Hot-saucing Children

(9)

I deduce from the news tonight that some or other progressive northeastern state (Mass? Conn?) is on the verge of outlawing spanking and related 'crimes' against children, including 'hotsaucing.' Did I get that right? Are there really parents out there who force their children to imbibe Tobasco sauce as punishment? I hope not.

One of my earliest memories concerns just such an incident: we were eating supper. I spotted a little bottle of stuff on the table which I took to be a bottle of pop. I grabbed the bottle and took a swig. It must have been a bottle of hot sauce, because my breath was immediately taken away. I could only leave the table and go out on the porch and hang my head over the railing with my mouth wide open, salivating copiously. I stayed that way for at least ten minutes. I seem to remember that my parents, who may have been taken by surprise by my unexpected maneuver, remonstrated me for my impulsive behavior.

Do modern parents really inflict hot sauce on their children?