Imagine spending your sunny Saturday attending a tasty chili and clam chowder competition?

You might be wondering how could there be a lesson in a chili and clam chowder competition beyond which tasted better but there was. Last Saturday, a friend and I got to attend. How its works, you buy the six samples which are 20 dollars for six tickets that you take to each booth to try either chili or clam chowder or both. You then get a golden coin which you give to your favorite chili or clam chowder booth to declare the winner and you get a big bowl of chili or chowder from them. Now, you do want to strategize 6 samples is not enough when there are certainly more than 6 competitors. So you then spend 10 dollars more to get another 6 but not another token.

The group with the most coins of course wins. This competition is so much fun, but it is very hard to decide. Each person carefully goes back and forth trying each samples and thinking about which one is the best. From white, to tomato chili, chili with toppings, meats, clam chowder with the fixings! Chili’s with a ton of toppings for people to build up their chili! And of course, a live band playing Tom Petty music- how could this wonderful sunny day be anything but perfect? It truly was except when deciding the ultimate decision of who is the winner. My friend and I took this seriously as we are thinking about not only who should be the winner but about the big bowl of chili.

Towards the end you would be surprised but those little sample cups do fill you up! Between chili, chowder, water, and beer for some you end up getting very full. My friend and poured over thinking about who were in our final running of the best chili and chowder. We had it down to two. To be honest, I was beyond full at that point and said its his call. He shared he was stuck between the chili that tasted the best from a much smaller company and the chili that had not the best chili but topped you off with a ton of meat, corn bread, and other fixings which made your bowl so much more. He even went up to the best tasting chili and said you know if you had toppings like that other table you would be the winner off the bat. The lady’s response is but we are just the little guys that table has sponsors and are a big company. So this left the decision even more complex. My friend sat puzzled trying to ethically decide between choosing the right chili versus choosing the one with a ton of meat toppings. In the end, he said you know, I have to choose the rightful winner. He took his token and I heard the bell ( Each competitor rings the bell for each win). He came back happy with his bowl of white chili and said he felt good for doing the right thing.

The Lesson from this chili competition, even though it’s just a bowl of chili it was still a moment of being ethical having to choose between the winning chili and the fixings. The lessons from this chili and clam chowder cook off showed me how our values and beliefs really do come out in everything that we do. Thank you Mount Vernon Skagit county chili and clam chowder cook off. Not only was this a fun experience but it has made me reflect upon moments where I need to choose between tough decisions and doing the right thing. Even if it’s just a bowl of chili. :). Until next time!