Chili is one of my favorite dishes, and though I now eat it infrequently, reading about it, especially the range of ingredients and recipes around the country, is still interesting. Before coming to this forum I had no idea there were so many regional varieties or cultural views. This article on chili is in this morning's NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/dining/if-its-chili-its-personal.html?ref=dining&_r=0
Chili tastes are highly personal, often inflexible and loaded with preconceptions — the political party of culinary offerings.
For some people raised in Texas, the notion of beans is akin to cat food, dismissed with derision as filler. Some chili cooks believe flavor rises and falls on cumin levels; others say the story begins and ends with dried chiles. Some like a rich beefy stock, and there are those who extol the entanglement of bacon.