Memories of "Taste"

The “Taste of Chicago” event just began an hour ago and look at the crowds already. I just took this photo from a window at my workplace.

See? Here are some more crowds at “Taste.”

See that tall skinny building in the background? That’s where I work. Can you see me in the window taking the photo, shirking my work duties?

I know that lots of folks here just love “Taste” (like Iwanski) but I’m not one of them. Apparently, there’s a solar cycle that causes Chicago to have temperatures and humidity similar to that of Venus this time every year.

I went to “Taste” the first year that I lived in Chicago because I love all different kinds of weird food.

I found a booth selling goat curry, wriggled my way to it and waited in line. And waited, and waited. Finally, I asked for my goat curry only to be told that I could only obtain it with tickets bought at a central location.

The goat-curry lady pointed me to an incredibly long line of people waiting for tickets.

Meanwhile, the sun was blazing and most of Lake Michigan had evaporated into the atmosphere surrounding the “Taste” event.

I wedged myself through myriads of sweaty bodies and tried to find the end of the line. Finally, as I was nearing the Wisconsin border, I got in line for Taste tickets. I couldn't even see the ticket booth in the distance; just a line of sunburned people snaking off across the horizon.

I wondered how long it would take me to get the tickets, then remembered seeing Cro-Magnons near the front of that line.

Finally, just as the "Taste" event was ending a week later, I got to the front and purchased about ten dollars worth of tickets. By that time, I was about to require emergency medical services due to dehydration so I got in another line for bottled water.

“That’ll be one hundred forty-six tickets” said the bottled-water lady. I counted out the tickets, (which came to about four dollars), handed them over and headed back to the goat curry booth.

But they were sold out of the goat curry by that time.

“Okay, I’ll take the lamb-and-plantain curry,” said I.

“That’ll be one thousand, four hundred and twenty-six tickets,” said the lamb-and-plantain-curry lady.

“But I’ve only got one thousand, four hundred and twenty-five tickets left!” I exclaimed in a faltering voice.

“Sorry! There’s the ticket line over there. . . .”

So, that was my one experience with “Taste of Chicago.”

. . . Until last year when darling Lorraine and her family were here. The weather was actually very pleasant which had never happened before. We had all just finished with an outdoor concert featuring the cast of High School Musical which The Child loved, had just met City Mouse for the first time, and Taste was nearby.

We got in line for the tickets. I knew to purchase about ten thousand tickets this time and I actually got some goat curry, too.

That week while Lorraine and family were here was some of the happiest memories I’ll ever have. Really.

But I won’t be going to Taste this year. It’s already muggy outside and, well, you’ve seen the crowds.

If I want goat curry, I’ll just have it delivered, thank you.