I just have to take this moment to give a shout out to San Francisco. It's sunny, the seasonal trees are getting their leaves back, and the birds are all sorts of twitterpated and filling the air with impassioned riffs and color shows. The breeze does that wonderfully moist and cool morning thing that makes you feel really alive when you breathe. It's great to sit here with the windows open and feel like I'm in paradise.
Have you bought your plane ticket yet? Erin and Amos are coming soon..!
The last two nights at work, both lecturers have begun their talks with comments on how lucky we are to live here and how glad they are to see some green. One was from Chicago, the other staying (I think) in New York.
But -- don't get too bitter, now. The gale-force wind off the ocean from Alaska makes most evenings COLD and biking has been something of a challenge, being tossed hither and thither in our narrow lanes alongside traffic.. and this weekend is supposed to be gray and windy. Soon, the weather in Chicago will ripen and we'll be lamenting those warm nights spent riding around, totally carefree, in air the temperature of bathwater. Vanessa is mad that she has to wear Smartwool socks every day. So am I. That was the whole point of moving.
At least the greenery and the birds and the air (when it's calm) and the nearly daily sunshine outweigh the less-than-perfect elements. We're just plain spoiled now.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
If...
Ok, ok. Maybe some of you out there hate these things. But I laughed, so I'm posting this in case it makes you laugh, too. Add your own in the comments!
IT'S ALL TRUE!! DEAR GOD!
CHICAGO SLANG
1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for 'garage key' as in, 'Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? How my supposta cut da grass if I don't git intada grach?'
2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.
3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in 'Da Bears' or 'Da Mare' -- the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often called.
4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains. 'I'm goin' to the Jewels to pick up some sassage.'
5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also
Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply called ' Carson's.'
Edit: RIP!!! I will forever call Macy's 'Field's'. Carson's is gone now, too, right?
6. Tree: The number between two and four. 'We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow da udder night.'
7. Over by dere: Translates to 'over by there,' a way of emphasizing a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, 'I got the sassage at the Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere.'
8. Kaminski Park : The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field (da Cell)
9. Frunchroom: As in, 'Get outta da frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes.' It's not the 'parlor.' It's not the 'living room.' In the land of the bungalow, it's the 'frunchroom,' a named derived, linguists believe, from 'front room.'
10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' 'Where use goin'?'
11. Downtown: Anywhere near The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) and north of Soldier Field.
12. The Lake : Lake Michigan . (What other lake is there?) It's often used by local weathermen, 'cooler by The Lake.'
14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. 'Gimme a braht wit kraut.'
15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb 'say.' For example, 'Den he goes, 'I like dis place'!'
16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.
17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say 'soda' in this town. 'Do ya wanna canna pop?'
18 Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle , a popular Midwestern burger chain. 'Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs'
19. The Taste: The Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.
20. 'Jeetyet?': Translates to, 'Did you eat yet?'
21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, 'What are the two seasons in Chicago?'
22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for 'a couple, two, three' which really means 'a few.' For example, 'Hey Mike, dere any beerz left in da cooler over by dere?' 'Yeh, a cuppa too-tree.'
23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the
carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!
24. Junk Dror: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous, but very important, junk.
25. Southern Illinois : Anything south of I-80. This is where Smothers' is from....
26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are
usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate number: the Dan Ryan ('da Ryan'), the Stevenson, the Kennedy (da 'Kennedy'), the Eisenhower (da 'Ike'), and the Edens (just 'Edens' but Da Edens' is acceptable).
27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!
This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Chicago..
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Chicago .
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Chicago
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Chicago.
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Chicago.
If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend, you live in Chicago.
If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago.
If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you live in Chicago.
If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago.
If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Chicago.
If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Chicago.
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Chicago.
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Chicago.
If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Chicago.
If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you live in Chicago.
If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Chicago friends & others, you live or have lived in Chicago.
1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for 'garage key' as in, 'Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? How my supposta cut da grass if I don't git intada grach?'
2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.
3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in 'Da Bears' or 'Da Mare' -- the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often called.
4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains. 'I'm goin' to the Jewels to pick up some sassage.'
5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also
Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply called ' Carson's.'
Edit: RIP!!! I will forever call Macy's 'Field's'. Carson's is gone now, too, right?
6. Tree: The number between two and four. 'We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow da udder night.'
7. Over by dere: Translates to 'over by there,' a way of emphasizing a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, 'I got the sassage at the Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere.'
