Normally when a cop whips out his pepper spray on a protester, that protester responds by shaking on the ground for a half hour. In this case, I’m guessing when a cop whips out his pepper spray, the protester whips out his burrito.
By “case” I mean the Occupy-esque protest that took place near the end of last year in Albuquerque. Attendees weren’t going off about the evils of the financial industry, though. No, this was something closer to home—genetic research. Specifically, as it applies to chile peppers.
The LA Times ran a brief piece on the story on December 5th. According to them, researchers at New Mexico State University were studying pepper genetics. Somewhere, someone got the idea that this automatically meant genetically modified super peppers were just around the corner; that Corporate America couldn’t wait to swoop in and destroy small growers in the state by planting taller growing, sturdier chile plants. Events snowballed from there until people had enough fire in the belly to protest.
Now, I wasn’t at the protests. I was too busy celebrating my birthday in Los Angeles that weekend and didn’t find out about it until after Lois Manno wired my bail to the county sheriff.
That’s not important right now, though. What is are your thoughts on the matter. Do you think we’ll be seeing GMO (genetically modified organism) chile peppers soon, and if so, what impact do you think they’ll have?
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Comments
We will most likely be seeing genetically modified everything in the future.
Well yes and no. If it does happen it will most likely be for other reasons, maybe chemical or to treat an issue. Chile lovers are a small part of the population and God created peppers that are more than potent enough for most. A frost resistant variety or chile pepper that is drought resistant maybe, but still, why? I’m leaning towards, it’s gonna be a long time before it happens, or it’s already here and we are kept in dark about GMO chile. If we do see GMO chiles it’s only gonna make regular chiles all that much more valuable to me and most true pepper lovers and growers.