Boycott

I love chili!!!! ;however I must come to the defense of one of my favorite foods, the much maligned and misunderstood "Cincinatti Style Chili". If taken in the context of what the dish is, I don't see much to dislike. A 3 way is a treat. Spaghetti, Cheddar Cheese and a chili sauce with a unique flavor(cloves,allspice,cinnamon and sometimes chocolate in some recipes).

I think some puke just came up in my mouth.

I'm sorry folks, but I honestly don't see the appeal. Tex-mex varieties have so much more flavor and texture than this pile of bland sauce on top of plain spaghetti with all that unwarranted cheese on top. Why would anyone want to eat all that cheese in one meal? The dish just doesn't make culinary sense to me.

The dish just doesn't make culinary sense to me.

We're talking chili here . . . just chili.

Well, from a culinary sense those Little Debbie oatmeal pies, don't make much sense either, but they are yummy. I can't buy them, because I'd eat the whole box. Really. All my culinary training be damned.

Face it Steve, we all have different tastes, or guilty food pleasures.

I, too, must disagree with Steve on this one even if he's been right most of the time so far and I enjoy his Louisville web site. New Albany's progressive political bloc (all eight of us) is fond of reminding people: "You're entitled to your own opinion -- but not to your own facts."

Such vicious attacks on my beloved Cincy-style chili remind me of the many people who've visited my establishment over the years and insisted that beer styles other than the solitary one they've always consumed are not beers at all, but abominations. These people have a right not to "like" a beer, but it is simply illogical to insist that the object of their dislike is not beer.

I also say corporate-manufactured American beer (not the ones from the microbreweries) isn't real beer, but rather piss-water.

I'm essentially progressive too, but sometimes, we have things in life that are clearly mis-labeled. There's another saying about "lying eyes" that progressives like to tout. My eyes see a spaghetti platter with a spaghetti sauce variant and cheese on top.

I boycott every place where I am poisoned by cigarette smoke.

you should not have much trouble.unless a bar cough,cough!!!

Well, from a culinary sense those Little Debbie oatmeal pies, don't make much sense either, but they are yummy. I can't buy them, because I'd eat the whole box. Really. All my culinary training be damned.

Face it Steve, we all have different tastes, or guilty food pleasures.

Well, actually those oatmeal pies do make a lot of sense to me. It's a snack/dessert that lives up to its name.

We all have guilty pleasures, I'm sure. I'm sure I would catch hell if I named some of the awful things I occasionally eat.

[Robin Garr]

The dish just doesn't make culinary sense to me.

It does if you consider it through its history as Americanized immigrant fare: The first Cincinnati chili parlors were founded by refugee families from Greece and Eastern Europe after WWII.

They couldn't find much of a market in conservative postwar Cincinnati for "ethnic" food, too weird and exotic for the good burghers of the Queen City, so they re-invented Greek spaghetti with meat sauce and dubbed it "chili," and the rest is history.

Go to a good Greek restaurant like those in Astoria, Queens, in NYC and order spaghetti with meat sauce. You'll have a "click!" moment when you realize how very similar it is to Skyline or Gold Star.

The cheese, however, is a later accretion. Again, blame the tastes of the postwar generation in the Midwest. You <i>can</i> order Cincinnati chili without it.

Domino's Pizza. I have issues with the founder's politics. Please don't turn this post into a political discussion, though -- we're here to talk about food.

He doesnt have anything to do with the company anymore. He doesnt even have controlling interest. Basically, because of his politics, he is not involved with them anymore. I guess the best excuse now would be that their pizza is awful. ha!

[Robin Garr]

I guess the best excuse now would be that their pizza is awful. ha!

I think that's where I came in ... as I said in my first post, I might be inclined to steer clear because of the founder's politics, but it's an easy boycott because their pizza is bland and boring.

It does if you consider it through its history as Americanized immigrant fare: The first Cincinnati chili parlors were founded by refugee families from Greece and Eastern Europe after WWII.

They couldn't find much of a market in conservative postwar Cincinnati for "ethnic" food, too weird and exotic for the good burghers of the Queen City, so they re-invented Greek spaghetti with meat sauce and dubbed it "chili," and the rest is history.

Go to a good Greek restaurant like those in Astoria, Queens, in NYC and order spaghetti with meat sauce. You'll have a "click!" moment when you realize how very similar it is to Skyline or Gold Star.

The cheese, however, is a later accretion. Again, blame the tastes of the postwar generation in the Midwest. You <i>can</i> order Cincinnati chili without it.

The history is fascinating. Thanks Robin for the info.

This is the same kind of American assimilation story that has been happening with all sorts of imported dishes throughout our history. In this case, though, there's a minor kind of confusion in that the Greek immigrants adopted a name that was already in use. But then, nobody can change history. It got adopted as a new form of chili, despite my contemporary protestations.

I guess the best excuse now would be that their pizza is awful. ha!

I think that's where I came in ... as I said in my first post, I might be inclined to steer clear because of the founder's politics, but it's an easy boycott because their pizza is bland and boring.

At least Domino's isn't nearly as bad as Pizza Magia (blecch!).

Is Pizza Magia even around anymore?

FWIW the one or two times I had PM I didn't have much problem with it. Wasn't much different from PJ's, for obvious reasons.

But yeah, anyway, I thought they shut down / sold / whatever a while back.

Is Pizza Magia even around anymore?

FWIW the one or two times I had PM I didn't have much problem with it. Wasn't much different from PJ's, for obvious reasons.

But yeah, anyway, I thought they shut down / sold / whatever a while back.

Bought by Snappy Tomato.

[Robin Garr]

Bought by Snappy Tomato.

If I remember correctly, and I may not, they went bust, and Snappy Tomato picked up the remnants.

Earlier, of course, Pizza Magia had faced litigation from Papa John's because the founders, all refugees from PJ's, allegedly took the company's trade secrets with them. I sort of wondered who'd <i>want</i> them, but in my experience, PM's and PJ's pies and concept were indistinguishable.

Love them or hate them, there's no denying the massive amounts of money made by Papa John's on their so-called "trade secrets."