Chicago is known for its food. And for the utter wild abandon that its warmer months can bring. So to that end, I give you 8 Things About Summertime Eating In Chicago:
8. There is no food- anywhere- better than something that can be bought from a street corner cart. Especially if you have to ask for clarification on an item more than once. (It exponentially adds to its ultimate deliciousness.)
7. Regardless of where you live, a nearby parish or street will be having a block party that tops any you’ve ever seen. And they’ll have food grilling that will smell better than that thing you were planning on defrosting for supper.
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| Try some, kiddo. |
6. Or heard. ‘Cause that party will rage until well after your kids are tucked in for the night (with noise machines crankin’).
5. Even the dinkiest “farm stand” (read: the back of a pickup truck, parked at the intersection of two busy streets) will display tastier produce than most things being offered in a major grocery chain. Because yeah, even though parts of Chicago are downright industrial, we’re still located smack-dab in Midwestern Land. And that pickup truck produce? You’ll probably find fruit that’s like fifteen for a dollar.
4. There are entire festivals dedicated to ribs. Competing festivals. Same goes for burgers. And pretty much any type of cuisine you can think of. (At any of these festivals, by the by, you’ll have the ability to purchase gigantic ears of corn on the cob and deep-fried Twinkies. This I promise you.)
3. Being that winter is roughly nineteen months long in Chicago, taking advantage of a restaurant or bar’s outdoor seating makes every single thing taste better. Especially if it’s sidewalk seating. (Nothing makes a meal taste better than eating it alfresco on a sidewalk in the face of people who are not yet eating an alfresco meal on a sidewalk.)
2. The night that you boldly declare NO DESSERT…the ice cream pushcart, the one attached to the bike, the traditional ice cream truck, and the nondescript soft serve mobile will hover by your front stoop for hours. With bells and music and horns and throngs of over-sugared children singing their praises. Right by your stoop. For hours.
1. Addendum: Any ice cream truck still double-parked on a major city street after 10pm does not have a primary business of selling ice cream. Ahem.
Seeya at the tamale stand, friends.
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