The Memory. Skewered lamb, fire, and unexpected friendship.

I'm Philip, founder of ENAK Seasonings. This blend is a memory I can taste.

The Story

I moved to Beijing thinking I'd stay one year. I ended up living in Asia for eight years in three countries.

There are little sidewalk restaurants all over Beijing that sell skewered lamb, dusted with cumin and Sichuan peppercorns among other spices. Chuan'rr, in the Beijing dialect. Simple food, cooked fast over open coals, eaten most often at a plastic table on the sidewalk. The first time I tried it, I didn't think much of it beyond, "This is good." I had no idea how much that flavor would end up meaning to me.

The same night as that first taste, I met my wife Maggie for the first time. Completely unrelated to the lamb, but that's how memory works sometimes. Two things happened on the same night, and now they're permanently tangled together. I can't think about Chuan'rr without thinking about that night, even though one has nothing to do with the other.

The real story behind this blend, though, is my friend Jason.

We were thrown together in leadership of a young adults group at an international church. We disagree on almost everything. Different opinions, different ways of seeing the world, the kind of differences that would probably would have kept us from ever sitting down at a table together home in the US. Instead, we became close friends over many plates of skewered lamb and other local dishes.

The deep talk was balanced with a lot of fun too. I remember one night specifically sitting at a sidewalk table with Jason, and the restaurant played Justin Bieber's "Baby" on repeat. Not once. The entire meal. It still makes me laugh.

This is what this blend actually is. Earthy cumin seed, tongue-tingling Sichuan peppercorn, a heat that builds slowly and stays. But underneath the flavor notes, it's a guy exploring the world, meeting the love of his life, and making the most meaningful friendships he's ever had.

Some flavors are just food. This one is a place, a group of people, and a handful of nights I never want to forget.

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