California town sues Sriracha maker over smell

A judge will decide the fate of Sriracha as town complains about the smell produced while making the stuff.
I always thought this was produced in Asia?

Anyway, as long as they don’t mess with my favorite:

Sriracha is a classic Thai sauce but the famous one with rooster is from California. Traditional Thai versions are thicker and sweeter.

Funny your post here and the fish sauce pic on FB made me think of a guy I work with. He’s Thai, grew up in rural Thailand, but won’t go out for Thai food. Lack of authenticity doesn’t bother him, but fish sauce does. When he was a kid, his walk to school took him by a fish sauce factory, and he said the smell was so disgusting it put him off Thai food forever

I could see how that could happen.

I have Sriracha in my fridge but don’t use it much. Something I was not liking and I only realized it as I started enjoying different items at a local Dim Sum joint that has since closed down why. I did not quite find it pleasing enough for my tastes. I would rip through the small plates of the Vietnamese stuff they served me though. probably the added garlic? Also, the one I have pictured is very hot, also something i did not find in the Sriracha and lastly i did not like the mouth-feel of the Sriracha, it seemed too pasty and vinegary.
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http://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=90955#p1285898

Brian, your sauces look pretty good.

Fermentation concludes today and tonight I will cook them down with some distilled white vinegar. Wish me luck.

Brian - good luck. Definitely deserves a thread all its own!

I have Sriracha in my fridge but pretty much use it only for spicy tuna rolls. I think Lori might have put a small amount in some stir-frys. We keep a jar of nam prik pao also and it’s more common for me to use that. We also keep Cholula around, as well as Chipotle Tabasco when I want some smokiness.

Was supposed to be “thinner and sweeter”.

Momofuku pork buns are getting to be a twice a month thing here. That and a bo ssam or two a month and the Sriracha goes very fast – never leaves the countertop. But I wouldn’t want to live near the factory.

Good luck Brian, jars look awesome.

A delicious blessing flavored with the incandescant glow of a thousand dying suns . The Oatmeal sums up my feelings about Sriracha perfectly here.

Sriracha and peanut butter rock.

Sriracha and breakfast burritos with potatoes roll.

The judge in the case sided with David Tran btw.

Mark, with my new fun-loving journey of ‘All Things Asian Cooking’ I don’t think I will ever bring myself to peanut butter anything. It just does not compute in my narrow mind.

Looks like they can still manufacture for now. Next hearing 11/22.

Oh NO! Judges rules they must cease and desist:

http://laist.com/2013/11/27/sriracha_factory_ordered_to_close.php

Commerce Corner… Sriracha F/S F/T

I only know what I have read, but this is a 600K sf plant…guys that didnt pop into existence yesterday. I find this all very odd that the complaints only started a few months ago, and the city sued.

Can you imagine owning that, doing business for years, then being told you had to close regardless of your investment?

Assuming they were meeting all zoning codes, and standard air quality issues already legislated in place, I find this very scary.

Mark, the plant is only two years old and the odor is apparently only a problem from August to the end of October or beginning of November during jalapeno harvest season. The city wants the plant to put in a new $600,000 filtration system and the owner doesn’t want to make the additional investment. Wikipedia puts sales at around $60,000,000 for 2012 so I don’t see Huy Fong Foods being told to close regardless of their investment but being asked to invest 1% of sales to clear-up a problem that a judge agrees there is. You can find info here http://bigstory.ap.org/article/city-odor-sriracha-chili-plant-nuisance-0

YMMV

Sorry Sean, that thinking is in my opinion whats hurting american business. If in fact the plant is two years old, i am positive it passed all current regulations and requirements at the time.

So now, two years later, any authority has the right to come in and say they need to give up 1% of their margin?

I do not agree.

Just to play devil’s advocate, how would you feel if the smell was coming into your house to the point that it burned?

I don’t live there, but chili/vinegar/fish smells can be overpowering. Perhaps regulators missed the mark and let it go in not realizing the impact on the local area.

The nearest major town to me is Eureka. When I was a kid, the paper mill still ran. The entire town stunk 80% of the year. I used to dread going there when we needed to go shopping. Now, the air is clear. I am sure that the mill met requirements at one point in time, but it also had a big impact on quality of life. It did provide jobs, on the other hand.

It seems to me that people should try to come up with a solution. A loan to cover the cost of the mitigation? If it is indeed 1%, the company should be able to pass that on without a huge outcry from consumers. I sincerely doubt that they will quit over 1%.

I think you can reconsider.
For example, in Chinese cookery for “cold” noodle (liang mian) or dan dan noodles, one of the sauce ingredients often seen is sesame paste. if you were to open a jar, sniff it and taste it, it’s very close to peanut butter. Another ingredient usually added are chili/chili oil and sometimes garlic (there’s your chili garlic Rooster brand paste right there).