Dear Editor,
On Oct. 7, the Ludlow Rotary Club held its 32nd annual Chili Cook-off. Great event, great cause! “Reactor No. 4” chili was the winner in the spiciest category. Two years ago, the winner in this category was named “Chernobyl.” Interesting names. My memories go back 37 years ago, when I heard the news in my hometown about 300 miles from the disaster site. On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl’s reactor No. 4 melted down due to human error and released radioactive particles into the air, 400 times more radioactivity than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Is this why this chili is the spiciest? Both were horrific tragedies. Living witnesses to these disasters may not want to associate a bowl of chili with a disaster they lived through. What would any sensible person think of chili named Three-Mile Island?
Sincerely,
Svetlana Phillips
Cavendish, Vt.