Rhiana vs. Ma Po Tofu, Round 2

Alright, Ma Po Tofu. I see you there in that plastic tub, and I can count at least 20 malignities of hua jiao lingering on the surface of your delicious sauce. You may have bested me in the restaurant, but I shall be the victor tonight. Much pained eating ensues, followed by frenzied drinking and, finally, triumphant cries at the sight of a clear plate. I quite enjoyed that! Hua jiao, I have learned, contains 3% hydroxy-alpha-sanshool. This explains the tingling and numbness, but not the deafness I experienced. (Perhaps we'll never know the cause of that.) Also, hua jiao is not illegal as I wrongly assumed, but was banned from importation until 2006, because it carried a disease called citrus canker that could infect North American plants. Now, it's heated to 70 degrees Celsius prior to leaving Asia. The fact that it's a new arrival in Canada explains why I've eaten a lot of Sichuan food without ever tasting a hint of hua jiao until this very week! I've unfortunately never been to Sichuan, and I don't recall ever eating Sichuan food in Hong Kong, so someone will have to update me on the current hua jiao situation there.