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With or Without Beans: An Informal Biography of Chili
FOOD, BEANS, 1950, COOKING
247 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 1952
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December 7, 2024
I picked this up recently after many years, and reread quite a bit.
Copies have been floating through the family for many years, as we are a chili family. However, this book hasn't been extremely highly regarded, because my grandfather provided a lot of detail, information, and even proper names that are part of the history, and that got left out. He was Doyle Lyndon West, of Wolf Brand Chili, which was in his hometown of Corsicana at that time. Which was mentioned earlier in the book but also required editorial correction later.
Nonetheless, it is a good resource for a lot of information. It is extremely folksy, in the way that writers had in the 50s which hasn't really survived or held up well, with inappropriate jokes ( even then) scattered in so I suppose we might all feel...well, it's sort of avuncular but also creepy now and then.
If you have ever wondered WHY no beans, other than the basic taste issue, that's answered in one tidy paragraph.
It's written to appeal to people who are sort of...jerks about being Texans. I live here, and it's a bit much. However, if you get past the Foghorn Leghorn, then you find some fun facts and even practical cooking tips.
Copies have been floating through the family for many years, as we are a chili family. However, this book hasn't been extremely highly regarded, because my grandfather provided a lot of detail, information, and even proper names that are part of the history, and that got left out. He was Doyle Lyndon West, of Wolf Brand Chili, which was in his hometown of Corsicana at that time. Which was mentioned earlier in the book but also required editorial correction later.
Nonetheless, it is a good resource for a lot of information. It is extremely folksy, in the way that writers had in the 50s which hasn't really survived or held up well, with inappropriate jokes ( even then) scattered in so I suppose we might all feel...well, it's sort of avuncular but also creepy now and then.
If you have ever wondered WHY no beans, other than the basic taste issue, that's answered in one tidy paragraph.
It's written to appeal to people who are sort of...jerks about being Texans. I live here, and it's a bit much. However, if you get past the Foghorn Leghorn, then you find some fun facts and even practical cooking tips.
Displaying 1 of 1 review