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I love adding tons of white pepper to my cucumber gazpacho. Spicy, without alot of aromatics. Yum!

Perhaps it was your delivery, my friend. You see, there is a difference between exclaiming that a thing (in this case, Mexican food) is boring, Full Stop and explaining that your particular palate cannot discern the difference between the dishes in a particular region's food.

From your delivery, I understood you to be describing the food itself as boring (as in, "that barn is grey") versus your perception of the food ("because I am color blind, that barn looks grey). The difference is subtle, but it's there.

"I also ate out at the best restaurants in town. I've eaten in Tijuana and San Diego and LA, in Phoenix AZ, as well as in Mexican joints all over the country, further removed from Mexico. From high end white table cloth to taco stands. It's good. It's just, well, boring. It all ends up tasting the same."

Hmmm, simon--have you thought that maybe it's just you?

Oooh Pimm's Cup at Napoleon House, you helped me survive many a hangover in the crushing New Orleans heat.

What's in my pantry? That depends, has my roommate been cooking?

If she has, then all my sundried tomatoes are gone, as is my arborio rice, and the EVOO. Goat cheese in the fridge? Nope. Chicken stock? HA!

So, basically, I'll have 2 Tbs. of multi-purpose flour, my half-dead basil plant, and a can of leechee fruit to cook with. Yum!

Cochon=unadulterated awesomeness. My favorite food memory as a child is random...I remember going camping with my family, and my mom made these aluminum foil "pouches" to throw on the grill. They were filled with garlic, fresh herbs, shrimp, and veggies, and they were the most decadent thing I'd ever had. I immediately loved camping, and have been "chasing the dragon" to recreate that flavor ever since.

1. Smoke anything (chicken wings, whole chickens, pork) in a jamaican jerk marinade...it will be awesome. 2. Smoked food tastes better the next day. 3. Sorry folks, but I've found that the more "sustainable" smoking chips you get at Whole Foods and the like are more like mulch than chips and are crappy for smoking. 4. I just made a smoked veggie (tomato, fennel, artichoke, portabellas) pasta sauce for a contest, and it was pretty rockin'--don't be afraid to go outside the "meat box"--haha, meatbox--to fill up your smoker.

Have you tried Sticky Rice on H Street? It's not 100% "authentic" (re: their sashimi specials have things like beef seared in sesame oil) and I wouldn't go on a Friday or Saturday because it's packed, but it's yummy yummy yummy. My favorite roll there has tuna, grilled pineapple, jalapeno, and cilantro.

For a more authentic place, try Sushi Taro near Dupont Circle. On a warm spring day, they'll open the windows and it's a lovely experience. Either way, yelp.com may help you weed out the good from the bad...it hasn't let me down yet. (Well, except for the "Palace of Wonders" listing--that place is one of the worst-run businesses I've ever come across!)

Who doesn't love fruit "milkshakes"? Frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries and peaches are yummy) and unsweetened soy milk make smoothies easy. If you add fresh grapes, you get a sweet, milky meal you can take your time and sip. Protein powder helps w/energy, and you can get lots of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals out of the fruit. One blender full of smoothie, apportioned and put in the freezer can get you through 3 meals for maybe $15 total. Once you have the soy milk and protein powder, they get cheaper from there. If you can get her to do it, baby spinach, carrots, and avocado add fiber and minerals w/out changing the flavor or texture.

I cover them with spicy flour and pan fry them, then I put a red peppery, ginger, garlic, orange juice glaze over them for Orange Chicken just like at the mall Chinese Food place. :)

I'm always a fan of oven-braising a giant pork shoulder roast in some water and cider vinegar, shredding it, and serving it (with our without BBQ sauce) as sandwiches w/coleslaw, or an entree with some mac n' cheese and a salad (or both on seprarate days). It's old school, so the elderly folks love it, and kids go gaga for it.

Something Asian and spicy? Like sesame noodles with red pepper flakes(Epicurious has a good recipe) and veggies. That way you get sweet and spicy, with flavors that are common to that dynamic.