 different languages and has the names in over six scripts (including Thai, Latin, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Tamil). Each entry covers uses, family, constituents, sensory, origins, etymology, further selected readings, discussion, pictures and Gernot's thoughts on the subject (as well as a few pleasant digressions). The site is a stunner ! If you want to know more about a spice - check with Gernot

http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/index.html

ps - Gernot, if you ever read this - thank you for all your help