8. Kaminski Park : The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field (da Cell)
9. Frunchroom: As in, 'Get outta da frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes.' It's not the 'parlor.' It's not the 'living room.' In the land of the bungalow, it's the 'frunchroom,' a named derived, linguists believe, from 'front room.'
10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' 'Where use goin'?'
11. Downtown: Anywhere near The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) and north of Soldier Field.
12. The Lake : Lake Michigan . (What other lake is there?) It's often used by local weathermen, 'cooler by The Lake.'
14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. 'Gimme a braht wit kraut.'
15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb 'say.' For example, 'Den he goes, 'I like dis place'!'
16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.
17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say 'soda' in this town. 'Do ya wanna canna pop?'
18 Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle , a popular Midwestern burger chain. 'Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs'
19. The Taste: The Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.
20. 'Jeetyet?': Translates to, 'Did you eat yet?'
21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, 'What are the two seasons in Chicago?'
22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for 'a couple, two, three' which really means 'a few.' For example, 'Hey Mike, dere any beerz left in da cooler over by dere?' 'Yeh, a cuppa too-tree.'
23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the
carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!
24. Junk Dror: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous, but very important, junk.
25. Southern Illinois : Anything south of I-80. This is where Smothers' is from....
26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are
usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate number: the Dan Ryan ('da Ryan'), the Stevenson, the Kennedy (da 'Kennedy'), the Eisenhower (da 'Ike'), and the Edens (just 'Edens' but Da Edens' is acceptable).
27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!
This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Chicago..
If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Chicago .
If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Chicago
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Chicago.
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Chicago.
If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend, you live in Chicago.
If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago.
If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you live in Chicago.
If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago.
If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Chicago.
If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Chicago.
If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Chicago.
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Chicago.
If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Chicago.
If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you live in Chicago.
If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Chicago friends & others, you live or have lived in Chicago.
IT'S ALL TRUE!! DEAR GOD!
FOOD-O-RAMA
This weekend was fairly low-key.. Vanessa got sick AGAIN and the weather was rather glum, so we stayed in for the most part. Saturday morning was fun, though -- we rode over to the Alemany Farmer's Market and reveled in the diversity of the people and produce there. Hari Krishnas offering up wedges of orange, mellow guitar and vocals, and free meditation sessions? Check. Sizeable Asian crowds and mysterious produce stands? Check. Pastries, oysters, tamales, samosas, shea butter, african drums and coffee? Check. Amazing orchids? Check. All of these combine with the seasonal produce stands and the fresh morning air to make an exciting trip.
We came home with two panniers' worth of food...
...sweet pea shoots, a bag of mandarins, homemade oil-cured olives, baby potatoes, eggplant, red bell pepper, baby beets, asparagus, bok choy, ginger, baby carrots, strawberries, snow peas, a loaf of sourdough bread, a blueberry danish, and a chocolate croissant.
Oh! And a bunch of aromatic Thai basil!
While Vanessa chilled out and tried to fight off her cold, I whipped up lots of goodies in the kitchen...
Fennel and beet salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette
Pickled carrots!
Gougeres (savory pastry puffs with thyme, black pepper and Gruyere)
I took a break for dinner: Roasted baby potatoes with rosemary, a Gougere and sautéed greens from our garden, and spinach soup with white beans. Mmmmmmmm.......
Then for the finale, I made two types of cookies! One recipe used egg whites, and the other used the yolks, so I was completely justified.
Almond Rochers (they look like the book photo!)
This morning I finished up the Cinnamon Walnut Slices (inspiring name, eh?) after they chilled overnight:
...the dough was a log that was rolled in granulated sugar, and I did the ends of the logs, too!
Oh, and I can't forget to add the yummy lemon cupcakes that Vanessa made last week and topped with toasted coconut.. SO GOOD.
Don't think we eat this grandly all the time... we try, but we're only humans with full-time jobs, too. Add the hopeful inclusion of a pup to our home, and we might be eating ramen four nights a week! Anyway, if you're interested in any of the recipes, drop a line in the comments. I kind of made up the fennel salad recipe, but used the pickling formula in Alice Waters' "The Art of Simple Food." It's a nice, herb-y, tangy, slightly spicy recipe that would work with pretty much any veggie. The gougeres and cookies came from the Tartine Bakery cookbook.
Next on my list of things to try is this recipe for Black Bean Brownies -- no shit!
