Your vegetarian chili sounds better, and I’m definitely more on the carnivore side. I don’t know if I’ve ever made chili with pinto beans. I’m a kidney and red bean man myself.

A guajillo, as in one? You’re proving my point here. And nothing spicy.

Again, I don’t necessarily disagree about it from a competition/traditionalist perspective, but I’m going to put it in mine because I like it. That said, I do find that most recipes are akin to a tomato, meat, and beans stew and are sorely lacking in the chilis that the dish is named after.

If you’re chili con carne is “just meat,” you’ve seriously skimped on the star of the show, the chilis. Which most people seem to do… I’ve seen way too many chili recipes that are basically just a tomato, meat, and bean stew with a dash of chili powder.

I don’t think any food is pure. Traditions are forever changing.

I 100% agree. Hence I said I understand the purists and the chili competitions that don’t allow beans, but I’m going to make mine with beans. Also, much of the best foods are fusions. The chilis, the spicy fruits not the dish, are the perfect example. I can’t imagine a world in which Indian, Thai, or just about any Asian dish doesn’t have a spicy kick to it. Yet every single species of chili originated in South America. Same story with the tomato. My favorite cuisine is Cajun which is French cooking techniques using the South American and Haitian ingredients that were available. There are countless examples like that.

Chili is short for chili con carne, not chili con carne y frijoles. I understand competitions demanding a certain “purity.” That said, I will put beans in my chili because that’s what I like.

Florida would be the better option imo. During that time frame it won’t be tourist season, so those beaches won’t be over crowded either. Florida beaches get kind of nuts at spring break time. The flipside of that is that not everywhere will be open. I visited Destin in Feb before and some of the more tourist spots, like Shed BBQ for example, were closed.

Hawaii overall is nicer and more expensive than Florida, however Florida easily has the better beaches. Snorkeling is going to be better in Hawaii, but the beaches themselves are pretty rocky and kind of mid, to be honest. Florida knows its beaches are the money makers and goes the extra mile to make them nice. The sand is well groomed and it’s that powdery white sand that feels incredible.