"Peter Aitken" wrote ..
> Chili has its origins as a dish of poor people, cowboys, and the
like making
> do with what they had. The notion that there is one "authentic" way
to make
> it is terminally silly and is just something the chili-heads have
come up
> with so they can act smart telling people that tomatoes or beans or
whatever
> is not "authentic."

I agree. Claiming an authentic chili recipe is like claiming an
authentic recipe for leftovers. But the book "The Great Chili
Confrontation" by H. Allen Smith puts a fun face on the bickering.