Saturday, September 18, 2021

Ravenswood notes: Better Jesus people

     Today's report from Ravenswood Bureau Chief Caren Jeskey dredged up a memory of some 35 years ago. My brother lived in Japan, and since calling long distance cost $1 a minute, we would mail micro-cassettes to each other. In one, he said how he was heading to a gyoza shop, ordering gyoza, eating gyoza. Listening in—this was the mid-1980s, I kept wondering, "What's gyoza?" (Japanese dumplings, for those as clueless as I was). Anyway, I had a similar lone lingering question reading Caren's piece—let's see if you guess what it is—one that I resolve afterward. Enjoy.

     “Stop barking Charles! Charles!” The couple on the patio next to me at Frasca was fervently talking to their phone screen. It seemed odd at first, then I realized they were using a doggy cam to to spy on their pooch. Charles was not behaving, guessing by the continued admonishments coming from his humans.  
     I giggled. Dogs are such delightful creatures. Poor Charles, stuck at home alone while his humans tried to enjoy a quiet date night. How dare they? Doggy stalking is not new but seems much more popular these days. Friends are forever mentioning that they are hopping online to see what their dogs in daycare are up to. (I wonder how the human caretakers feel about being watched all day)?
     About ten years ago my technologically savvy sister and her husband rigged up a camera to confirm their suspicions about their crafty canine. Sure enough, the footage revealed that Ms. Clytie, a regal apricot standard poodle, would jump onto the comfy couch the moment her humans left the house.
     I respected her more after that.
     A few minutes after the Charles FaceTime exchange at Frasca, I noticed that the gentleman had disappeared. He returned with their pleased pooch in tow. Turns out this couple and their four-legged friend lived close by. Dan, Charles’ human dad, had gone home to relieve their neighbors of his incessant barking and give Charles what he wanted. To be joined at the hip with his humans. Naturally. He’s not afraid to admit it.
     When Dan returned with Charles I could not resist saying hi to the caramel colored wavy haired Labradoodle, and giving him a pat. I’m partial to all versions of poodles having grown up with Felix, a black standard, (though I have to admit I am not informed about the ins and outs of breeding).
     Thanks to Charles I also met his sweet mom Angela. Angela, Dan and I chatted a bit— the usual anti vaxxers driving us crazy small talk specific to our new world. This led to the fact that at least here in Chicago I have not (yet) been blatantly harassed for wearing a mask, such as the time a man biked up to me and sneezed in my face back in Austin Texas last summer
     I’ve been thinking a lot about Austin lately. The heat index is over 100 degrees most days this time of year. Here in Chicago I can’t go a day without someone saying “summer is over” or “I see you are enjoying this summer-like day.” I resisted pointing out that it's still summer. (Just as I typed that last sentence from the patio of Uncommon Ground, my waiter came over to inform me they will be working on their winter menu soon).
     I do my best to turn the volume down on what might happen later this year (perhaps a blizzard? A polar vortex?) and instead I choose to get outside every single day and experience what is happening. I hope to report to you all winter long from hikes in the snow with and without snowshoes and cross country skis, and I promise to provide photos of the snow people I build.
     I’ve been having a rough month. Crashing from the big move in May, two of three dental surgeries under my belt as of this week, and bone deep fatigue I can't seem to shake. My client caseload is exploding, which I am grateful for, but it also shows the level of emotional pain so many of us are in.
     I miss the hills and the twisty live oaks covered with moss all over Austin. The rambling walkabouts I was able to enjoy when I had very few demands upon my time last year.
     Now that I am back in Chicago I can’t keep up with social invitations. I’m grateful to have friends and family to commune with, but I don't have the energy to handle all of it. I'd become quite comfortable meeting my inner self more deeply, and spending most of my time alone. I usually say yes though, since life is precious and I don't want to have any regrets.
     The best part of being back is being surrounded by kindred spirits. I don’t have to hide that I am an atheist, or fear being judged by my beliefs. I don’t have to justify wearing the beautiful Black Lives Matter t-shirt my friend Ben Blount created. Many of my friends, family, and clients are highly religious but I have not been evangelized to once since I’ve been back and I feel there is more room for everyone here. Not so in the South. Not even Austin.
     As I talked about some of this with my patio companions at Frasca the other night, Angela joked that we have "better Jesus people" here. I couldn’t agree more. We have better female reproductive rights people here. We have better chivalry-isn’t-dead-but-misogyny-is people here. We have better pizza, a fabulous lake, and most importantly we have basic Chicago dogs like Charles and his cool folks to help us keep it real.

