Nhu Lan Bakery Bahn Mi for Everyone But Linguists

One of  the true pleasures of living in Lincoln Square is the close proximity to Nhu Lan Bakery, a Vietnamese sandwich shop on Lawrence Ave. The banh mi sandwiches are seriously amazing and cheap. How do they do it?

We learn baking and a lot of things from France and we mix together with Vietnamese ingredients so we make it a very unique bread.

A very unique bread indeed! Grammar may not be a strong suit as there appears to be a discrepancy about whether the name of the place is Nhu Lan Bakery or Nhu Lan's Bakery, but that is completely beside the point.

This building looks nothing like the actual store!

Sometimes a Good Deed Goes Nowhere

I just helped somebody get his car out of the snow. I almost went to bed instead, but I have had a stuck-in-the-snow karmic debt hanging over my head since 2004 when I drove off a country road in Western Massachusetts. In retrospect, taking my usual dirt road shortcut to save 5 minutes was rather hasty. Amazingly, a truck with a winch rescued me before I had the chance to start digging.

Tonight, I was joined by a couple of passersby. We succeeded in helping the driver park his truck exactly where it had been parked all day. He had gotten stuck reversing out and it took three grown men to push him back to his starting position. He told me that he was instructed not to drive the Ford F-150 tonight but gave it a shot anyway since he had to get home and be back at work here in Lincoln Square at 6 a.m. the next day. I hate those kinds of lessons: don't buy Fords.

I already feel the karmic scale shifting or that could be the lateness of the hour. Note to self: buy a shovel and keep salt or sand in the car throughout the winter.

A Neighborhood Divided

The Chicago Tribune has a nice interactive website that displays the changes to the Chicago ward map. My homestead will remain in the 47th Ward, but half of Lincoln Square will be annexed by the 40th Ward. I am reminded of the way the nation was torn apart during the Civil War but this is absolutely nothing like that. The changes don't take effect until 2015.

(via Gapers Block Chicago)

Log Cabins in Ravenswood

While I reserve my own artistic energies for other uses, I'm a supporter of the crafting trend that has swept over America's youth. I have been known to take a moment to appreciate the skill and time embodied in a hand-knit garment before I gingerly return it to its final resting place on the floor of a Salvation Army.  As I type this message to you, I look lovingly upon an embroidered Valentine's Day greeting made for me by Mary Todd.  Particularly on a wintry day such as today, I like nothing more than to warm myself under a a triple-decker layer of quilts.  

Mary Todd has taken the next step in quilt appreciation this year.  She signed up for the First-Time Quilting class at Lill Street Art Center in Ravenswood.  Judging by the many hours she has spent obsessively cutting and sewing the last couple weeks, I'd say it's been a great experience. 

Mary Todd made this Log Cabin design during her first class.

I'm still awaiting the final product, but I think there are a couple babies who are in line first.  Quilting is so time consuming that I can't complain if Mary Todd wants to start with a couple small projects.  I'm just happy she is cultivating some handy skills and that Lill Street Art Center is a short walk back to our own log cabin.

Sometimes, there is snow

Sunset in Lincoln Square

This photo does not accurately represent the current weather conditions. Right now, I can hear the rhythmic scraping of a plastic shovel on concrete. I applaud my neighbor's maniacal and soon to be irrelevant efforts but walking the dog will be no easier this evening.