Veg Pt. 2

Part two of the story of my vegetarianism is now up at Next Gen Green.

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The Unexpected Vegetarian

Every once in awhile I get to leave the Woundup Corp. office here on W. Hubbard ("The Magnesium Mile").

I'm doing some off-site blogging at Next Gen Green. A former co-worker of mine runs this fantastic site that focuses on healthy, responsible, sustainable living. My three-part piece, over the course of the next three Mondays, has to do with how I became a vegetarian. An interesting story.

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Have you seen the inside of Tacitus's vomitorium?

I've staged a complete recovery from last week's food poisoning. It's good to be able to eat, say, fresh mozzarella that was sitting out a little in its own water, or bagged lettuce getting brown around the edges, or a room-temperate cheesy-bean-and-rice burrito from Taco Bell (with hot sauce) or week-old hummus. Yes, all the things I love.

I think this WeBLoG needs some direction, don't you? Getting a little aimless as the weather warms. That's really because the seven-person content team all went on a spring break–style vacation to the official Woundup resort property in Tutacahana, Mexico. There are going to be some workshops, but we really know it's just an excuse to try and score cheap cocaine and maybe act depraved a bit before coming back home, feeling guilty and recommitting to the gym and sobriety (for a couple of weeks). God bless the liberal arts.

Time for a wilted-lettuce and room-temperature sour cream taco.

Oh baby

My guy Eric Asimov tackles Oktoberfest bier.

I'm picking Oktoberfest as my drinking holiday of choice over St. Patrick's Day and Cinco De Mayo. Seems like it's getting a little more buzz this year, too. You just can't beat the Germans on lager (though some U.S. craft brewers are coming close).

Oh PBS ...

Well, I really don't know where to begin about "Spain — On the Road Again." Being a fan of NYT food writer Mark Bittman, I figured I'd give it a watch when it was on WTTW last night. I liked Bittman's "The Best Recipes in the World" show. In it, he would travel to exotic locales to, say, watch someone's grandma make gniocchi. And though it wasn't a straight how-to cooking show — Bittman did flash back to his kitchen to make something once in awhile — the food was always at the forefront.

"On the Road" seems to be more about the journey: an aimless, bloated, wine-sodden journey. Bittman tools around Spain in a Mercedes convertible with superchef Mario Batali, big-time starlet Gywneth Paltrow and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols, stopping at little towns to eat local delicacies and, most importantly, sample local wine.

We're never shown how to make any of the food. I could live with that (I'm not much of a cook) if I didn't have to endure Batali's obnoxious, know-it-all posturing, Paltrow's vapidity or the general decadence of the whole thing.

American foodies like Batali and Bittman are obsessed with getting back to the source of European cuisine, the gastronomic terroire — soaking in the sun, sniffing the soil, licking the rocks, etc. But this show just makes it all look like what it really is: an update of the Ugly American tourist. Only now he's got even more money, and he's pretending to be an expert on your culture. (I wouldn't feel too bad for Spain, though — one of the Top 5 Oppressor Nations in history.)

I also was a bit creeped out by the middle-aged-dudes-hitting-on-hot-young-chicks subplot. I apologized to Erika that there wasn't sufficient young man meat to feast her eyes upon. Straight women must make due with the hoggish Batali and the husk-like Bittman.

I'm sure Batali would call me a prude, more content with "America's Test Kitchen" and NA beer, but it's just really hard to watch millionaires and their buddies get drunk and eat blood sausage for an hour. For Bittman's sake, I'll check out one more episode. There's always the chance one (or all) of them will end up in a Spanish jail.

Class dismissed

I am hugely hooked on Beer School, a monthly-ish podcast you can get for free from the iTunes Store. Erika loaded a few of them on our 'pod for the long ride to and from NYC. The hosts, Motor and John, have a theme for each show and sample beer throughout each episode. Yes, they start to get a little off-topic as they drink, and it can be pretty funny. They're based in San Francisco and, from what I can gather, work in the IT business. Motor, who sometimes punctuates the dialogue with belches, seems like the kind of guy who's ripped his shirt off at an outdoor party after a few brews more than once in his life.

