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January 26, 2006
Woah!
Amazing. I've been called out by the Chicago Tribune, 3 and a half years ago!
Back in the day, I occasionally wrote a column for The DePaulia, the DePaul student newspaper. One of my columns was a sarcastic/humorous rant - who'd have thought THAT - about "Chicago Style," including unhealthy hot dogs, crazy politics, and doughy pizza. I never ever got feedback about the thing, but one day I noticed somebody had written a counter-response column saying Chicago style is great. Of course I haven't thought about it at all since I wrote that in October of 2002.
Now, here at law school I have access to Lexis Nexis, and one of its features is an archive of old Chicago Tribune stories. Being a curious sort, I wanted to see if my name was mentioned anywhere. And, don't you know, somebody at the Tribune saw my DePaulia column and saw fit to comment upon it!
From the Chicago Tribune, Oct. 28, 2002:
City life isn't for everyone
Hey, what's wrong with Chicago style?
Browsing through Web sites of this region's universities, we found an opinion piece on DePaul's online student news-paper decrying "Chicago style," as in Chicago-style hot dogs, pizza, politics, softball and driving.
"Only in Chicago do people play with a 16-inch softball," writes [me]. "This monstrosity does not look fun to catch. Since players don't wear gloves, they need to snare these things barehanded. I know more than a few people who have professed to cracking a finger trying to catch one of these balls.
"Living in Chicago provides all kinds of dangers. If you don't get into an accident on the way to the softball diamond, you stand a great chance of breaking your thumb with a softball. Then, afterwards, you can let your blood pressure skyrocket with a dog or pizza. On the way home, you have to hope the aldermen don't duke it out on your street."
In the end, Osgood says he'd rather stick to how things are done in his Ohio hometown.
Fair enough. Not everyone's cut out for life in the big city.
P.O.V.
Zing!
entry no. 414
Posted by oz115 at January 26, 2006 05:29 PM
Comments
HAHAHA! I cannot believe you! Did you REALLY write that!? What is wrong with you. Chicago style anything is better than where you come from. Trust me, I was in Lancaster Ohio. A big eating out adventure is the mall food court! If you don't like it here... I say move back to Lancaster!
Posted by: Lady Christy at January 27, 2006 11:02 AM
Now, to be fair, it was supposed to be a humorous column, noting how many of the Chicago-style things people adore are by all accounts much worse for you than the way non-Chicagoans do it. A 16-inch softball caught with no glove? A slice of pizza that weighs more than your head? An Italian Sausage/Italian Beef combo? There's no denying that Chicago style = fatal.
Do I think Chicago style is bad? No! It's BAD for YOU. It's one of those things that makes Chicago great. And would I change anything about it? Not at all. (Well... I would put ketchup on hot dogs, but that's it.)
Posted by: tim at January 27, 2006 01:09 PM
I do not know how many times we have to go over this: ketchup does NOT belong on a hot dog! IT DOES NOT! In fact, if you go to Portillo's Hot Dogs, the BEST Chicago hot dog on the earth, and you ask for a hotdog with EVERYTHING on it, you do NOT get ketchup.
I thought you liked Chicago! I thought you wanted to live here with me and enjoy the lovely city. Apparently your REAL plan is to brainwash me and whisk me away to Buffalo or Laancaster... and my dear sir, that is out of the question!
HUMPH!
Posted by: Lady Christy at January 27, 2006 05:05 PM