First, my photo exhibition, Chicago in Black and White, is closing this week. I am extremely grateful to my friend, the artist Tony Fitzpatrick, for the opportunity to show and sell my work. Thank you to all those who showed up or purchased a piece. I am also grateful for the following for publicizing the exhibition:
Rick Kogan on WGN Radio and the Chicago Tribune.
Bob Chiarito for his article in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The next exhibition at Tony Fitzpatrick’s Dime/TF galleries is BOP! It is a celebration of the art of collage. Several artists will have their work on display and for sale. The image above has the date and time for the opening.
Chicago’s air quality was rated the worst in the world yesterday. This is because of the smoke from Canadian wildfires. The air looks like fog, and sometimes you can smell wood smoke. Masks came back ala COVID for many.
The New York Times shared an article about the Chicago Style Hot Dog on Facebook yesterday. They published the piece last year. The article itself was typical, along with a few minor errors. Then the writer stepped on his weiner. He had the audacity to put up his recipe for making the Chicago Style Dog. Unfortunately, his recipe was not Chicago Style, except for the toppings. It was not for cooking any style of hot dog.
He toasted the buns in a pan with butter, then sauteed the dogs in butter. Geez, he knows nothing about cooking hotdogs. Chicago hotdog buns are steamed or served from the package. Pop them in the nuker for 30 seconds if you want warm buns. No one, not even New York hotdog vendors, sauté dogs in butter. What in the Jumping Jesus is this moron doing? Doesn’t the NYT have fact-checkers for recipes? No wonder many refer to that rag as the Old Gray Hag.
Hot dogs are already cooked. Most can be eaten from the package. How to cook a Chicago Dog? In a pot with water seasoned with celery salt. Bring water to a boil, lower heat to simmer, add the dogs, and heat for 5-7 minutes. That’s the Chicago Way. Then assemble the dogs with the toppings- mustard, onions, relish, dill pickle, tomatoes, and sport peppers, also known as running it through the garden. You could sprinkle celery salt on the toppings if you like.
If the New York Times ever bastardizes recipes for Chicago Style food, Chicagoans should cancel their subscriptions. They should write scathing letters to their editors. Their supposed food writers are dumber than a box of rocks. My apologies to rocks.
Everywhere I read or listen, I see the whole Chicago news media overhyping the NASCAR race in Chicago. There is not one editorial, op-ed piece, or criticism of the insanely stupid idea. One could wonder if they were all bribed to be advertisers for this ridiculous event. This is Chicago and bribing is the Chicago Way. This is the same news media believes Chicago is safe from violent criminals. They suck up any and all XXXX rated pornographic data and data analysis from the city to pleasure themselves with.
Upcoming is the 4th of July weekend. Stay safe. Stay off the streets at night if you can. If you must go out, go out in groups. The summer holiday weekends are usually when the most violent crimes occur. Do not be a victim. Be a survivor. The city has no plan to curtail violence, no matter what the elected political weasels claim. We are on our own.
I am writing this in my saloon office away from home. Some mook decided to play suicide music- sappy love, unrequited love, and break-up songs on the jukebox. It is no wonder there are people I want to punch in the throat.