This weekend, Matthew and I were members of a team competing in Shanghai's annual chili cook-off. Though to be honest, we mostly provided moral support, and some tasty cornbread, since neither of us are beef eaters. Before I get into the meat of our weekend (yes, I went there), I first wanted to thank one of my sweet readers who approached me at the cook-off. Whether she knew it or not, when Anne-Marie asked if I was the writer of this blog, she totally made my day. I was so shocked to have someone other than a family member or friend mention reading my blog that I just stared at her for a moment. So thanks to Anne-Marie for making me feel like a little bit of a Shanghai celebrity (And feel free to check out her Shanghai adventures over on her
blog as well. She provides a pretty funny look at teaching in China).
I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about chili or chili cook-offs for that matter. And this wasn't just any chili, it was Texas chili, a concept I was even more unfamiliar with. Apparently Texas chili is made entirely of meat and spices. Adding beans is a capital offense. And of course, our team consisted solely of expats hailing from New York and Ohio who had never even heard of Texas chili before.
This year, the cook-off was officially sanctioned by CASI, the Chili Appreciation Society International, which is apparently a big deal. This meant that the top three finishers qualified to attend CASI’s International Chili Championship held in Terlingua, Texas.
So how did our team, Jalapeno Dave's, do? With a third place finish, Dave will be off to Texas in November.
No comments:
Post a Comment