It's Not All About Me

[READER]( [Food & Drink]( Like most people prone to feelings of powerlessness when confronted with world events, I started growing out all of my hair at the beginning of the pandemic. It was one small measure I could take to make it through the days with some fractional illusion of control. The look got enough encouragement from my pod that I started imagining myself—maybe not so much like a silver fox—but more like a gracefully aging Afghan hound. I made a personal commitment to keep it going until it was reasonably less risky to swap spit with strangers again. But then, just as the Proud Boys ruined the perfectly good collection of vintage Hawaiian shirts on my rack, a conspiracy of bearded mouthbreathers got arrested for plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan. I wasn’t comfortable with the look anymore. I resolved that the day the Cheeto-in-Chief got wheeled out of the White House in a Hannibal Lecter bite mask I’d reward myself with a shave and a haircut. On Saturday morning, when the city’s car horns started to blow, I could almost feel the cold, bracing slap of [Aqua Velva]( on my naked chops. But now the Loser looks like he’s trying to mount a coup, and here I am again centering the world’s problems on my mug. But I know it’s not all about me. Despite the hurricane of diarrhea the Trump cult is lathering in, COVID-19 is feasting on us like never before. Restaurants, clubs, theaters, concerts, festivals, jobs—our lives—aren’t coming back until we get it under control. And there are things we insignificant individuals can do. Better than growing a beard, we can wear masks, of course (and get out of the way if you won’t). Wash your hands. Keep your distance. And as Crust Fund Pizza jefe John Carruthers told me [last month]( “Help however you can help.” This month the entire staff of the Reader took pay cuts and furloughs to help the paper stay alive—and to help each other keep our jobs. Since March we’ve lost more than 90 percent of our ad revenue, but through a myriad of methods we’ve managed to stay alive and not lose anyone. We’re doing what we can to help. You can help too: We’re almost a full nonprofit now. [Become a member. Or make a donation](. Anything you give between now and December 31st has the chance to be matched by NewsMatch. Or buy some [merch](. Not to bring it all back around to me again, but buy [my book]( If we sell a few more copies I might feel good enough to scrape off this scraggly old flavor saver after all. Sincerely, [Minahasa brings Northern Sulawesian food to your door]( Another furloughed chef, another regional treasure By [Mike Sula]( [@MikeSula]( [You don’t mess with Teta at Evette’s]( Grandma would approve of this Lincoln Park Lebanese-Mexican mashup. By [Mike Sula]( [@MikeSula]( [Meet Dinkey DaDiva, creator of the Jerk Chicken Egg Roll]( The Egg Roll Lady has 75 varieties in her arsenal. By [Mike Sula]( [@MikeSula]( [Stay pizza-positive with Crust Fund Pizza]( Food writer John Carruthers auctions his tavern-style pies for social justice. By [Mike Sula]( [@MikeSula]( 2014 [Five ways ancient methods are transforming modern eating]( Our Food Issue looks at how the craft movement is changing the way we create and consume food. By [Reader staff]( [Issue of Nov 12-25, 2020 Vol. 50, No. 4]( [Bound to the Point]( [Tales of the Southside Pod swimmers]( By [S. Nicole Lane]( [Best of Chicago 2020: Nominate now!]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [View this e-mail as a web page]( [DONATE]( Like most people prone to feelings of powerlessness when confronted with world events, I started growing out all of my hair at the beginning of the pandemic. It was one small measure I could take to make it through the days with some fractional illusion of control. The look got enough encouragement from my pod that I started imagining myself—maybe not so much like a silver fox—but more like a gracefully aging Afghan hound. I made a personal commitment to keep it going until it was reasonably less risky to swap spit with strangers again. But then, just as the Proud Boys ruined the perfectly good collection of vintage Hawaiian shirts on my rack, a conspiracy of bearded mouthbreathers got arrested for plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan. I wasn’t comfortable with the look anymore. I resolved that the day the Cheeto-in-Chief got wheeled out of the White House in a Hannibal Lecter bite mask I’d reward myself with a shave and a haircut. On Saturday morning, when the city’s car horns started to blow, I could almost feel the cold, bracing slap of [Aqua Velva]( on my naked chops. But now the Loser looks like he’s trying to mount a coup, and here I am again centering the world’s problems on my mug. But I know it’s not all about me. Despite the hurricane of diarrhea the Trump cult is lathering in, COVID-19 is feasting on us like never before. Restaurants, clubs, theaters, concerts, festivals, jobs—our lives—aren’t coming back until we get it under control. And there are things we insignificant individuals can do. Better than growing a beard, we can wear masks, of course (and get out of the way if you won’t). Wash your hands. Keep your distance. And as Crust Fund Pizza jefe John Carruthers told me [last month]( “Help however you can help.” This month the entire staff of the Reader took pay cuts and furloughs to help the paper stay alive—and to help each other keep our jobs. Since March we’ve lost more than 90 percent of our ad revenue, but through a myriad of methods we’ve managed to stay alive and not lose anyone. We’re doing what we can to help. You can help too: We’re almost a full nonprofit now. [Become a member. Or make a donation](. Anything you give between now and December 31st has the chance to be matched by NewsMatch. Or buy some [merch](. Not to bring it all back around to me again, but buy [my book]( If we sell a few more copies I might feel good enough to scrape off this scraggly old flavor saver after all. Sincerely, [DONATE]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2020 Chicago Reader Store, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Chicago Reader Store Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader Store 2930 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL 60616 [Add us to your address book](