My first time attending the Fralics and I had an enjoyable day. I had thought FRALIC was an acronym but it turns out it a just a play on the word “frolic” (hosted by the FRA, get it?). Anyway, some of my group participated in the horse shoes tournament, but I stuck with what I know and do best–drink beer and people watch.
There was a chili cook off in the afternoon. I sampled only three of the eleven competitors; I thought they were all good even if a little on the spicy side. I heard there was one entry with pineapple but I was already full and too lazy to look for that pot. I also didn’t see any chili with beans, but someone said there was at least one with some frijoles. People profess to love my chili but I’m an amateur compared to these cooks. I also go heavy on the beans and tomatoes, and light on the spice–I guess that’s not the way “real” chili is done.
I was a little surprised at how many familiar faces I saw making the 45 minute trip from Barretto.
Some new faces as well, including some very cute waitresses.
It was a nice change of pace and I’ll be back for more this afternoon.
I actually know a few of the girls who will be competing so it should be interesting. I’ll try and get lots of photos for you guys who appreciate the beauty of the Philippines.
Without a “k” in there, “fralicing” would be pronounced “FRAY-liss-ing.” (Cf. panic, panicking; traffic, trafficking; mimic, mimicking; frolic, frolicking.) Even with the “k,” there’s the problem of pronouncing that first “a.” Generally, if the “a” is followed by a single consonant and then a vowel, it’s a long vowel (“ey”). Tracing, gracing, making, taking, hating, shaping, etc. There are exceptions, of course, like balancing, which we don’t pronounce “BAY-lan-sing.” (Same for laminate.) But in general, you need to follow the “a” up with two consonants to make the “a” into a short-vowel “ah” or “aw” sound (as in spamming, jamming, father, calling, manners, fallow, etc.).
Switching gears: original chili has no beans or tomatoes in it if we go back to chili’s Mexican roots. Old-school chili doesn’t use ground beef, either: it uses slow-cooked, shredded beef, and the deep-red color comes entirely from the peppers. But like pizza, chili has been appropriated by many different cultures, and while only one type of chili is the original chili, who’s to say that chili with beans and tomatoes isn’t legitimately good? You do you. From the pics of your chili that I’ve seen, your chili looks pretty damn good. I was surprised you hadn’t entered the contest yourself, what with your reputation as a local chili guy.
Yeah, that’s how I was pronouncing it–FRAYlics. Then someone corrected me with FRAWlics pronunciation. I compounded the confusion with my silly post title trying to play off the whole frolic pun. Oh well. I understand what you are saying.
Thanks for the chili support! A couple of my fans were surprised I hadn’t entered the cookoff, but I knew I was out of my league. Doesn’t matter anyway, I like it my way and that’s good enough for me!