Cheetos - Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno

I don't like hot foods, but I like slightly hot food. See I'm a heat-woosie. My brother was born with the "I can eat volcanic spewage and not wince" gene whereas I was born with "too much mild sauce from Taco Bell does me in" gene.

Sad, I know.

I've been trying, over the years, to learn to eat 'hot' foods by way of incorporating hot stuff little by little into my food experiences. By doing so - as well as trying odd snacks, etc, here and there - I have found that I can eat SLIGHTLY hot things, just in small quantities so as to give my mouth time to settle before burning it again. Sometimes this doesn't work, however, seeing as if something is particularly yummy, I will (as most people are wont to do) eat a lot of it at once... which eventually causes me to incinerate my mouth, tastebuds and throat in the process.

Damn you tasty food... damn you.

So, going forward, during the days where I was picking up my best friend from work... he was working a little later than usual so I had some time to kill. I stopped by a 7-Eleven for a drink and a snack to kill time while I waited in the car and read. I bought their fountain drink Rice Horchata (yummy, thanks Mom for turning me on to that), and near the register were some chips... and one of them was Crunchy Cheddar Jalapeno Cheetos. Feeling like taking a risk, I grabbed a bag and headed for the counter.

Now, for me, this turned out to be one of those snacks that was yummy and addictive so I ate it at a rather fast pace, burning my mouth a bit in the process. I had to stop reaching into the bag and let my mouth cool down before snacking some more.

The taste? Well, you at first get the cheesey goodness of the Cheetos we've all grown to love. (For the record, I prefer the crunchy to the puffs.) It's not until a few chews in that you really realize "Oh wait, didn't the bag say jalapeno?" For me, I tasted the difference with the first Cheeto (is that the correct singular spelling?), but it wasn't so strong that it bothered me much. I just know that it was tasty.

The best way I can describe it is... people who like hot wings. I mean REALLY like hot wings. You eat one - you're fine. You eat two - something's happening that you're not really aware of. By the third one, you're thinking, "These taste great!" And then... the first one hits you... then the second... and eventually the third.

Now I'm not saying by any means that these Cheetos are as evil as hot wings can be... I'm just giving an example of how the 'heat/hotness' can creep up on you - well, me.

So if you want crunchy, cheesey, slightly hot snack goodness... this is a treat for you.

Would I try it again?: Yup... and still do. They're too yummy for me not to try again.

http://www.fritolay.com/