And finally, here is a link to a sobering opinion article about the soaring price of food in the New York Times from today: Paul Krugman's 'Grains Gone Wild'
I also submitted a comment to Erin's blog with statistics from the Harper's Index about food spending.. as of this moment she hasn't approved it yet, but it should be up soon. She wrote about keeping track of the money they spend, and discovered they spend LOT$$ on food. Well, so do we.. it costs a lot to eat responsibly.
Oh, and speaking of -- here's an interesting chart that Erin sent my way this morning. Do corporate and organic mix well?
We came home with two panniers' worth of food...
...sweet pea shoots, a bag of mandarins, homemade oil-cured olives, baby potatoes, eggplant, red bell pepper, baby beets, asparagus, bok choy, ginger, baby carrots, strawberries, snow peas, a loaf of sourdough bread, a blueberry danish, and a chocolate croissant.Oh! And a bunch of aromatic Thai basil!
While Vanessa chilled out and tried to fight off her cold, I whipped up lots of goodies in the kitchen...
Fennel and beet salad with Meyer lemon vinaigrette
Pickled carrots!
Gougeres (savory pastry puffs with thyme, black pepper and Gruyere)
I took a break for dinner: Roasted baby potatoes with rosemary, a Gougere and sautéed greens from our garden, and spinach soup with white beans. Mmmmmmmm.......
Then for the finale, I made two types of cookies! One recipe used egg whites, and the other used the yolks, so I was completely justified.Almond Rochers (they look like the book photo!)
This morning I finished up the Cinnamon Walnut Slices (inspiring name, eh?) after they chilled overnight:
...the dough was a log that was rolled in granulated sugar, and I did the ends of the logs, too!Oh, and I can't forget to add the yummy lemon cupcakes that Vanessa made last week and topped with toasted coconut.. SO GOOD.
Don't think we eat this grandly all the time... we try, but we're only humans with full-time jobs, too. Add the hopeful inclusion of a pup to our home, and we might be eating ramen four nights a week! Anyway, if you're interested in any of the recipes, drop a line in the comments. I kind of made up the fennel salad recipe, but used the pickling formula in Alice Waters' "The Art of Simple Food." It's a nice, herb-y, tangy, slightly spicy recipe that would work with pretty much any veggie. The gougeres and cookies came from the Tartine Bakery cookbook.
Next on my list of things to try is this recipe for Black Bean Brownies -- no shit!
And finally, here is a link to a sobering opinion article about the soaring price of food in the New York Times from today: Paul Krugman's 'Grains Gone Wild'
I also submitted a comment to Erin's blog with statistics from the Harper's Index about food spending.. as of this moment she hasn't approved it yet, but it should be up soon. She wrote about keeping track of the money they spend, and discovered they spend LOT$$ on food. Well, so do we.. it costs a lot to eat responsibly.
Oh, and speaking of -- here's an interesting chart that Erin sent my way this morning. Do corporate and organic mix well?
Last Weekend
Last weekend our neighbor Caty sneakily followed us to Animal Care and helped us cheer up after looking for a pup of our own. We went to Flower Craft, the affordable plant nursery, where we stocked up on more lettuces and some new greens. We also spent some time Flora Grubb, the not-so-affordable but totally amazing and inspiring retail plant shop, and at the community garden on the border of the Mission and Potrero Hill (where I am now DYING to get a plot!). Finally, we rounded the day out with a visit to an old military building that's been turned into artist studios on the Bay, and a late lunch at Chez Maman in Potrero Hill. FUN!
I was thinking of all of you in Chicago, so I made sure to snap plenty of great flower pictures at Flora Grubb.. hopefully the greenery will be emerging there soon!
Freesia from Caty's garden plot.. sooo yummy and beautiful
Erin, these placemats reminded me of the work of that paper artist you sent to me ages ago
we couldn't resist bringing two of these home!
this is a crazy kind of palm tree.. i think it's bare now from winter, but the trunk has all of these spikes on it.
on the roof...
there are some cool old buildings in this particular area...
we picked up a nice big house plant at Flower Craft!
basil and rosemary last weekend....
...one week later!
I was thinking of all of you in Chicago, so I made sure to snap plenty of great flower pictures at Flora Grubb.. hopefully the greenery will be emerging there soon!
Freesia from Caty's garden plot.. sooo yummy and beautiful
Erin, these placemats reminded me of the work of that paper artist you sent to me ages ago
we couldn't resist bringing two of these home!
this is a crazy kind of palm tree.. i think it's bare now from winter, but the trunk has all of these spikes on it.
on the roof...
there are some cool old buildings in this particular area...
we picked up a nice big house plant at Flower Craft!
basil and rosemary last weekend....
...one week later!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
