Chili

It was slow at work, and the weather has finally started to change to cool. So I mentioned that I was thinking of getting some chili for lunch.

Dasha rewarded me with one of her famous blank looks.

"Have you never had chili before?"

"I've never even heard of it!"

So I sent her the Wikipedia link.  "Ohhh," she said, "It's Mexican!"

It's funny: I don't think of Chili as being a Mexican food, but it is. In fact, Chili is more authentically Mexican than most of the foods we get in Mexican restaurants. It pre-dates the Spanish conquest of the new world!

For those few of you who don't know what it is, it's basically a thick soup made with tomatoes, chili peppers (usually in the form of chili powder), and meat. Many recipes add other things to the mix, with beans being one of the more common additions.

It's also one of the last things I would have expected to be blogging about here, as it's so widespread in the US. It's widespread enough that I never thought to look into its origins before today. It was just one of those foods I had growing up that I liked.

I was a little concerned - Dasha has a reputation around here for being a bit of a spice wuss.  She can't handle really hot foods. Or even moderately hot foods.  So picking a good chili for her required thought.

I finally settled on Wendy's. Not only is it pretty good chili, it's cheap. And easy to reach during my lunch break. And, because it's designed for the mass market, it's not too hot.

I told her I was getting some before heading out to lunch.

"Are you sure? It's not too expensive is it?"

I reassured her that it was only $1.50 (because I was getting a small).

"Well ... okay.  If you're sure."

I ordered the chili with onions and cheese both - chili just isn't right unless it is properly topped.  She sniffed suspiciously when I set hers in front of her.  "Why do you always serve crackers with soup? Why don't you just use bread?"

And then a tentative taste.

"It's not bad!"

Another taste.

"I can eat this. Thank you, Eric."

It hit me, then - Chili to her is an exotic food.  It's like putting Poi or Borscht in front of me - they're flavors for which I have no regular and recurring frame of reference. I've had them - rarely - but not enough that I can tell good Poi from bad.

"This," she told me, "is very different for me. But I think I like it."

Even though she didn't say anything, I do think it was still a little too spicy for her, because she ate most of her crackers.

"I can see eating this in the winter," she said, "the heat, you know?"

Then she saw my burger - "Are those any good?"

She's never had a Wendy's burger.

I'll have to remedy that.