From SoKo to LatAm, a GCL forged in fire

Now that I am in possession of a girlfriend, many have wondered whether a food blog conceived of subliminated sexual frustration can survive a fulfilling relationship (note: probs not that fulfilling on her end). Yes, as enjoyable as it is to have ToucanSam berate me while we sit in traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway (btw, a significant achievement in horrible urban planning and asinine civil engineering), GCL might never have happened if I had been able to choose between time with ToucanSam or a special lady. Still, the fuel that drives GCL was never loneliness in and of itself, but rather a larger sense of frustration and helplessness. As a result, with impending graduation and no concrete job prospects, my impotence before the world promises transcendent food blogging.

This week I met up with cognitive science powerhouses Sizzlenutz and Chlodnik to sample the vaunted ramen at Tanpopo. Unfortunately Sizzlenutz did some amateur hour leg work and didn’t bother to check hours of operation – real bush league, amirite? Walking around the Far North Side, Chlodnik pointed out the intriguingly named restaurant, The Money Shot. Needless to say, we knocked that setup out of the park. We decided to try Woo Chon Restaurant (5744 N California Ave) solely on the basis of its strategic location behind a shlubby Korean video store; however, finding a spot with real dolsot bi-bim-bop (hot stone pot-style Korean fried rice) mitigated the anguish of not supping on good ramen in the Chicago city limits. If you’re into K-food, consider yourself duly K-aware. This hidden gem provides genuine Korean cuisine at reasonable lunch prices.


Wednesday the original GCL duo along with Cambridge powerhouse Principal Blackman headed to South Loop in anticipation of a game night at Charades apartment. I have often dismissed the South Loop as a culinary wasteland – high rents and new construction favor mid-brow chain eateries rather than the sort of mom-and-pop independent spots that excite the gastro-venturer. Cafecito (26 E Congress Parkway) goes a long way towards not exactly redeeming but at least assuaging South Loop’s mediocrity. The chimichurri sauce in my choripan could have been a little more playful, but it packed enough zest to maintain my interest. ToucanSam spoke well of the sharpness in his provoletta, and Principal Blackman’s palomilla knocked some of the starch out his stuffy Ivy League cummerbund.

There is something poetic about Chicago institution the Tamale Man – a wandering Johnny Appleseed, only it’s more of a Juan Maiz, if you know what I mean. He might be a marketing genius. His brand would get lost in Pilsen; probably barred from North Side or Wrigleyville; but in frequenting the transitional (read: hipster) neighborhoods of western Chicago such as Logies or Ukrainian Village, he, like a maseca Goldilocks, found the white people niche that was just right to create a new media sensation. I heard about him often enough that when he and his tamale laden cooler were discretely leaving Happy Village (1059 N Wolcott Ave) I knew it was my GCL duty to drop my $5 for his namesake specialty. I can say that like a Mesoamerican Bill Cosby, the proof was indeed in the pork tamale pudding.

I hope that GCL is granted another year to continue its unique brand of food blogging without a safety net. If I put as much effort into my career development as I do into these entries, I would feel like less of a crumbum around my successful and motivated MBA classmates. If I could somehow convince the head of programming for the new, youth-focused Cooking Channel to make a show revolving around GCL, well, that would combine my twin passions for 1) exploring Chicago’s cheap food scene and 2) not holding a real job. I say the only way to atone for the woeful underrepresentation of brown people in broadcast television is to give ToucanSam and me our own show. I can probably scrounge up some vatos locos to march in front of corporate headquarters; ToucanSam’s entourage is like 1.1 billion strong and growing; and Sizzlenutz, well he can probably pull some Hollywood strings at his next Shabbat (wow, was that too Mel Gibson?).

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