Ah, always expect the unexpected! We’re back at Cilantro and Sage. The drama never ends…..or does it?

I’m Baaack!

Ewan returns to the kitchen and halts. Kate.

Cripes. Are his eyes deceiving him?

She looks at him. “What are you looking at? Don’t you have something to do?”

He shakes his head, looks at her creation. “Salsa?”

She laughs, her eyes bright. “Not just any salsa, love. Xnipec salsa.”

He can’t even pronounce what she just said. But. What?

Love. She called him love?!

“You’ve been gone for an hour. No, an hour and 15 minutes. You left. Saying you were done. You were never coming back, but you decide to come back and make salsa?”

“Xnipec salsa, Ewan. The salsa of hot, hot dreams.”

Ewan shakes his head, looks up at the ceiling. “You’re frigging killing me. What are we supposed to do with this salsa mid-service?”

Her eyes are provocative. “What makes you think that this salsa is for the restaurant? What if it’s for us, for our employees? For no one?”

Crap. Has she literally dived over the side? “Okay.”

She grabs a chip, dips it in the salsa, scooping up tomatoes, onions, habanero, cilantro. “Here.”

He wants to wave it away. He saw the freaking habanero disintegrate under her knife. Oh, he just wants to say no, but he opens his mouth so she can slide a chip of molten lava into his mouth.

And. It’s good. Feaking hot. But oozing with flavor.

She nods. “Good, yeah?”

He nods, longing for a glass of milk, a spoonful of yoghurt, sour cream.

“Are you back?”

“Did I leave?” she asks, gazing around, meeting everyone’s gaze but his.

“I thought so, yeah.”

“More fool you. How could I ever leave my baby?”

He’s sure his neck hurts from whiplash, but he nods, thinking that the bar and a bottle of Glenlivet is calling his name.

He wants to ask: yeah, your baby, but what about me?

Will this woman be the death of him?

end

---

When I went to Mexico, I was expecting spicy foods. My first sight from the bus was a Dunkin’ Donuts. Huh. That’s like home. It wasn’t until I went to Cozumel that I tasted real Mexican food with habaneros. I have many fond memories of Cozumel, a waiter telling us about how his daughter loves Kahlua on her ice cream…and we did too. And, the salsa in that restaurant had habaneros in it. If you’ve never tasted a habanero, it’s not only hot (yep, excruciating, if you’re not used to it), but it’s fruity. It’s an experience you can’t pass up. It’s lovely, seriously. It has flavor, a wonderful tropical flavor.

Xnipec Salsa