Chili----Must be a Man thing

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I take great pride in my homemade chili(aka chilli, chilie)as do most men I have come in contact with. Seldom can I mention that I make my chili from scratch with out the man or woman I speaking with telling me that he or her husband also has his own personal recipe. Take into consideration how many Chili cook offs you personally have heard about over the years. Seems like it is often used as a big fund raiser. Yet another opportunity for men to show their prowess at cooking and another opportunity for the rest of us to indulge in the meaty, juicy, spicy, savory and versatile thing we all call chili. Over the years I have made chili with beans and with out, with potatoes, tomatoes, celery, jalapenos, onion, bread crumbs, steak meat and chili straight from a can. With packed seasoning and with seasoning I just found around the kitchen. Forever looking for just that right mixture and blend of flavors and textures that make my chili the chili's of all chili's!

So what is it about cooking chili that has such a strong appeal to men? Is it the fact that it uses a lot of meat? I don't think so even though meat does appeal to most men. There are plenty of dishes out there that use meat, some much more flavorful then chili. Personally, I would always take a nice Fillet Mignon cooked med over a bowl of the best chili. Is it the spice? Well, if you consider that Mediterranean, Mexican, Asian and Indian foods all have a great deal of spice, then I think you would have to agree it isn't the spice that calls us men to cook chili.

No, it isn't the spice, meat or any combination of the many, many, many different ingredients you might find in chili. I think it is because chili is one of those rare dishes that anybody, man included, can make however they want and always say, "That's just how I like it"! That's the caveat. We all want something that we can make and nobody can say "you didn't make it right" because we can counter with "but that is just how I like it, that is my kind of chili, unique to me and me alone!"

Of course it seems no matter how much the chili's differ, they all seem to leave us with the unpleasant but satisfying sense of relief when we expel gas a few hours later.

I'm dad--I'm just saying.

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. So the childhood saying went. As far as physical damage is concerned, I suppose the saying is true. But as far as emotional or psychological is concerned, words can do far more damage then a mere broken bone. Not to get all religious but the Bible tells us that our words speak life or death to situations, people's lives, people's health, relationships, etc...... It also tells us that the hardest muscle to control or train is the tongue. I know that I have not always spoken life to those around me and looking back I regret it. But as I have gotten older, I have tried to be more encouraging and speak more kindly to those who are a part of my life. Of course words spoken while driving in traffic with my windows up and nobody else in the truck with me, don't count. I think of being in the truck alone as neutral ground where normal rules of engagement don't apply. It bothers me when I hear people call each other names, especially children. Whether it is one child calling another stupid or an adult calling the child a brat, it really gets under my skin. I know that the feelings of the person calling the name at the time are just temporary and they probably don't mean any real harm. But the words can have a lasting effect on that child especially if they are spoken on a regular basis. For the most part, children believe what we tell them about themselves. They may not believe us when we tell them they like spinach, but if we tell them over and over again that they are a brat or smart, they will accept it as true and act accordingly. One of my favorite names for my boys was "goober gut". It really has no meaning and isn't derogatory. When our boys were young, "shut up" wasn't allowed to be said. So they would say "be quiet in a mean way". So cleaver! One of my favorite sayings is "Choose your words wisely and make the sweet. You never know which ones you eat". I encourage you to really listen to the words that come out of your mouth today and make them life giving. I'm Dad--and I'm just saying........... words.

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