Chili hating doesn't last long for new connoisseur

October should be designated as National Chili Month.
It’s that time of year when the weather noticeably changes, for the worse, and to combat this, many people make chili. Or at least the ones who think warm chili will warm the body, and a warm body means a warm, happy soul, so probably say some scientists who have done this type of research for the chili industry.
I’m among those who would agree with these scientists who are paid to come up with this exact theory, although I didn’t always agree with it.
As a kid I hated chili, especially chili with kidney beans in it. The very thought of putting something named after a body part that’s specific purpose is to separate toxins and other wastes from the blood grossed me out, and I literally gagged every time someone made me put it in my mouth.
I managed to avoid chili in the older years of my youth until my senior year in college when I was at my grandparents’ house and they served some chili.
By this point I knew it was rude to gag on my food and even ruder to not eat something they specially made for me. Putting on my best smile, and bracing my stomach for a potential gut-wrenching incident, I put the chili in my mouth and swallowed.
I didn’t gag, and it didn’t come right back up after hitting my stomach. Instead, it actually tasted good, and the kidney beans were something I could tolerate without a problem.
I’m not sure what caused my taste buds to like chili and kidney beans, but I appreciated whatever caused it, much like I did when my taste buds suddenly decided in adulthood they liked nuts after going through my youth avoiding cookies and brownies with nuts in them or when they developed an appreciation for potato pancakes. They still don’t like liver or cooked, mushy peas, but I won’t be offended if they never do.
My newfound appreciation for chili became a full-fledged love when the Rotary Club I belonged to in Wautoma held a chili cook-off during a Winterfest event the club threw one winter. I was put in charge of the event and was delighted when more than 15 people entered their chili recipes in it.
I allowed everybody attending the event to taste the chili and vote on their favorite, and was happy when my favorite one won. But all of the entries were good and I learned chili doesn’t come in just the traditional recipe I was used to eating. Some were hotter than others, some thicker, some used less of a tomato-base, and others were loaded with noodles and meat.
Tasting those chili recipes inspired me to become more daring when making chili. In fact, every time I make chili I use a different recipe. And finding different recipes is a breeze with the Internet. I simply type in “slow cooker chili recipes” on Google and select the first recipe that sounds appealing, or at least uses ingredients I either have or know where to find in the store. And trust me, some recipes contain ingredients I can’t pronounce, much less know what general vicinity they would be looked for in the store.
The chili in my slow cooker as I write this uses several ingredients I’ve never used before in a chili, including cornmeal, French onion soup and barbecue sauce. Cornmeal helps make a great bread, French onion soup is always good, and nothing beats barbecue sauce on chicken, except chicken that is Kentucky fried. I don’t think it’s possible to Kentucky fry chili, although I could be wrong, as it seems like vendors at fairs have found ways to fry all sorts of foods never deemed possible before, like Twinkies and Snicker bars.
The more I think about it, though, Kentucky Fried Chili sounds like a great franchise restaurant possibility. Maybe with my next batch I’ll have to get creative and come up with a way to make this possible. It could be a million dollar idea from someone who used to hate chili. That sounds good to me.