Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Niamakoudji

Did there used to be real ginger in ginger ale like there used to be coca(ine) in the Coke? At the restos and bars I've worked at/been to, ginger ale means 7-Up with a splash of cola. I mention this because I've become addicted enchanted by this product that one of my students turned me onto. Niamakoudji. (I'm sure this is the authentic name, but I've got to say its not the catchiest of monikers.)

Actually, he concocts this in his makeshift kitchen. I've been encouraging him to market the product in shops, but apparently there are strict and expensive requirements to be adhered to that he is as yet unable to do. So he sells it out of his desk drawer. Anyway. This stuff is powerful man. It is concentrated so you need to mix it with water which means you can set your own taste. I like about 1 part to 5 parts water. Still, everyone I've had taste it has grimaced. It's quite zingy with ginger (almost shockingly so) and it envigorates me as well as coffee - no better, it feels like when Popeye eats the can of spinach, I can feel it coursing through my body. Plus I love spiciness. Let me amend that, I love spicy going down but loathe it on the way out. For some reason, ginger loses its spiciness before it slithers through the anal aperture. Not so with curry, wasabi, or hot peppers. "Burning ringpiece" is our coded warning when dining out and one of us is considering the spicy. Actually that's not true, but it used to be. Now all Serge has to do is say "Richard" in that admonishing voice and I get it. Since we're talking about this, (or at least I am) is there any way to stymie the burning ringpiece phenomenon? I mean can you consume some substance along with the spicy to dull its effects before sliding out of the dump daisy?

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Allo,

Tu t'es informé pour les pneus?

Snooze said...

maybe increase fibre if you're worried about the ring of fire? Perhaps your spicy stool is passing through too quickly and the heat hasn't been digested.

the ginger drink sounds cool!

Lacey said...

I thought milk, or dairy in general, had some neutralizing effect on the hotness.

Anonymous said...

I think I'd have that drink tested. There may be hidden ingredients that prevent it's being marketed. I think Ginger Ale had real Ginger just like Root Beer was made from the Roots of Sassafras trees.

My adventures said...

i eat really spicy foods all the time and very rarely does it burn on the way out... i love ginger, i wonder what's in that drink??

The Wisdom of Wislon said...

any excuse to talk about your rear! hee hee ha ha

dpaste said...

Ah, back to form again.

Burning ringpiece. Wasn't that a song by Jonny Cash?

Patricia said...

dude. you're totally drinking something a guy is mixmastering in his garage. be afraid. be very afraid.

ginger ale is big around here since vernor's (yes, made with real ginger) started in detroit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernors

Cooper said...

Ahhhhh, the Torn we all know and love.

As a lover of ginger, I would probably love this. Have you ever tried Ginger beer? It's very good. Your student's beverage sounds like it could be a version of this, which is significantly stronger than ginger ale. The one I like is an Australian brand and I get it at Superstore. (Despite having the word beer, it is not alcoholic.)

Rox said...

The only ginger I can handle is the kind that you'd find in a gingersnap, although I do enjoy a gingerale when I feel yukky. It all stems from a party I went to where I got half-smashed and ate some pickled ginger on a dare. Let me tell you about hellfire! WHOA!

About your poop chute feeling the fire, I have no answer. Maybe you could coat it with some non-stick substance. Teflon arse!

I agree with Patricia, you are drinking lord knows what and feeling like Popeye?! Hell, there could be god knows what in that drink! Have it looked at.

GayProf said...

Ginger, once a requirement for all kitchens, is really underused these days.

As for your ringpiece, I would also suggest some type of dairy. Having grown up eating spicy food, though, I would say that was not really a problem. It seems like your body just adapts if you eat it often enough. Or maybe your ringpiece just becomes calloused. . .

Anonymous said...

Hey, you could try eating those digestion enzyme pills before the offending yet delicious food. I have some so you can try them when we go to Supermex.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, dump daisy. snort.

Anonymous said...

Oompa Loompa doompadee doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa Loompa doompadah dee


How did you ever come to say dump daisy?
Oompa Loompa doompadah dee

bardelf said...

I agree with Patricia, Vernor's Ginger Ale rocks! It's my fav by far.

Torn, perhaps check at a health food store for something to cool down your burning ring of fire.

I might have missed it, but what does the name Niamakoudji mean?

Anonymous said...

"Burning Ringpiece" is a lot more subtle than what we used to call this phenomenon in Mexico when I lived there for four years: "Atomic A**hole"!

;)

Steven said...

OMG! The images that are going through my mind. And in the morning! I can say I have never heard of the drink or "burning ringpiece" but just recently had tried a ginger jam. I put a dollop of it on toast the other day and can say my "burning ringpiece" relocated to the other end.

A Bear in the Woods said...

Ooh, ooh, I want him to sell me some, or at least give me the recipe.
It sounds fabulous.

jali said...

My first experience with the burn was as a teen when I greedily ate my first Jamaican Hot Patty. The next day was misery for me.

I love ginger beer so would probably like Niamkoudji.

Enemy of the Republic said...

Whatever floats the boat--I drink this stuff called Kombacha in a raw organic juice--you can only get it at Whole Foods or special co-ops. Either you love it or you don't, but it is so good for you. It helped cure a woman of breast cancer, and when I had pneumonia last winter, it helped get me back on my feet.

By the way, I really like how you phrase your last line--nice.

Perplexio said...

So you're looking for foods that act more as "binding agents" than as "loosening agents" to mix with spicy foods to counteract or off-set the gastro-intestinal torture they wreak going out the exit door?

The only thing I can think of is to down a shot or two of Pepto or Kaopectate beforehand. Or you could pour yourself a Phillip's Screwdriver (Vodka and Milk of Magnesium-- actually that's from a bad joke I once heard, I wouldn't recommend actually mixing those 2 substances)

anabel said...

I'd love the Popeye feeling but at what cost?

Anonymous said...

You are TRULY the only guy I know who would venture to call his anus the "dump daisy!" I LOVe it. As for the remedy for the ring of fire? If you find it PLEASE let me know. I love spicy but it doesn't love me in return!

Unknown said...

My father, who would eat hot jalepenos straight out of the jar one after another swore by ice cream.

If he ate ice cream at bedtime, it would save him the next day.

Brechi said...

It sounds kind of interesting. That name is crazy though. How do they expect any word of mouth referrals?

dawn said...

Okay. So many things to comment on.

First: The dude is selling this stuff out of his desk and you are putting it in your body without question.

Second: It's making you high off your ass.

Third: I don't want to talk about your ass.

Fourth: Maybe you could rub this magic liquid on your burning ringpiece?

I can't do anymore, I feel ill.

Anonymous said...

You are cheeky today.

S said...

Since we're talking about this, (or at least I am) is there any way to stymie the burning ringpiece phenomenon? I mean can you consume some substance along with the spicy to dull its effects before sliding out of the dump daisy?

Praying. And, lots of it.

Anonymous said...

There are some excellent ginger ales that use real ginger, made by Reed's and Maine Root. They're really strong, partly because of ginger's spiciness but also because these drinks are heavily carbonated.