The Office Chili Incident
A coworker called his chili win "my title" for eleven months. A reader handled it.
- Severity
- Annoying
- Date
- July 11, 2026
- Community reaction
- Appropriate Response
Submitted by a reader. Entered as received.
The Incident — A coworker won our office chili cook-off and spent the following eleven months referring to the win as "my title." He brought it up in a budget meeting. It was not relevant to the budget.
The Response — I printed a one-page notice informing him that his title was subject to annual review and left it in his mail slot. Cited grounds included "pace of gloating" and "unverified use of the word 'roux.'"
The Escalation — At this year's cook-off I did not enter. I attended as a judge, wearing a lanyard I had made myself, and took notes on a clipboard without eating anything. He placed third. I mailed the full results to his home address.
Current Friendship Status — Stable. He has asked me to judge again next year.