A Day of Hell

How often does one get to actually see and witness where one's favorite all-time salsa is made? Well, not very often, I'm sure! But today, I went beyond that land of fantasy into reality when I visited Hell on the Red, Inc. in Telephone, Texas. This is the place where it's all done. They make a variety of salsas, in addition to a cheese sauce, chili mix, and mustard, just to name a few!

My day at Hell (on the Red) was a day in Heaven. On this particular day, the staff of five people were making the cheese dip. It was so awesome. In a warehouse about the size of two small barns, they make the products in two 80-gallon pots. They rotate between batches. It seems that the favorite salsa is the Mild Party, which happens to also be my favorite. I tried the Hot Party in an attempt to slow down when eating chips and salsa (because with the Mild I can eat the entire jar in two sittings if I let myself). I figured if it's hotter, I'd eat less. Well, it's true. But it's also painful. One time I nearly passed out because the throbbing and hot sensation in my mouth was enough to suck all the blood from my head into my mouth tissue. My blood figured it was an "all hands on deck" sort of situation.

But what a day! I was so excited. The story should air soon.