Camp Washington Chili

 I was out of town for a week and half (more on that later), which gave me a chance to get caught up with so many people who I hadn't seen in two years (making me a citizen of the planet, I guess). It would be messy, even by my messy blog standards, to try and tie the trip together in one post, so I'll divide this up into more manageable moments. One of my favorite moments was a trip to Camp Washington Chili, the establishment which routinely ranks near the top, if not at the top, of any list of Cincinnati chili parlors. And, believe me, if you're from the Natti these are important issues. Dave and I remembered eating there - and then we arrived we decided we maybe hadn't actually eaten there - or maybe we're both just really old. It's close to the University of Cincinnati, of which we're both graduates (his JD and my PhD), so it seems entirely plausible that we would have eaten there. Anyway, it was a great meal, and the debate over its merit vis a vis Skyline and Dixie and Empress, etc. continues. I was talking to my PT guy the other day about Cincinnati chili and my desire to devote an entire weekend to visiting different chili parlors to research this question. He said, "But how many chili parlor could you possibly visit in a weekend?" I was more than a little horrified by his horrified surprise at my answer of ten or twelve, and I clearly need to get a new PT guy.

Happily, Camp Washington Chili has survived as an independent chili parlor since before the US entered World War II.

A classic chili parlor.

The esteemed Dave Kelley and I discussed the pros and cons of the different varieties of Cincinnati chili - and the deeper meaning of reality - which is really the same question.