I made the New York Times pea guacamole. The peas aren't the problem.

And now, a hot take on the New York Times' pea guacamole, which became a minor internet sensation (and way for President Obama to show he was down with Twitter) on Wednesday.

Add green peas to your guacamole. Trust us. http://t.co/7imMY9c2ph pic.twitter.com/oeOMt2qgmh

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 1, 2015

respect the nyt, but not buying peas in guac. onions, garlic, hot peppers. classic. https://t.co/MEEI8QHH1V

— President Obama (@POTUS) July 1, 2015

In a former life, I did a short stint as a food writer, and one of my obsessions back then was how much more sensitive people's opinions about food are than their taste buds. There are things foodies will confidently assert have huge taste differences — farmed salmon versus wild salmon, cheap red wine versus expensive red wine, canned beans versus home-cooked beans — but, in a blind test, the differences prove imperceptible.

A lot of opinions about how food tastes are actually opinions about class, culture, or identity masquerading as opinions about how food tastes.

So this morning, I woke up early and made the Times' pea guacamole, as well as a version of the same Times recipe without peas. When you actually taste the guacamoles, it's instantly clear that the peas are not the story. They're barely noticeable. When I asked various Vox staffers to taste the guacamoles, they often couldn't tell which one had peas. If they didn't know either had peas, I don't think anyone would have even considered the idea.

Which isn't to say the peas are useless. The main thing they do is make the guac a bit greener and more vivid, which is, to be sure, welcome. But it's probably not a boost that justifies shelling peas, boiling them, shocking them in an ice bath, and running them through a food processor.

The real player in the Times' guacamole recipe is something no one is talking about: the broiled jalapeno. It's a taste bully, and it dominates both the pea and non-pea versions. The most important thing the peas do, actually, is balance out the broiled jalapeno with a bit of sweetness.

Which is all to say that there's a good reason, in my opinion, to avoid the Times' guacamole recipe, but its' not the peas. It's the broiled jalapeno, which are both a pain to prepare (you need to rub the burnt skin off of them), and a distraction from the creamy avocado and sharp lime.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via