"Bowl of Blessedness" (Will Rogers? O. Henry?); "Soup of the Devil"

Bapopik at AOL.COM Bapopik at AOL.COM
Thu Dec 7 19:42:05 UTC 2006


I'm having trouble with the "bowl of blessedness" and "soup of the devil"
chili quotes. Basically, I couldn't find many. Will Rogers supposedly said the
former, but I can't find it. His 1923 article on chili con carne (below)
doesn't  seem to have anything like that. "Soup of the devil" doesn't appear to be
used  much.
...
Any help appreciated...I just added "God's Big Acre," but I couldn't find
much evidence of that, either.
...
...
...
(BOWL OF BLESSEDNESS)
...
_ON  TOUR; BOOSTING CHILI CON CARNE_
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=195668012&SrchMode=1&sid=5&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS
=1165519230&clientId=65882)
By Will Rogers.  The Washington Post (1877-1954). Washington, D.C.: Jun  24,
1923. p. 66 (1 page)
(NOT HERE! -- ed.)
...
...
<a href="http://www.socastee.com/chili/chili_quotes.html">Chili  Quotes and
Trivia</i>
Will Rogers (1879-1935), popular actor, cattleman, banker, and journalist,
called chili "bowl of blessedness." It is said that Will Rogers judge a town by
 the quality of its chili. He sampled chili in hundreds of towns, especially
in  Texas and Oklahoma and kept a box score. He concluded that the finest
chili (in  his judgment), was from a small cafe in Coleman, Texas.
...
10 April 1977, Port Arthur (TX) <i>News</i>, "Chili as official  state dish"
editorial, pg. 4
As O'Henry (O. Henry is correct -- ed.) once wrote, probably while  sobering
up on his favorite dish in the local lockup, Texas chili is truly "a  bowl of
blessedness."
...
11 October 1984, Chicago <i>Tribune</i>, pg. F10D:
IF THERE is one controversy the world may never settle, it is the  Great
Chili Debate. How hot, how thick, how red -- even which basic ingredients  to use
-- have been topics of dispute since before Will Rogers described the  stuff
as "the bowl of blessedness."
...
...
(SOUP OF THE DEVIL)
...
<a href="http://www.socastee.com/chili/chili_quotes.html">Chili  Quotes and
Trivia</i>
Some Spanish priests during the 19th century were said to be wary of the
passion inspired by chile peppers, assuming they were aphrodisiacs. A few
preached sermons against indulgence in a food which they said was almost as "hot  as
hell's brimstone." "Soup of the Devil," one called it. The priest's warning
probably contributed to the dish's popularity.
...
18 March 1982, Frederick (MD) <i>Post</i>, "The chili  controversy -- who is
superior," pg. F7:
Frank X. Tolbert's fondly named "bowl of red" is Will Rogers' "bowl of
blessedness." And, still other people refer to the spicy, savory dish as the  "soup
of the devil."

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