Some highlights include the guys drinking skunked Landshark beer ("Leftovers") and Motor guzzling that horrific Budweiser/clamato 22 oz thing — and loving it ("Weird"). But most of the time they just sample quality brews from around the world. If you love good beer or are curious about the whole craft beer movement, I encourage you to give it a listen.

Cape Cod-style, kettle-boiled, sea-salt-encrusted ...

I went downstairs to the commissary with an intense craving for potato chips. I've returned with a packet of Deep River Snacks salt & vinegars. I see here that the company is located in Connecticut. Is there something about New England — some air of authenticity — that's supposed to make us want to pay more for chips? (I paid $1.33 for these suckers.) Maybe I'm not up on my potato chip history, but I've seen other brands that play upon the New England angle.

I've always thought more of Pennsylvania as the home of strange, "authentic" chips — albeit with a mass-produced feel. These Connecticut chips are all right, though relatively mild. I bought a packet of Herr's salt & vinegars in the Poconos, and they were most intense chips I've ever eaten. I couldn't finish the bag. Kind of wish I had them now.

Das Glute

If you're interested in getting some new vegan-/vegetarian-friendly recipes or just curious about new brands of faux-meat on the market, stop on by the South Loop Whole Foods this Saturday at 1 p.m. to watch Erika give a cooking demonstration with Upton's Naturals seitan. Upton's gave her a load of the stuff, and she's got some fantastic ideas in store.

Half-full/Half-empty

Bell's Brewery -- where I spent my 31st birthday and which lost its Chicago distributorship last year -- has been creeping back into the local market. Handlebar has had a number of their beers on tap in the last six months, and now Tuman's is carrying a wheat ale similar to Oberon. I had a couple there last night, and I think it's even better than the Big O, which was a popular seller. I might have to go back soon.

In other alcohol news, Trader Joe's has been out of our favorite pair of $4 Italian wines for a month now, leading me to believe that they may not return. I've never exerted enough effort to understand TJ's stocking policy, but we've seen delicious, popular items disappear for good before (their chocolate soy milk). In fact, the pure $4 bottle of wine is fast becoming extinct at TJ's. Considering the number of horrible mass-market wines going for $8 and up, I will miss these true bargains.

Holiday Parentheticals

Teeth aside (though they did get a workout this past Thursday), Erika and I enjoyed our Thanksgiving. Erika worked hard to cook a spectacular feast for Marie and I, while her mom brought over a meat turkey. Highlights included broccoli faux-cheese casserole, seitan turkey and stuffing loaf, New York-style cheesecake and fine Bitburger beer in tallboy cans that I enjoyed while listening to the Broncos-Chiefs game on the radio because the freaking NFL put the freaking night game on the freaking NFL Network (We don't have cable).

What else? The leftovers were just as good. The rest of the weekend sailed along pleasantly, leaving me with a taste for my next extended break (only 26 days to go).

He Basically Recycles Stuff He Wrote 3 Years Ago

Man, I could go for a grilled cheese and fries. Where can I find one at this hour? Eating options are very limited after 6 p.m. Jane Jacobs would probably snicker at my predicament, as I'm trapped in this single-use (soul-withering office work) district. Oh, wherefor art thou, Big Herm's?

We Deliver

There it is: Rod Blagojevich Pizza. I met Erika at the Darkroom. We walked down to Chicago and Western. I got a slice. We went home. I ate the pizza and drank a beer. Are Woundup's forays into the "real world" starting to scare you? They're starting to scare me... and it's also a f*** of a lot of extra work.

Nibbles and Bites

Mmm... something smells good in the Cracker Factory tonight. Smells like pizza. I could go for some pizza. Erika and I recently tried the clone pie place that opened in the old Bacci space on Chicago Ave. Must say, their cheese slice is much, much better. Thanks to the Admiral for the tip.

Say, if I'm hungry in this fashion later... maybe I'll stop by the aforementioned Rod Blagojevich Pizza and grab a slice. I call it Blagojevich because there's a crude rendering of the popular "Love Is" comic on the building's side. The little, black-haired fellow depicted bears a strong resemblance to Illinois' governor.

I could even... snap a picture of the cartoon (might be dark) or those big slices under the heat lamps. Yes, every WeBLoG pretty much devolves into a photo WeBLoG. It's much easier than writing, folks!