where do I put the rice?

Even though we have been here for 18 months, little things still surprise me.

Take the other night for example.

We told our neighbours we were planning a fire pit on the drive way to celebrate bonfire night and that we would have food - chilli, chips and dips and rice krispie cakes.
Our neighbour said he would cook up a pot of chilli too so we knew there would be plenty of food.

When he arrived with his pot of chilli I told him I had cheese, sour cream and rice for the chilli.

To which he replied "Rice huh? That's a new one."

I'm sorry what?!

"You don't have rice with your chilli?"

"Oh no he replied, we serve it with oyster or saltine crackers and my grandma dips peanut butter sandwiches in - look I have some here".

Hmmm. Ok I thought maybe it was just him. So I asked another neighbour.

"Chilli? Nope never had chilli."

I'm sorry what?!

Ok try another neighbour... "Do you want some chilli?"

"Yes please"
"This looks delicious"
"So explain to me, where do I put the rice? On the top? On the side?"

I'm sorry what?!

So out of 5 sets of neighbours, only us and another couple (who are Indian) eat chilli with rice.

I can't get over it. It makes me laugh to think that something that I thought was an institution, that can be served in other ways like on a jacket potato (in England) or on a hot dog (in New York) would be perceived as being strange if served with rice.

I love this journey we are on. Learning new things all the time and occasionally being able to teach the locals something.

Anyway it went down well and everyone liked my recipe (well there was none left and everyone said they liked it) so maybe it's not that weird.

Chilli and rice with sour cream and cheese. Delicious and perfect on a freezing cold night when a dozen people are sat round a fire pit on your driveway.
Nothing weird about that.