Charles Blow is walking dangerously close to calling all Chicagoans racists, conservatives, or both. The reason that I have posted on the subject is simple: I’m being deluged by the story by the local news. Smollett defrauded the City of Chicago, imposing substantial costs on us. I am now waiting for him to file suit against Cook County or Chicago or both, another assault. The national media have jumped in, further disparaging Chicago.
Do you know why New Yorkers aren’t obsessed by Smollett? Because he didn’t stage his hoax there. It can happen there and he could have. If it had, since the national media are concentrated in New York, the entire country would have been obsessed with the story whether they wanted to be or not.
Wait for it, there will be a redemption story in a few days:
In the face of national media scrutiny, Chicagoans were forced to examine the racism lurking in their midst, and took an affirmative step in the right direction by sending an African-American to the Mayor’s Office.
(Of course, the joke here is voters won’t have a choice, though it seems like the State’s Attorney might have a slight role in helping her candidate lose)
Tawana Brawley. Sharpton never did apologize for that one.
I’ve always said: if you want to find MAGA country, where all the racists reside, go to Streeterville or the New East Side.
As I pointed out when the story first came out, it would be an excellent way to get yourself killed.
Speaking of New York obsessions, we’ve been spending a lot of time in the St. Louis area for soccer again. The St. Louis Bread Company(*) put up billboard signs all around the area, announcing “STL Proud” with a visual design suggesting sliced bagels. So the condescending remarks from New Yorkers have now become “a thing,” and maybe someone will start putting bagel strips on an actual menu.
(*) That’s Panera to you.
There’s a meme floating around about St. Louis sliced bagels which has spawned a number of other “St. Louis style” memes. Apparently, Panera is going with the flow.
To the best of my knowledge the only distinctively St. Louis food is fried ravioli which has spread from The Hill to the rest of St. Louis and then to the rest of the country.
“Tawana Brawley. Sharpton never did apologize for that one.”
Trump has never apologized for still going after the Central Park 5, even after being exonerated by DNA evidence. The difference here? You guys voted in Trump and Sharpton is nothing to most of us.
I guess I find it hard to obsess over Smollett also as I didnt know who he was before the arrest as our house does not follow celebrity culture. Plus it is in Chicago. Wouldn’t bee that interested either if it were in NYC, though I agree I would have to see it covered a lot more.
Fried ravioli better than fried wontons? I lightly fry pirogies in Ghee with some onions and a little bacon if I have it. Folks here love it. Sounds like an Americanized version of pot stickers.
Steve
Provel pizza?
I think someone made a special request for how to slice a box of bagels for the office, tweeted that this is St. Louis style, and a meme was born. Was at a St. Louis Bread Company yesterday; no suggestion that this was a thing, but I assume if I asked for it, they’d slice it per request.
At my former office, if someone brought in bagels, a lot of people (of the fairer sex) seemed to cut off what they wanted, even if later they wanted more. Boxes full of 7/8ths, 1/3rd, 12/27ths of bagels. I kind of see the appeal of pre-slicing, cause that’s not an appealing look.
@steve, fried raviolis are breaded and deep-fried. Maybe think mozarella sticks? They originated from a very, very Italian neighborhood in St. Louis, and one of the origin stories has either Yogi Berra or Joe Garagiola accidentally knocking some ravioli in a deep frier.
Fried ravioli goes back at least a century in St. Louis. I could take you to the restaurant on The Hill where they were invented. It was walking distance from my high school. I had both Berras and Garagiolas as classmates.
The Hill is an extremely interesting neighborhood. It has retained its identity by isolating itself.
Breaded? Sounds like county fair stuff! You get extra crispy on the outside and gooey melted cheese on the inside. Sure winning combination.
Steve
Usually served with marinara on the side.
Wonder where we’d be at war today if we had voted in Jeb!
And I’d never seen Smollett either, but you gotta admit, he’s a cutie pie!
@steve, the filling is usually (always?) meat. I was suggesting mozzarella sticks as having similar breeding; closer to that than fried wontons.
breeding = breading
I’m not sure how I’m being pulled away from working on my taxes like this, but here we are . . .
This appears to be the origin story I was thinking of:
“In the early 1940s, a chef by the name of Fritz accidently dropped an order of ravioli into hot oil instead of hot water. Quickly realizing his mistake, the raviolis were removed but not discarded. Mickey Garagiola, older brother of Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Joe Garagiola, was actually at the bar during the mishap and was the first to taste the accidental treat. With some seasoning, everyone agreed that toasted ravioli was a hit and there to stay. Word quickly spread and soon other restaurants in the area started making their own versions. Toasted ravioli exploded in popularity and was soon served nationwide, although its home is on The Hill.”
http://www.mamasonthehill.com/history
If you look at the “original” toasted ravioli on the appetizer menu, it is clearly breaded, so something doesn’t click. And what kind of Italian name is Fritz?
I’m not sure I believe that origin story. My parents claimed to have had toasted ravioli as kids and that would have been before 1940.
Besides toasted ravioli is just the sort of thing a cook with a deep frier would do with leftover ravioli (although I’ve had them pan-fried as well).
I would imagine pan fried would be better. I’ve had fried ravioli once. Take note of the once.