I am confounded again by curry paste that somehow creeps up the side of the jar, slides through the seal created by the screwed-on lid, and slithers down the side of the jar to form a bright-orange ring of oil at the outside bottom of the jar.

My soy sauce does the same sort of thing; it slides up the inside of the bottle, through the plastic shaker, through the screwed-on lid, and down the outside of the container.

I have never been a kitchen neatnik, but I do make some effort, and these two ingredients seem bound and determined to undermine me. I do not think I am being paranoid about this. What gives?