Yankees and chili

by Otony, Wednesday, August 31, 2022, 20:37 (750 days ago) @ AaronB

Having left New Hampshire at the tender age of 18 months to reside in California, I don’t feel that the typical preconceived notions regarding Yankees necessarily apply to me, but I will admit to having returned many, many times over the years and been able to “pass” for a native. That’s probably more because of a clownish ability to mimic most speech patterns within a few minutes.

Now I’ve always felt that Boston, even though a den of liberal minded leftists, was one of the best cities to visit in the United States (yes, yes, it is in Massachusetts, not NH, but it was pretty close to my hometown nonetheless). I can not only “pass” there, I can pass as a lifelong resident of the North End as well.

I’ve noted over the years that “those” Yankees, as opposed to “this” Yankee are unfamiliar with some of the finer things in life, things like tequila, Mexican food, and hot sauces as but a few examples. Of course they can counter with lobster rolls, lime rickeys, baked beans, and the sort.

Be that as it may, some years back I was shopping in California with a friend from upstate NY and I put a large bottle of Tabasco in the cart. She made a comment about how hot that was, and that it would probably go bad before I used it all. I countered with the fact that I bought a similar bottle about 6 times a year, and that it was hardly spicy enough to call “hot”. It was, I told her, often used on my toast and peanut butter to brighten the morning.

She actually was astounded! She went on to share that the littlest bottle of Tabasco available would probably last her large family a few years….if they could stand the heat!

Yeah, the Hormels chili with an addition or two would probably light your diners up for days, lol!

Otony