Thursday, February 22, 2024

Chili and Bicarb

Lately I've been using "National Day of" lists for a new kind of inspiration for blog posts.  (I've noticed that Thomas MacEntee has been doing the same, but we rarely seem to have something to say on the same subject.)

Today, February 22, is National Chili Day, which falls on the fourth Thursday of February.  Instead of celebrating the day by making chili, I'm writing about chili in my family — in particular, my father's love-hate relationship with chili.

My father loved eating chili, especially if it was spicy.  But he had a stomach ulcer, and the spices or something else in the chili always bothered him.

So he would tell my mother that he wanted chili for dinner, and for her to make it spicy.  She would say, "But Lynn, your stomach!"  And he would respond, "Go ahead and make it spicy anyway!"

And we would have great chili for dinner.

But when dinner was over, it didn't take long for my father to call out, "Myra!  Bring me the bicarb!"

Because bicarbonate of soda, otherwise known as sodium bicarbonate or baking soda, is a home remedy for heartburn or acid indigestion.

I can't count how many times we went through this.  Because no matter how much he may have suffered afterward, my father really loved his chili.

 

Photo of bowl of chili by Carstor.  Used under license.

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