One of the things that cracks me up in it’s sheer pointlessness is how devotees of certain food types get upset if someone else makes a similar dish and calls it the same thing. The classic is how chili doesn’t have beans in Texas but in 49 other states it does. So, those 49 states are clearly wrong. Or if you don’t boil it, it’s not a bagel! And here in the south, all soft drinks are cokes. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Coca Cola product or Pepsi. It’s still a coke.
Now, PawPaw is upset that I referred to some Cajun boiled peanuts. Having just got back from South Carolina, let me tell you Cajun boiled peanuts are everywhere. In this case, I don’t think Cajun refers to the group or ethnicity that came up with the food. But the style of spices that go in the pot. For instance, when I get in a Korean barbecue mode and, for an appetizer, toss some cucumbers on the grill before the meat, they’re not Korean barbecued cucumbers in that I think Koreans actually made them. But they are in the style I used to cook them.
But we can all agree this is not chili.