Food marketing is psychotic. It creeps. Smithsonian magazine ran a cover story with the headline How the Chicken Conquered the World. "Let us now praise chicken in all its extra-crispy glory! Chicken, the mascot of globalization, the universal symbol of middlebrow culinary aspiration!" That was last year. "Nothing is more worthless than an individual chicken," Joy Williams once observed. Not for Smithsonian. Obviously there was some war going on and the chickens kicked our ass.
It’s not just the birds. For a character in Francesco Pacifico’s novel The Story of my Purity, the place of psychosis is apricot pastries: "Industrial apricots had become humanity’s enemy number one, [...]
5:45 The 146 bus dropped me off in front of Soldier Field and I started walking across empty parking lots, heading toward McCormick Place. It was raining and dark and the lights of election headquarters served as my guide. I thought about dwelling in that metaphor for a while, but I was in too much of a hurry to get inside.
The rally was being held in Hall D, a cement space the size of an airplane hangar. The guests hadn't been let in yet, so I had a chance to see the event stage across the empty hall. The press area was opposite the stage. National broadcasters had the [...]
At this point, it's hard to imagine what's making Kanye West sound so cranky. The fact that his mink coat is dragging on the floor, I guess? Or that a beautiful woman he summoned to his hotel room arrived wearing underpants? Maybe it's just that he has a head cold. You're all stuffed up, sore throat, sinus pressure. That'll put anybody in a rotten mood. Whatever it is, for the music's sake, here's hoping he doesn't cheer up. 'Cause this song, which debuted on Funkmaster Flex's show on Hot97 just last night, sounds great.
"If I put this up your-ha!-your butt-ha ha!-you'll find out how effective this is!" -Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, brandishing a rifle, responded to a reporter who asked whether he thought the city's strict gun regulations had been effective. Added the mayor, "If I put a round up your-ha ha!"
Hole has been touring hard this summer. The band is now in Minneapolis, then heading for Japan, then playing some west coast dates. Early on, the words "disaster" were being used-but by the time they got to Texas, the reports we were hearing were "amazing." Our chief Chicagoland correspondent reports in.
I woke up early the morning that the tickets for the Hole concert went on sale just in case the show sold out. The idea of seeing Courtney Love-a for-real rock icon-live made me freak out. I didn't bother to make plans with friends to see the show; I assumed that I'd know a handful of people [...]
1) the feet are NOT pointing up, as clearly stated; this answers none of our questions. 2) i think there is a person holding a boom mike up over the stall door, which is my favorite part of the whole video 3) those girls are straight out of a dove "real women" ad
The organist in the restroom is a nice touch as well. Also, good morning!
Chicago, the city of broad asses, has a raccoon problem. They're everywhere! Hopefully they will figure out how boring that town is and go somewhere else before they become Italian beef. If that isn't happening already.
The brand new Graze magazine, based out of Chicago and so far entirely supported by food events, has just published issue number one. You'll never take my subscription to Gastronomica but you definitely had me at "In search of Cambodia’s ancient stinky cheese"! Only $10 for the first issue!
Rahm Emanuel killed them in yesterday's election in Chicago, receiving more than twice the number of votes than the runner-up, Gery Chico, who has the name recognition of a smelly and obscure Asian fruit. (And more than six times the votes of Carol Moseley Braun, the only African-American woman to ever be elected to the U.S. Senate.) Now, Rahm will begin killin' em for real! I almost wish I lived in Chicago, taking your Ravenswood trains and going to, uh, the Loop I guess, on pretend business. Chicago is basically The Matrix, right? That's good, because Rahm is pretty much your Sims mayor.
More data for the "celebrity is everything in modern life" bonfire: Rahm Emanuel is polling at 44% for next month's mayoral election in Chicago. This is after he got fully shamed by all the other candidates at a meeting with the Chicago Tribune editorial board. Emanuel is the only candidate that supports legislation that would make teachers unable to strike; he's also the only one who says he might push back the retirement age for city employees. He probably has some good qualities too! I mean, lots of us have sometimes benefitted from having mayors who are total dicks. Though he is, of course, a [...]
HEY CHICAGO! Your hosts Tyler Coates and Maura Johnston would love to receive you at 11 a.m. on Sunday, at WestEnd, on Madison west of Racine. Location chosen due to its 11-minute walking distance from the Pitchfork Festival! Time chosen so no one has to miss Best Coast!
