Chili Weather

This year's Chili Bowl was the the first day of seasonably cooler weather for a big event at the park which made it the perfect day for sampling 25 kinds of chili. This was my second year attending the big fall gut buster and it didn't disappoint. I walked in about 30 min after the start time and it was already in full swing. Elisa took advantage of the kids eat for free rule and fortunately they had hot dogs for picky eaters like Carolina. And I made my way around the tables sampling and photographing the chilis and the contestants. There were a lot of great flavors mingling together and  a lot of fun times chatting with friends. Jamie and Chris definitely turned the volume up this year with their YOLO chili and accompanying douchebag techno outfits. The shots of fireball helped too. After a couple of those, the conversations turned rather interesting and I was pretty sure we would have to make this a kid-free event if things kept up. But everyone behaved and there was a lot of anticipation for the awards to be handed out at the end of the day. 

Mr. Met made his usual rounds and I enjoyed tasting Angie's "dessert chili" towards the end of the proceedings. She nailed the grungy Seattle 'tude and even misspelled names on the serving cups to become an instant classic. Dietmar's lamb and peanut chili was a quirky hit and I couldn't believe how well the soft texture of the cooked peanuts imitated garbanzo beans. But overall, the real winners of the day were the folks who've competed year after year. And this year, it was Chris Meyer's turn to take home the big prize. Andy came back with a vegan version of his smoky, sweet maple-corn chili which proved to be a surprisingly good meatless chili. But the YOLO boys were definitely the crowd favorite earning second place and the competitor's choice award. All in all, this year was the kind of mellow fun that the bowl has come to be known for. I'm sorry Nacho hasn't been able to attend these past few years since it's just the kind of thing he would enjoy. Hopefully next year. Who knows, maybe I'll give it a try and kick up the heat. Because the Fireball was the spiciest thing I tasted all day. And this girl likes her chili to build up a slow burn. They definitely need a separate award for that! But seeing so many people enjoying the park and participating in an event that is the signature of a few key Board members is a real joy. They know how to put on a fun event and we're closing out the year in style.