However I will have to say that I've been humbled in my stance on beans in chili. My wife has made what she calls chili, and as long as I call it a stew we can get along. Once she said she gave in and made it without beans. I admitted it was very good and of course she goaded me into making some comment like "see, you didn't need the beans in it". I was then informed that the beans were still there, just pureed. I just shut up and ate another bowl.
For a bit of revenge, I'm going to tell a (true) story that happened on our visit to the Texas Hill Country this past spring. We were there to see the flowers, the wildlife, and for me to generally expose her to the Texas ambience. One of the animals I had told her about were roadrunners. As we were pulling out of Luchenbach to go to Fredricksburg, she shouted "Look! there's a roadrunner! Two of them! THEY'RE HUGE!!!
I looked up to see a pair of ostriches on a nearby ranch running over the top of a hill. I spewed Shiner Bock all over the windshield.....
You got it. I'm going to Cincinnati tomorrow on vacation and plan to pick up some.
I take it youve never been to camptown chili have you now ? thats CHILI WITH REAL CINCINNATI KICK !!!!!