红还是绿？

“Red or green？ ” This is one of the most popular and famous questions you will hear in New Mexico. New Mexico is one of the only states where people love spicy food. There are a lot of Mexican and New Mexican dishes. Almost all families have red chile1 powder， green chile sauce and tortillas（玉米粉圓饼）in their homes. New Mexico is famous for its chile. Red or green， which one is better？ It is always a question that cannot be answered. This debate has existed since New Mexico became a state， and it will never end.

Every year， from the end of August to early October， its the season to roast2 green chile. And local people will buy fresh green chile in bags， so they can save it for the rest of the year. This is when summer is ending， but winter has not yet arrived， the sun is not blazing hot anymore but still warm. The whole state of New Mexico smells like the tasty chile. This is the best time to visit New Mexico. As a result， it is the peak3 season for tourism in New Mexico.

The climate， the air， the soil， the altitude4， cold nights， hot days， these are characteristics of New Mexico. It is the bright sunshine and dry air that provide the best environment for chile to grow. Red and green chiles can come from a single plant. Red chile peppers are more ripe5 than the green. So， New Mexicans usually roast green chile， then peel it and chop it. Green chile sauce can be added to breakfast eggs or meat soup. As for the ripe red chile， locals air dry it， add water to it and then blend it into sauce. They mix it into burritos（墨西哥玉米煎饼）or spread6 it on bacon（咸肉；培根）.

If you have a hard time choosing between red and green， then go for the middle one， “Christmas”. Its half green and half red. So you can try two at once.

As a chile state， New Mexico offers all kinds of chile products. Chile powders are dried， chile sauces are packed into jars， and there are other chile ingredients7 also. The packages can be simple or complicated. The tastes are all different. Its good to buy them for yourself or as gifts.

“红还是绿？”这是新墨西哥州最著名也最常听到的问题。新墨西哥州是美国唯一真正嗜辣的州。这里有丰富的墨西哥和新墨西哥菜。家家户户都存有红辣椒粉、绿辣椒酱和自制的玉米粉圆饼。新墨西哥州因其辣椒而闻名。关于红辣椒粉更好吃还是绿辣椒酱更好吃的争论，从新墨西哥州存在那一天开始就没完没了。大家永远得不出一个标准答案。

每年8月底至10月初是烘焙绿辣椒的时节，也是当地人成袋购买新鲜绿辣椒做一年储存之用的季节。此时，夏季已近尾声，冬季尚未开始，阳光不再炙热却依旧温暖。整个州内美味辣椒飘香，是新墨西哥州最吸引人的时候。因此，8月至10月是新墨西哥州的旅游旺季。

气候，空气，土地，海拔，寒冷的夜晚，炙热的白天，新墨西哥。新墨西哥州的灿烂阳光和干燥气候为各种辣椒提供了绝佳的生长环境。无论是红辣椒，还是绿辣椒，其实都来自同样的植株，只是红辣椒比绿辣椒更成熟。因此，新墨西哥人会烘烤绿辣椒，然后将其去皮，剁碎成酱，浇在早餐的鸡蛋上，加到炖煮的肉汤中。完全成熟后的红辣椒，他们将其风干浸泡，加水搅拌成末，挖一勺到卷饼中，或者淋洒在培根上。

如果在红绿之间实在难以抉择，你也可以折中选择“圣诞色”，也就是红绿各一半，一次吃到两种口味。

作为辣椒大州，新墨西哥州有各种辣椒制品。从风干的辣椒粉到罐装的辣椒酱和辣椒配料，包装有简有繁，味道各不相同。无论你是自用还是送人，都很不错。

Tip

have a hard time choosing：短语have a hard time + doing…的意思是“做……不容易”“做……有困难”。例如：She had a hard time working out a solution to her problem. 她费了很大劲才想出解决问题的办法。类似的用法还有：have a difficult time doing…意思是“做……很吃力”。