• a variety of fine pickles •

the beans have it

let me say first that this has been an interesting study in humanities.

let me say secondly that after this, i'm gonna drop it.

those points having been made, this is all about the beans. this has bounced all over the place, and all started when a homesick texan, transplanted to new york city (new york city? get a rope!) was marveling at the beautiful autumn-like weather in manhattan, and pining for the days coming soon when she could slide into her cowboy boots (swing it, sister!) and fire up the stove to make a big batch of texas red. to the uninitiated, that's chili, folks.

if you're still paying attention, that's when the fun began. i happened to speak up (something i have a terrible time not doing) about chili as well and included, in my comments, the following quote:

"and yes, i make my chili with beans - and i AM a native texan. it's an age-old debate... but i do. "

and a new post was born on the homesick texan's blog. and another on lake county's blog. i felt a little like i'd given birth to it myself, or at least been there for the conception.

it's a very interesting debate to me; totally good natured, of course. i can't imagine someone would lose a friend over beans in the chili. everybody played nice and friendly, like a good debate should be. no mud slinging. (chili slinging?)

today, however, i decided to take the bean issue to the streets.

i live in central texas about 15 minutes away from ft hood; we have a widely diverse population of residents from all over the country. perfect! a great way to find out how people - not just texans - feel about chili: beans or no beans.

i polled indiscriminatly; i asked friends, strangers, caucasions, african americans, latinos, asians, young people, older people. i asked everybody i was able to at work today within about a four hour time frame. i asked a very simple question:

"when it comes to a bowl of chili, do you like it with beans or without beans?"

the results astonished me, admittedly. i kinda figured beans stood a good chance, but i had no idea it would be the landslide it turned out to be.

BEANS: 54         NO BEANS: 11

i was surprised also at the number of people who, after answering, said things very similar to "except if it's frito pie" or "except if it's a chili dog". but when speaking of a steaming bowl of chili served and eaten as chili, a meal in itself, the beans have it.

at least here in texas.

thanks to everybody who participated in my weird bean poll today, and also to lisa, hank, and all the other bloggers who got involved in the great bean debate of 2006. you're all good sports.

all that matters is the chili, man. any fan of chili is a friend of mine. especially if you're wearing cowboy boots when your spoon hits the bowl. lisa, i'm talkin' to you, sister. I'll shure as shootin' be wearin' mine.

p.s. even though i'm (probably) going to retire this post topic, your comments are welcomed, including those i haven't heard from (matt, sara...) who have a position on the bean in relation to the chili.

the musical fruit

 

okay. maybe i started something.

i like beans in my chili.

here's the backstory: matt was blogging about his yearning for autumn. i would have to agree, more than anybody will ever know. lisa chimed in on her blog, homesick texan, and wrote about how she can't wait for autumn as well, and she can't wait to be able to make chili.

so i piped in on lisa's blog with a comment about how i too can't wait for autumn because that's when i, too, make my first pot of chili, or "texas red", as lisa calls it. i happened to mention that i put beans in my chili.

it's an age-old debate, i know. with or without? it's sort of like the beatles vs. the rolling stones; my mom tells me that when she was in high school, you were either a fan of the beatles or the rolling stones, but not both. you were on one side of the line, and there was no stepping over it. there's a little more waffling allowed with the bean debate however.

allow me to splain.

people who like beans in their chili will eat chili with or without beans. sure, they may prefer it with beans, and you might hear something similar to "oh. you don't use beans, huh?" but you'll still bear witness to someone licking their bowl clean and probably asking for seconds. or thirds.

people who don't like beans in their chili are usually pretty vehemently opposed to beans in chili. there's no two ways about it. i've seen a no-beans-chili-eater pushing beans around to get to the meat in a bowl full of chili made with beans. you are more prone to hear things like "oh. you use beans in your chili??? so, where are you from?" and will probably be left clearing a small pile of beans out of the bottom of an otherwise clean chili bowl when the guests leave.

i'm not in any way inferring that a no-beans chili kind of texan is any less amiable or forgiving than a beans-in-the-chili kind of texan. it's just where i stand: i like beans in my chili. i make my chili with beans. and as lisa said in her blog, if you've gotta use canned beans, by all means, use ranch style beans. whenever i have the time, however, i make a big pot of homemade beans to use in my chili. certainly not all of the beans will end up in the chili - very few of those plump little beauties will actually make their way into the texas red; the rest will be eaten, preferably with sliced jalapenos, ladled on white bread. (another burgeoning debate: white bread or corn bread with beans?) just a small smattering of beans in my chili, but with beans, nonetheless.

which leads me to chili toppings: do you top? and if you do top, what do you top with? cheese? onions? jalapenos? crumbled crackers? sour cream? yeah, sour cream. i love love love sour cream on top of chili. it's definitely not a texan thing, i don't think; i'm not sure where i first had sour cream on my chili, but i can tell you this - it's delicious. i don't use sour cream every time i eat chili, but occasionally i just sort of yearn for a generous dollop of daisy. and shredded jack. and jalapenos. that's the way i enjoy my chili. and i like it thick; if you can't stand a spoon in it without it falling over, it's not thick enough.

and, i might add, hot. chili has to be spicy for me to really get into it. and by spicy, i mean "i-can't-feel-my-lips, do-you-see-those-spots-on-the-wall-or-is-it-just-me, where-the-hell-is-the-bathroom" spicy. H-O-T. that's the way i like it. chili with a side of prilosec.

so tell me: where do you stand on the bean issue? what, if anything, tops your perfect chili?

i'm dying to know. it's almost chili season.

one last thing: wolf brand chili, or any other sort of chili out of a can is the fruit of the devil.