Chili and Surprises

One of my favorite things to do is cook. I don't do it a ton but when the mood strikes and I have the time I always enjoy it. I even thought of attending a cooking school at one point and who knows I might still someday but for now it is just a hobby I dabble in. In a couple of weeks I will be entering our annual chili cooking contest at Church. I won a couple of years ago so I am looking to regain my title. I even got on stage and talked a little smack last weekend. Competition and cooking all in the same event - does it get any better?

Some one asked me if I had a special secret recipe. Since the recipe is only known to me and not written down anywhere and is subject to change every time I make it, I think it qualifies as secret. Special is a whole other issue. Sometimes it comes out really spicy. Other times it is bold and full of flavor. When I am really lucky it is both. I think that may be part of what makes cooking Chili so much fun - it's always a surprise. Mostly good but sometimes not. A few years ago I had the dubious distinction of being a judge for a chili cook-off. That was a horrible experience. I never knew there could be so many ways to make bad chili out there. But there was. I have never eaten dog food but I suspected some of them would not even be fit for canine consumption. Again though the surprise is part of the mystique and excitement of chili - especially a cook-off where you sample lots of different ones.

All of this got me to thinking about how life is like a box of choca.... no, like a bowl of chili. Yesterday I got 2 distinct surprises - one was funny and the other decidedly was not. My wife revealed in a small group ice breaker that if given a week to spend with any group, anywhere, at anytime she would choose the Amish. I nearly pee'd myself laughing because my wife is an amazing women of unbelievable strength but also really likes her comforts. I can't imagine her for a week of no Diet Coke, iced coffee's, or hot showers. Upon explanation it seemed to make sense although I don't recall what it was but it surprised me. I love that after nearly 15 years of marriage and close to 20 years of knowing each other she still surprises me. It was a funny moment.

The not funny moment came when I discovered a former co-worker, who I had considered a friend, had been indicted and faced significant jail time for stealing from the company we both worked for in excess of $400,000. It was one of those unnerving revelations that someone I thought I knew pretty well was unimaginable corrupt. I still feel saddened by this more so than I would have expected. We were not close friends by any means but I never would have thought he was capable of this. I recall even defending his character on several occasions when we worked together. Certainly his greed, or whatever motivated him to do this, does not taint his entire person but if I may return to my chili analogy, it sure does give his particular flavor a bad after taste. I have and will continue to pray for him and his family. I cannot imagine facing the consequences and what that will mean for them.

The best chili is cooked slowly over a long period of time. It ultimately is a result of the influences of all the ingredients. The blending of different flavors that together produce an overall experience that is in the best case both bold and spicy. I can taste it know even as I type. The aroma that fills the house as it cooks. Even feel the anticipation of testing it and maybe adding a pinch of this or a dash of that. Or maybe I will sample it only to find - mmmm it's perfect. You never know what you are going to get in a bowl of chili.