Here is a hotsauce story for you, Kaveman.
When I came to your lovely country first time in 81, I left a logging job in Schweiz in late winter, when we were finished.
Hitchhiked to Oostende in order to take the ferry to England.
Well, Oostende got hit by a mega blizzard that shut everything down.
So I set my tent up outside the ferry terminal and waited for it to blow over.
Imagine the reaction of the costums people when they finally dug through next day and found me sleeping on their doorstep.
Invited me in for coffee, nice folks.
Made it to London, but got tired of that in a day, so flew out next morning. I don't like cities.
Landed in New Yourk, same story..........left after 1½ hour on a greyhound along interstate 80.
Got dropped far enough from the city, that hitchiking was possible and set off westwards.
Winter the whole way. It was hard as hell.
Got hit by another snowstorm in Nevada.
I was standing in the literal middle of nowhere, having been dropped off by someone, who left I80.
Woke up next morning and there was nothing but snow, horizon to horizon. Made breakfast, packed up and struggled through the snow out to the Highway and waited for better times.
After a while I saw a black spot way out.................snowplow!
When he came up to me, I stuck my thumb out, " Now where the hell did you come from". took me to the next town and bought me breakfast, while telling everyone in the cafe' about how I was standing there, middle of nowhere, thumb out.
Just made it over Donner Pass when the next snowstrom hit.
I was in the mountains by then, with forest and was actually looking forwards to spending the night, when I got picked up by a Vietnam vet in a Jeep, who took me home.
Next day I made it to Redding and stood just outside of town on 299.
By now the weather was warming up, so I gradually stripped off my winter clothing, while waiting for a ride. Lots of young students coming by, smiling and waving at me, life sure was improving.
Got picked up by a logging truck, the driver bought me luch at a small logger's cafe in Willowcreek.
There was a bottle of something green on the table. I didn't know what it was and ask the trucker.
"Salsa verde" try it on your hash browns.
Bottle was empty when I left the table.
Been loving hot sauce ever since.
(That was, of course, a very abbreviated version of a trip that took 3 miserable weeks)