When Pain Is Good

Just as advertising can work miracles, it can just as easily backfire. The campaign for the Pain Is Good line of salsa and spice products by Original Juan irritates me. I deliberately avoided trying the Kansas City, KS, company's goods for over a year. When I finally succumbed a few months ago, I was astonished by what I'd been missing. Most prepared salsas are pretty good; even the inexpensive generic store brands at local groceries are tasty. But Original Juan's offerings are at an entirely different level. The fiery T-Bones and mild Jamaican Pineapple flavors are my current favorites. (And no, the company didn't contact me about this endorsement, although they're welcome to ship me a few cases.)