What drew me to this event was that it was an opportunity to go to the plantations. I knew little about peppers and to be honest it was not really that interesting to me considering I do not like spicy food. The walk to the plantations was fun, and I met some really nice people from the house. When I got there, I was taken aback because of all the good food that they had to offer. While I was skeptical at first, I realized that the spiciness varied; they had products and samples for every taste bud.

They had a trail of the different steps involved in the globalization of peppers throughout the world. The countries that first come to mind when thinking about peppers are Mexico and Japan. However, I was very shocked to find out that peppers only existed in South America until Europeans brought the peppers back to Europe, where they spread throughout Europe and into Africa and Asia. Mexico did not naturally have peppers, it was not until after the Spanish brought peppers to Mexico that it became a staple in their diet. We even saw some tiny pepper plants, and it was interesting to know that birds act as nature’s seed spreader, because they do not have the ability to sense spiciness.

I liked a specific dip so much that I had to buy it. We even made little pepper shaped pinatas with gummy peppers inside. Although it rained, it was really a fun experience that gave me a new appreciation for peppers. I do like peppers after all.