- Safely guarded family treasurers.
A couple of weeks ago I attended a Chili cookoff at a nearby town. For the uninformed, a "cookoff" is a cooking competition that concentrates on a particular dish, in this case, chili or "chili con carne" to be more precise, a spicy meat stew which is particularly popular in the South. There were a few dozen vendors in attendance and I took my time to sample all of them. I've tasted a lot of different interpretations of chili over the years, e.g., shredded beef versus ground beef, various types of chili peppers, textures, not to mention how served, such as on a bed of rice, on spaghetti, with corn bread, etc. Because of these many variations, I like to believe I have a pretty open mind when it comes to chili.
The competitors in the chili cookoff came from different backgrounds; everything from restaurants to mom and pop operations, to individuals who relished participating in such events. Usually when you go to a cookoff like this, you are likely to run across some commonality between entries. Interestingly, I didn't find anything remotely similar between the various competitors. Although I thought when it came to chili I had seen everything, I of course didn't as everyone seemed to have their own unique interpretation. Most had little or no spice whatsoever in it, which baffled me. Some were runny or soupy and others had more kidney beans than meat. I even found one with shrimp that could have easily passed for gumbo as opposed to chili (I think the guy was lost). There was also a vegetarian chili which I personally consider blasphemous. Regardless, each and every competitor was genuinely proud of their entry and boasted it was the best in the competition. Frankly, most of the entries could have been better used as fishing chum in the Gulf. I may not be a chili connoisseur, but this was bad and I think it would have offended everyone in the great state of Texas where chili is the official dish.
Regardless of the outcome, I discovered chili is a very personal dish and there are probably no two people who prepare it exactly the same. Even if people use prepackaged ingredients, I have found they like to add their own unique nuance to the recipe. When you ask someone to describe their version you usually get a contrived answer like, "It's Spanish style," or Cuban, Greek, Filipino or Ethiopian (huh?), not to mention Cincinnati-style with its "5 ways" of combining ingredients.
I have also found chili recipes are usually jealously guarded family secrets (sometimes even between family members). As to the cookoff competitors I experienced, I don't think they have to worry about the misappropriation of any trade secret. They could paste their recipes on every telephone poll from Tampa to Fairbanks and I think it is safe to say their secrets will remain proprietary.
I guess I don't see chili as a complicated dish. There is meat and there are spices. To me, it's the spices that distinguishes the dish. When you are in the southwest, it's usually a matter of red chilies versus green chilies, both have different tastes and degrees of heat. We could easily stop there but inevitably we do not as evidenced by the many different interpretations I experienced at the cookoff. But shrimp chili? Vegetarian chili? Turkey chili? Ethiopian chili? No, no, no, and Hell no. Just give me the beef and an interesting spice, two things I didn't find at this year's "chili cookoff."
Originally published: November 29, 2010
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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NEXT UP: A COMMUNICATIONS CURRICULUM - What should High School students know about this important subject.
LAST TIME: LEARNING A LOT FROM VOTER REGISTRATION - Just sit and listen to the people; you will get an earful.
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Last month I attended an Art Festival in the downtown area of Palm Harbor. This is a typical small town affair attracting no more than a couple of thousand people. The downtown street was closed off from traffic so vendors could erect tents and displays for their wares. At this time, I volunteered to assist in the registration of voters for the 2016 election. This was a first for me, so I didn't quite know what to expect. Now, I know some of you will say, "Wait Tim, you're a Republican; Republicans don't want people to vote." "Au contraire" my liberal opponents; You have to remember, I come from a generation who believes you do not have the right to complain about the country unless you are at least willing to vote. It is the most fundamental way of demonstrating your civic responsibility.
Ever have a day where it seems it is almost impossible to get anything done? I've been experiencing a lot of these lately, as have my friends, and I'm not too sure why they occur. Let me explain by providing three examples which you might possibly be able to relate to. Even though these are minor incidents, they blossomed into ugly affairs and threatened business.
Since declaring his candidacy for president, Donald Trump has been at odds with his Republican rivals, allegedly the RNC executive committee, political action committees, the Democrats, and particularly the press who appears to despise this political outsider. The media paints a picture of a loudmouthed, uncouth racist, who is greedy beyond words and, therefore, evil. Let me go on the record by saying you cannot be successful in business, be it large or small, by practicing racism or dirty tricks. Maybe organized crime can get away with it, but there are simply too many bureaucratic rules and regulations to allow this to happen. Besides, it doesn't make business sense to do so. Trump's projects as a land developer and entertainer are well known and documented, but the private side is a little sketchy, making fodder for the press.
A couple of years ago I wrote a column titled, 
This is my last column for the year as I prepare to enjoy the holidays and rest up for 2016. As has become customary, I’m going to use this opportunity to review my top essays from the past year.
It occurred to me recently I haven't seen too many people laughing. As for myself, I cannot remember the last time I fell down howling about something funny, and for those of you who know me personally, you know I love a good joke. Unfortunately, thanks to political correctness, it appears jokes are a thing of the past. Our gloominess may also have something to do with the state of our nation. Even in business, you don't hear too many people raving about succuss. It seems we are all stuck in a rut and don't know how to get out of it. I like to believe humor is the distraction we all need in this hour of distress, if for no other reason than to distract us. To this end, I am offering the following list of videos featuring humorous situations which, I hope, will cause you to at least smile. Some are old, and some are new. Either way, I hope you find something amusing in this eclectic set of subjects.