[READER]( [Food & Drink]( Just a few more hours and we can stick a fork in this rotten year. Itâs a completely arbitrary milestone of course. Weâll still have 20 more days to watch the clown coup unfold. The pandemic will rage on while the vaccines trickle out. January and February are already the toughest months for restaurants, but without federal aid theyâll be the worst in memory. Iâve been using the last few weeks of holiday downtime to order in overdrive from some of my favorite restaurants, but I really need a break from the Roman orgy-level feasting, both for the sake of my digestive plumbing and my own budget. The upside of that is in the coming weeks Iâll be telling you about Tony Huâs new Hunanese restaurant, some adorable and delicious piggies that just came to market, and a half dozen different matzo ball soups. Still, your responsibly distanced New Yearâs Eve and New Yearâs Day celebrations serve as a legitimate final release before the real cold sets in. Since I mentioned Paul Fehribachâs red beans and rice last week Iâve had nothing but Big Jones on my mind, so Iâve ordered the restaurantâs New Yearâs Day [fried chicken brunch]( to welcome 2021, along with a few of the fetching dunkers theyâre frying as the Krewe dâBeignet donut pop-up. The chicken comes with a side of hoppinâ john, for good luck in the new year, maybe just enough to tide us over the next two months to the next major holiday: Thorrablot, when, like Vikings we can toast to the warming, lengthening, hopefully happier days ([with rotten shark, reindeer heads, and shots of black death](. But until then, happy new year.
[Bow before our future fungal overlords](
Get your lion's mane, pioppino, and blue oysters through Windy City Mushroom's new magic mushroom window.
By [Mike Sula]( [@MikeSula]( [Build your own Chicago bar cart](
The at-home bar cart
starter kit that supports local businesses
By [Jenna Rimensnyder]( [@j_rimensnyder]( [Full Circle Fungi makes like a mushroom and cooperates](
An oyster farm spawns in a Logan Square basement.
By [Mike Sula]( [@MikeSula](
[Issue of
Dec 24, 2020 - Jan 6, 2021
Vol. 50, No. 7]( [Year in Review]( [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 myselfâmaybe not so much like a silver foxâbut 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 wasnât 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 Iâd reward myself with a shave and a haircut. On Saturday morning, when the cityâs 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 heâs trying to mount a coup, and here I am again centering the worldâs problems on my mug. But I know itâs 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, jobsâour livesâarenât 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 wonât). Wash your hands. Keep your distance. And as Crust Fund Pizza jefe John Carruthers told me [last month]( âHelp however you can help.â This month the entire staff of the Reader took pay cuts and furloughs to help the paper stay aliveâand to help each other keep our jobs. Since March weâve lost more than 90 percent of our ad revenue, but through a myriad of methods weâve managed to stay alive and not lose anyone. Weâre doing what we can to help. You can help too: Weâre 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](