On Winning

For some reason, people are sometimes surprised to find that I have a competitive streak. They shouldn't be, seeing as how I am an oldest child, and seeing as how I am generally quite good at important life skills such as finding words in Boggle configurations and getting lucky rolls in Yahtzee.

The truth is, when I play, I play to win. And I can lose gracefully, but I prefer not to. Lose, I mean. And if I am going to lose (gracefully), I want to at least feel like I was in the running.

This penchant for winning goes way back, and I've learned a few things along the way. I once raced my little brother across a stream and in my haste (never mind that he was three and a half years younger and smaller than me) I pushed him and managed to win the race. Of course, pushing someone smaller than you is usually seen as unsportsmanlike, and I was captured on video for posterity defending myself. Really, I told the camera earnestly, I don't remember pushing him, but we were probably both so anxious to win that we accidentally pushed each other. Both of us. He was as much at fault as I was, but really you can't blame either of us. Having seen this clip of myself, I'm quite proud of the sophistication of my argument and how nicely it removes any of the blame from me while still granting me the win.

But although the race itself was not caught on tape, there is no doubt in my mind that I did it. I pushed my brother. On purpose. To win. I've learned since then that it's easier to win when you're a bit more subtle about it. And people like you better afterwards. And it feels a lot nicer to win when you won legitimately.

I guess my purpose in writing all of this is that I want to let everyone know that, in spite of my competitive streak, I really am not a poor loser. Just a believer in fairness. And in my white chicken chili recipe which, yes, was completely bypassed by the judge at the chili cookoff. I think there may also have been a little bit of color discrimination involved as well. But although it may have appeared that I was upset about not winning, I was actually just upset that it wasn't given a fair chance. Because if it had been I am certain I would have won. That's okay, though. Like I said, I'm a believer in my recipe. And by the time the judge got around to judging, my chili was almost all gone anyway, which I think says something.

Actually, this really is one of my very favorite recipes, maybe the only main dish recipe I've ever stumbled across that I make over and over and over again and never tire of. And it's always a crowd pleaser. So even though I don't really intend my blog to become a food blog, I am going to post the recipe for anyone who is interested.

White Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, or 2 small onions, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoon lime juice (don't leave this ingredient out!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (11 oz.) white shoepeg or whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15-16 oz.) great northern beans, drained
1 can (15-16 oz) pinto beans, drained
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Stir in chicken; simmer until hot. Serve with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, or sour cream.