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With the exception of the Bengals, I’d argue Cincinnati, Ohio is best known for having a very interesting take on chili, which involves dumping it over a plate of spaghetti and covering it with shredded cheese.
That approach has been subjected to plenty of mockery, and while the San Antonio Spurs recently tried to get in on the action, they ultimately proved they need a geography lesson after missing the mark in a now-deleted tweet.
It’s hard not to be turned off by the mere concept of Cincinnati chili (commonly referred to as “Skyline chili” thanks to the restaurant chain that’s been serving it up for close to 75 years) when you first learn of its existence.
The regional offering (which has more in common with a pasta sauce than a traditional chili) isn’t exactly the most visually appealing dish, and while it has a legion of loyal fans in the Cincinnati area, it’s probably never going to take the culinary world by storm when you consider its failed to do exactly that in the century or so since it was invented by the Greek immigrants credited with creating it.
By now, folks in Cincinnati are used to having their chili reduced to a punchline. However, on Sunday, it caught an unnecessary stray courtesy of the San Antonio Spurs, who had someone in their graphic design department whip up an image of a boot stepping on a plate of it along with the caption “REAL CHILI DOESN’T HAVE NOODLES” prior to their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
However—as the Cavs themselves and plenty of others were quick to point out—Cleveland is not Cincinnati, and people in the city located close to four hours northeast of the latter could not care less about a type of chili that isn’t A Thing there.
nice work @cavs pic.twitter.com/IoirEFcWBf
— Courtney Hoekstra (@cshillz) January 7, 2024
The Spurs took down the tweet after realizing their mistake, and the team was handed its second L of the day after the Cavaliers walked away with the 117-115 victory.