Queenkv’s Brainpickings

According to my newswriting instructor - I went to the wrong place for hot dogs,.
I saw a Food Network special on the Billy Goat and I thought I could find a real Chicago hot dog over there. Instead I got a tiny link on a wimpy bun. The “hambozger, hambozger, hambozger” cook offered some grilled onions - but I wasn’t in the mood for that. It was a neat place, on Clark, right next to the Chicago Cub’s stadium. But the hot dog sucked.

My newswriting instructor said folks go down to the BillyGoat to chow down and head back to work. Nobody goes there for the food, especially the journalists who rub shoulders and head back to their offices to finish their stories by deadline. Then I mentioned I went to the one in Wrigleyville and he pashaed me…..apparently I went to the wrong one

so I haven’t tasted a decent hot dog out here, not yet.

well, this Billy Goat didn’t even have grey poupon for my hot dog.

ok, maybe that’s a Berkeley thing. oh my God, I miss Top Dog! I’m totally craving 2 hot lemon chicken dogs topped with a few dabs of grey poupon mustard and sitting on some toasted buns. They’re not the biggest dogs but they pack a lot of juicy flavor. You can eat them inside Top Dog’s Durant Ave location. It’s a indoor counter and you’re surrounded with socialist comic strips, essays, and sarcastic jabs at American policy. Sometimes the cook leaves Star Trek: Next generation running and you can fill up on two dogs and soda for less than $6.

A lot of good memories with top dog…..i had a two top dogs before heading over to the big game with Wes and David - Cal won the axe back from Stanfurd and we took down the the goalpost….good times…..

Mark took me to the Northside Top Dog for our first Valentine’s Day. It was more like a joke. We were dressed up and he was certain I can appreciate the humor in it all. Later that evening, we had dinner at the Cliff House. I tried my first cigar at the Ruby Room. The English Beat was playing….you know, the guys who did - “Mirror in the Bathroom”

Sometimes, when I had to skip lunch, Mark would pick up some Top Dogs to fuel me through the rest of the work day.

As an undergrad, Top Dog was my nightcap after some serious bar hopping. On Tuesday Night Drinking Club’s….I headed to Two for Two Tuesdays with Susan and the gang. On a nice buzz, we hit up Top Dog at around 1 AM, to curb our munchies.

oh boy….this should be interesting…

Chicago Tribune | Ubiquitous Starbucks waters down Paris debut

” This low-key, non-confrontational approach seems far from accidental. France is well-known for protesting the presence of multinational organizations, particularly if they are American. In 1999, French farmer Jose Bove became a national hero after he drove his tractor through the front of a McDonald’s restaurant.”

I adore Starbucks. I worked there for about 5 months in 2002. I was in heaven when I got a free oound of coffee - per week! I love the brew and I love the consistency in how the espresso drinks are made.

But I must admit, I was also freaked out when I visited a Starbucks in Makati City - in the Phillippines. I was over there in the summer 1999 - and on our first night, my cousin took us out to check out some American hot spots in Makati. I was tickled that the Starbucks served pandisla bread (I’m really sorry about the spelling - it’s not like I get English words right, either) and other island foods. However, that evening it was nearl 100 degrees outside. If I remember correctly, it’s not like folks had a tradition of drinking coffee in the first place. So, it definetly felt wierd to see this American manufacture habit in my parent’s homeland. Wierd, fake, and wrong.

photo friday: motion

….riding the Purple Line on the L - heading for Howard Street.