I Am Da Chili Man

A couple weekends ago, a caravan of six family members including myself braved freezing temperatures and snow-covered walks to attend the second annual Depot Town Chili Tasting Challenge in Ypsilanti. Ten businesses, mostly bar and restaurant types, put their best beans, cheese and chili sauce recipes on the line for charity.

We picked up judging ballots along with the requisite spoons, napkins and empty plastic tasting vessels at the Corner Brewery. After samping their chili—one pot featured venison—we marched onward, visiting each of the ten local merchants clustered about the commercial district.

I think I ranked the venison chili a seven out of ten. Most venues offered two chili types, one vegetarian. At a bakery we visited there was a rowdy crowd of cheerleaders keeping tabs on which chili would-be tasters picked to try (they had two, one being vegan chili).

“I’ll try the one that’s NOT vegan,” I said, drawing boos and catcalls from on-lookers behind the counter. As one smiling chef spooned me a sample from his pot, another gentleman made the “Loser” sign for me, pressing his thumb and extended index finger to his forehead.

But I got a bonus: my chili came with a mini-corn muffin and a dainty cupcake with a colorful swirl of frosting on top. I noticed several competitors offering extras from shots of beer to free wetnaps. It was like a chili primary--anything for a vote.

By the way, my nephew Bill behind me did choose the vegi chili at the bakery, which drew nearly as many boos and guffaws, some claiming he chose opposite of me to avoid the loser label. And Bill didn’t get the bonus corn muffin or mini-pastry, which somehow I got blamed for. I guess my careless dismissal of the vegan chili had put the local server out of synch when he served up my nephew’s chili.

I split my favorite vote, giving perfect tens to both Sidetrack’s Cheeseburger Chili, which was last year’s champion, and Cady’s Restaurant’s Aunt Barb’s White Bean Turkey Chili, which drew the ire of my sister-in-law Denise. “If it wins, I’ll never come back,” she complained, feeling that Aunt Barb’s was really a customized brand of Campbell’s soup.

What makes chili anyway? It’s true that many chilis we sampled seemed more stew or soup than chili. I’d be interested in opinions here, particularly from any Texans since Texas cuisine seems synonymous with chili in my book.

Anyway, among the 20 or so chilis competing, Aunt Barb’s took first place and Sidetrack’s second. Wow, my picks both! My sister-in-law should have new respect for my culinary expertise now. I can say it . . . I am da chili man.


[I've had difficulty keeping up with my blogging this week because our Verizon has been acting up again. First the phones went out, then my Verizon DSL, then the phones came back on, but not my DSL, then the phones went out again. I strongly suspect that robot I wrote about in my "You, Robot" blog a couple weeks ago had been surfing the net, came across my blog and didn't like it. So he's been pulling this switch, pushing that button, and messing with our communications. So I have a new pronouncement that I hope will help here: robots are your friend.]