the most

Tonight, Andy and I will go to the pub with Alex, to meet my sister and her husband and my niece. The primary purpose of this trip is to see who can eat the most "suicide" chicken wings. These wings are so hot, that Andy says he can eat only two before his glasses steam up and his lips burn off. Alex and I do NOT eat suicide wings. Alex doesn't like spicy stuff. I like spice all right, but draw the line somewhere short of pure pain that overwhelms any kind of flavour. Suicide wings fall into that category. What's worse, they get you on the way in, and on the way out, if you know what I mean. Hopefully we will not gather as a family for the second part of the challenge.

Barb, my sister, is about where I am in the spice enjoyment spectrum. Maya and Kim, my niece and brother in law, are habanero hoovers. They toss back whole peppers like tic tacs! I have to admit, I'm looking forward to finding out how many suicide wings will be their undoing.

All of this got me thinking about the things we choose as marks of distinction. Maya and Kim can eat the most peppers, although Andy may beg to differ. I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world (although Fiona may justifiably claim my crown any day now). Alex knows the most about American politics, my Dad the most about Mac computers. Our cat is louder than a fire engine when she wants someone to pet her (I am not exaggerating). My mom knows so much about colour, when I bleached my cream coloured jeans by accident, and they turned a pale salmon colour, she knew exactly which colours to add back to make them cream coloured once again.

All of these talents are of no great consequence in the grand scheme of things. They are, however, part of our family lore, and all thing of which we are proud - for ourselves and for one another.

So tonight, whoever the victor may be, I hope that one of the other wing-eaters turns out to have the loudest belch, or tells the best joke. We all have to be the best, the most, the biggest and the champion of something.

question - at what are you best?

mompoet - ever respectful of achievements of dubious yet significant merit