     I was left wondering about the restaurant. To learn more about Frasca Pizzeria and Wine Bar, click here.

15 comments:

  1. My guess is that you hadn't heard about apricot poodles since I'm pretty sure you know about the polar vortex. Could be labradoodles, but that would surprise me more since the suburbs are full of them these days.

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    1. No, the restaurant. I made that a bit clearer. It was an awkward intrusion on my part. But I need to say SOMETHING. Otherwise there is a certain percentage of readers who don't get that Caren has been writing Saturdays for the past year and a half.

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  2. Can't say I had a lingering question as Neil did except to wonder why Caren went to Austin in the first place. I'm pretty sure she mentioned why in one of her earlier columns but I can't recall.
    In any case, you may not have Austin's twisty live oaks but there are certainly many gorgeous parks scattered all about your home town... as you know.

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    1. True Les- IL is beautiful. I moved there to be closer to my sister's baby in 20214.

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    2. You can just substitute green-bean trees... er, Catalpas ... for the live oaks! But having a positive attitude toward winter, which you evidently do, should be key to re-adapting to our fair city. The current season is as good as it gets, IMO.

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    3. Correction: moved to ATX 2014

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  3. Regarding food choices that night (if that's what you're curious about Neil?), I was there for the internet (since I tend to work better some nights if I get out of the house). I wasn't hungry so got a drink to claim my patio table, but I did not eat. I was told the wood fired pizza is delicious and plan to go back!

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  4. Is Uncommon Ground part of Frasca's? I lived around the Belmont/Lincoln area several years ago, but haven't been back in quite a while. I wonder if the bank that was on the corner of Belmont and Ashland is still there with its two clocks, one facing Belmont, the other Ashland, that never told the exact same time, always a minute or two different. I told myself then that had I any money to put in a bank, it wouldn't be one that couldn't decide what time it was.

    john

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    1. the bank is long gone. its Whole Foods now

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    2. Yep, the clocks at Central Savings are still there, John. Seems to me that the time might be the same these days, but the temperature usually is different by a degree or three. And for quite a while there were 3 clocks, the two you refer to and a third just above the front door. Sometimes with 3 different temperatures...

      Not to step on Caren's toes, but Uncommon Ground is not part of Frasca. There are 2 UG locations, one north of Wrigley on Clark and one in Edgewater on Devon.

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    3. No- I was at UG on Devon later in the week. Not related to Frasca.

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  5. We've been to Frasca a number of times. Lots to like about it -- a fine brunch place, nice enough for date night, while being known for being family-friendly, swell sidewalk seating. Uh, the food is good, too!

    Last year during the lock-down they had a special family meal deal, via which you got to choose a couple entrees or pizzas, appetizer and dessert for a bargain price for delivery or pick-up. A treat during the dark days.

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    1. Nice! I ate there many years ago but time to revisit their menu.

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  6. By kindred spirits, I guess you mean that Chicago is a lot less conservative than Texas...even a more progressive island like Austin. You don’t have to hide that you aren't a Bible-thumper, and can be less afraid that you'll be attacked for your beliefs or your politics. And it's far less likely that anti-vaxxer maskholes will try to sneeze in your face.

    Still, you'd best be careful. Chicago is not Oz, and it never has been. Wearing that beautiful Black Lives Matter t-shirt could get you in trouble in some places...like on the Northwest Side, including the parts of it that you recently vacated. And that might be even more true elsewhere. There are certain parts of the Southwest Side where I wouldn't advise you to wear that shirt at all.

    Sounds like you know a lot of religious people, Caren, but by being evangelized, do you mean that people in Chicago ask you where you live or work, rather than "Where do you church?" Hell, that alone is a great reason for coming back. Although, in the aforementioned parts of Chicago (Northwest and Southwest Sides), older resisdents probably still ask: "What parish are you from?"

    Perhaps the longer you're in Chicago, the less you'll miss Austin, except for certain things that will always stay with you. Like the things I still miss about Florida, decades later. But you seem not to mind the winters, which puts you way ahead of me. I've gotten used to Ohio's gray skies, but I'll never learn to like the winter cold. And I wouldn't care if I never saw another snowflake for the rest of my life.

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