So, after the warmup round today, I may be changing my angle on the chili that I bring. I was thinking I wanted to go after Ben's "Hotter Than Too Hot" chili (which I have yet to taste) but with the comments I was getting from the chili I entered in a small town cookoff today, I may be sticking with my mild version for the OR cookoff. There was one vote separating my chili from the winner, which was a very basic plain chili. There were many comments going around that my chili (not very spicy at all) was a bit too hot for some, along with a couple others, so the plain chili won. All the others were very good, so it was a close contest, but I think the hometown guy with the more plain chili was more appealing to the locals. It was a fun time, and I look forward to winning the OR cookoff, where people will have more appreciation for my more complex, and slightly spicy chili!