Genesis

In the beginning there was no chili, only the darkness created by a void of chili.

The beginning lasted 18 years. I liked soup, I liked stew, I liked most of the things that go into chili (e.g. ground beef, chicken, spices, tomato, etc.), but for whatever reason I never tried chili.

That all changed in January 1998 at a mess hall at Denison University, a liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. If Oberlin College could have its liberated women with hairy armpits then Denison could have a freshman with a devil-may-care attitude who didn't mind throwing caution to the wind by making his first bowl of chili dining hall chili.

Admittedly, I wouldn't have tried it on my own--not in a college dining hall anyway--but I figured if it was good enough for my roommate, the same person who already had turned me on to ramen noodles and sushi, then it was good enough for me.

"You eat that stuff?" I remember asking him.

"Yeah. It's good," he said.

And as I took that first bite I remember thinking, "It is good! This is how God felt after creating the heavens and the earth, the night and the day.

"Chili is good."

The most wonderful time of the year

It's been a long, cold winter, and it's just the beginning so to keep your motor running and your wheels from spinning, Thoroughbred Times Co.—in association with its sister titles in the BowTie Inc. family and in conjunction with the Saucer People—will present its seventh annual chili cook off on Friday, February 4.

The cook-off is easily one of the more anticipated events among the company's bimonthly activities, and for good reason. The BowTie staffers at 2008 Mercer Road continually bring an excellent variety of great-tasting chilis to the basement breakroom.

Normally that room feels like a dungeon with the stench of boredom and ennui filling the air, but for one magical day a year, those superfluous odiferous emanations make way for a symphony of spices, various meats, vegetables, and heat level.

It's rare that anyone brings a bad chili to the table (though we have seen our share of bad crock pots), so come hungry and ready to share fellowship and recipes with your colleagues on Friday.