EDGERTON — You can never have too many flatulence jokes.
And when an event features chili, salsa and lots of beer, those kinds of jokes punctuate the air like guys around a campfire.
But that’s the joy of Chilimania, the annual competition featuring serious chili making and a lot of fun. The event is also the official Chili Appreciation Society of America (CASI) Wisconsin championship.
We can’t repeat most of the flatulence jokes in a family newspaper—although “Magna Farta” was a good one—but we can share the advice, observations and wisdom of the event’s chefs, judges and supporters.
Here’s…….
-Rose Conroy’s idea of a good costume: A red pepper. Conroy, who looks respectable enough to run a preschool, wore a red union suit and boots.
“I’m really quite comfortable,” Conroy said cheerfully.
Garlic Joe’s trick for a masterful chili: Smoke ’em if you got ’em—the peppers, that is. It gives the chili a nice smoky aftertaste.
Garlic Joe, whose real name is Ken Kouha, was running his Smokey-bear themed booth with his Osa Esposa—“Bear Wife” Brenda and their son Jeremiah. Jeremiah also had a special name for the event, but we can’t print it.
Jeremiah created a salsa verde with five kinds of pepper: Poblano, jalapeno, Thai and two other that remain family secrets.
- Rick Parrent’s opinion of the Packer management: Not good. Parrent’s booth was covered in Astroturf and featured, as a backdrop, a large poster of an empty Lambeau Field. The theme was the Favreless Packers.
“This chili is the only spice left in Lambeau,” Parrent said. “Donald Driver needs it to put some pep into his step.”
Then he started talking crazy, mentioning the words “Jets”, “Favre” and “Superbowl” in the same sentence.
As for his chili, Parrent experiments with something new every year.
“It’s an adventure in chili making,” Parrent said.
- The Chilimania version of the political process: A crew of Dean Health Care staffers created the American Chilicratic Party for the event. They roused the crowd with chants “Four more beers, four more beers!” They made signs. They made buttons. They said things like “I did not eat chili with that woman!”
Their stance on the issues?
“Right down the middle, as long as there are four more beers,” said nurse Cecil “C.” Tipton. “Liberty and chili, that’s our commitment.”
Tipton and maintenance magician Mike McGinnity, constructed the Chilicratic booth together. It looked sturdy enough to withstand rioters, a la Chicago 1968.
The only delicate part of the whole business was McGinnity’s Uncle-Sam-with-chili-themed stained glass window. Yes, the guy made a special stained-glass window for the booth, showing a disturbing dedication to his Chilimania team.
How do the Chilicrats like their chili?
“Hot and a little sweet, just like our women,” said Dr. Mitchell Kopnick.
Not surprisingly, the Chilicrats won first prize for showmanship and best booth.
