A couple of years back we bought two cases. Imagine our complete shock when, upon opening a can, instead of seeing chili beans and vegetarian burger, we discovered some ugly, light-brownish, gelatinous mass instead. Upon emptying it into a bowl we searched with very limited success for either burger or beans. That wasn’t the worst of it - the taste was abysmal. I mean, I’d rather throw it all out and take the financial loss than eat it - literally. Simply put, it was gross and disgusting! The company had been acquired and the recipe had been changed, and we, along with many others around the country, were the unwitting dupes.
There was no recourse. The product was changed; we had spent the money; and now we had to live with the results.
We tried using it a time or two, trying different things each time, but nothing we did could help with that ugliness, so we left the cans on the shelf, unwilling to eat the product and hating to throw it in the trash.
Finally, one day recently, I figured to find a solution or to indeed throw it all away. The primary issue was the gelatinous mass. In a fit of determination, I opened a can and emptied it into a colander, then I washed the product under the faucet until all the ugly was gone. What remained was about half the volume, primarily of vegeburger - I don’t recall any beans.
I then put the washed remaining product in a larger bowl, added chili beans; canned, chopped tomatoes; and chili powder to taste, and voila - a credible, edible product. (See what I did there?) It actually could be eaten without disgust and with mild enthusiasm. The expense was saved, and the product, properly altered, could serve us until it was gone and replaced with a product of my making, in all likelihood. (If you have some on hand and can’t stand it either, you may want to try modifying it as I did - it may work for you, too.)
But that’s not the best of it. I had researched it online and had found that apparently thousands of others hated the modified product as well; and, if you can imagine it, a short while later my wife discovered that the company was bringing back the original chili, and it was on sale! So, we ventured to order a few cans and see.
It arrived earlier this week. I immediately opened a can; it passed the visual test - no gelatinous mass. Then I took a fork and tried a small sample. Eureka! It was nearly identical to the original and well worth eating. I proceeded to eat the whole can full. (Again, a fourth smaller than the original cans, and way more expensive, but have you paid for a grilled cheese at Five Guys lately?)
