That one critique about my chili that still stings 3 years later
Back in 2022 I entered my homemade chili into a small cookoff in Austin, Texas. I was so proud of it, lots of beans, thick tomato base, a solid 7 on the spice scale. The judge wrote one line on my scorecard: 'Too busy, pick a lane.' At first I was furious, like what does that even mean? But then I tasted it next to the winner's bowl and it hit me. My chili was trying to be a stew, a bean soup, and a hot sauce all at once. I cut the beans in half, dropped the extra chili powder, and let the beef do the talking. Now I keep every batch to three main flavors max. Does anyone else have a food critique that they secretly still think about when cooking?