Every so often, we here at 8Asians get e-mails asking for advice. Here is one such e-mail received last week asked for the Asian equivalent of a chili cook-off:
Hi. I am on the social committee for our local swim team. We have a large Asian population (Chinese and Vietnamese) that we would like to feel included in family events. One of our largest fundraisers is a Chili Cook-off. We have a great turnout from our Asian friends for the tasting portion. I am wondering if there is an Asian version of what Americans refer to as Chili that I could reference as a familiar comparison. There is a bit of a language barrier as I have tried to ask a group of the Chinese woman that I am friendly with but they did not understand what I was saying and started to talk about shopping. Nice but a bit off topic. If anyone has any feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.
So between the editors and I, we collectively have NO IDEA — you, on the other hand, may be able to help her out: Is there an Asian equivalent of chili, or is this all TexMex, all the way?
(Flickr photo credit: Martijn Munneke)
