Snapshots by Daniel Hindin

Gluttony in a Modern World

Last week I made my first-ever "pilgrimage" to Kuma's Corner, a revered heavy metal bar in the Avondale neighborhood that happens to serve the most revered burgers in Chicago.

I've been hearing the legends of Kuma's creations for quite some time, but stories of two-hour waits for a table and another hour for your burger to be cooked in their tiny kitchen had kept me away. I did try to go once on my birthday, but there was a 45-minute wait -- on a weekday...at 2:00 in the afternoon. If there's one thing I'm not good at, it's waiting.

Last Thursday, I felt like exploring for lunch. I had planned to go to Borinquen Restaurant for my first taste of a jibarito, a Puerto Rican "sandwich" with plantains replacing the standard bread of an average sandwich. But at the last minute, I decided to swing by Kuma's on my way to take a peek at the the wait.

Well, I guess it was my lucky day, because there was absolutely no wait at Kuma's. I walked right in, sat down at the bar, ordered and was gorging myself on a 10-ounce Kuma Burger -- topped with bacon, cheddar and a fried egg -- within minutes.

The picture you see above was the very Kuma Burger that I ate that day, and when it was served to me, I took that picture and sent it out on Twitter. And believe it or not, within 10 minutes, I was joined at the bar by three people who had seen my tweet! I know one of them well, but the two others I had never actually met in person, having only conversed briefly with one of them on Twitter. None of us had ever been to Kuma's before, but here we were all enjoying the legendary fare and each others' company. Now that's technology in action!

As for the burger, it was really good -- pure gluttony, no doubt -- but I wasn't blown away. I'd definitely go back and try one of their other creations, but I wouldn't wait an hour for it.

And the jibarito, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Distance Learning at the Market

Yesterday, I helped out with a school tour of the Green City Market. My job, along with fellow volunteer Devin (in red and amazing with the kids), was to guide the children through a tasting of some of the market's offerings.

The kids really seemed to enjoy the experience as they tasted fresh grapes, blueberries, tiny tomatoes, green beans, cheese curds, mint and basil. The looks on their faces as they enjoyed new things they thought they wouldn't (or not so much) were priceless. It was learning at its most practical, as they found out where these foods come from and how they make it to their homes, stuff I could picture them sharing with their parents when they arrived home that evening.

Many of the children were surprised to learn how far most produce travels before arriving at most supermarkets. Many adults would also be surprised that the answer is 1,500 miles, on average, compared to the 300 miles or less that the produce travels to arrive at GCM.

In order to make such a long journey to the grocery store, most of this produce is picked before it's ripe so that it won't spoil before traveling across the country and making its way onto your kitchen table. That translates into a huge difference in quality from the produce at most farmers markets that has been picked ripe the day before it's sold.

After all the groups had come through the tasting, I received a lesson of my own from one of the farmers as I purchased same chard for that night's dinner. I had never bought or cooked with chard before, and the farmer (I promise to get better about remembering which farmers I speak with) suggested I treat it like spinach and saute it with some butter or oil and onion. I served it that night with some grilled tilapia, and Elissa and I both loved it!

A New Beginning...Again

When I first started this blog early this year, it was an outlet for me to share my experiences as I adjusted to life back in Chicago after 12 years away. I was looking for some direction and was open to almost anything that presented itself.

It's now been more than a year since I made what probably was the biggest decision of my life and returned to my hometown. Life has slowly happened to me, and I find myself with a job, a woman I love deeply and a new apartment that we'll be moving into in a few short weeks. I'm also about to enter grad school at Northwestern University as I work toward a master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications.

Amid all these wonderful pieces that make up my life at the moment, I've also begun to fully embrace my love for all things food. From the farmers who grow the produce to the chefs who prepare it like no one else can -- and everything in between -- I've always been passionate about what I choose to put in my body, and I'm now just starting to become deeply involved in the respected and growing Chicago culinary scene -- and particularly in the sustainable movement that gathers more steam with each passing day.

I'm now volunteering on a weekly basis at the Green City Market, Chicago's biggest farmers market, and one of the country's most respected sustainable food meccas. I've also been helping with Slow Food Chicago events and will be lending a hand at Chefs Collaborative's national summit that will bring some of the most respected chefs and growers to gather in our fine city next week.

As I plant my roots deeper into these amazing outlets and build upon my humble foundation -- searching to understand what this whole concept of sustainable food really means and who the people are who are helping regular people like me learn to participate and enjoy the bounty -- I feel I have a new direction to take this blog in order to share these learnings with my friends, family and anyone else who might care to take this journey with me.

So, with that, I invite you to come with me as I explore Chicago's ever-changing culinary terrain. I hope to bring you not only my own thoughts and experiences, but also the words and thoughts of some of the pioneers who are leading this city to new and better places as it relates to all things food. To tell you the truth, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this, but I'm excited to find out!

Life's Tradeoffs: A Great Problem To Have

The month of May is proving to be a momentous one as I continue my efforts to form a life back here in Chicago. I’ve finally started a job and become an actual resident of the city of Chicago after spending more than eight months in the unexpected limbo that Evanston proved to be.

Though to an outside observer it might appear as if I’m finally settling into a permanent routine, it feels nothing like that. After many months living by myself and growing accustomed to my own independent daily rhythm, I’m now getting a crash-course on cohabitation.

During the daytime, I’m learning the intricacies and unique quirks of working for a husband-and-wife team and, at night, I’m adjusting to sharing a home with my girlfriend, Elissa. I absolutely could not be happier to share nearly every moment of my waking (and sleeping) life with these three amazing people, but, of course, as with all new developments in life, there are tradeoffs.

Just as much as life is full of change, it is also full of tradeoffs. I’ve come to realize many people view the act of making a tradeoff as a necessary evil, seeing it as having to give up something for something else. We should never have to give up anything we enjoy, right?

I simply don’t see it that way. As long as you have a solid understanding of your priorities, this is a really great problem to have. Yes, now that I’m working full-time, I don’t have as much time to work out at the gym or focus on this blog or take walks along the lake or cook elaborate dinners. But the bottom line is I’ve found a job that I enjoy showing up to every morning and stimulates my mind in all kinds of wonderful ways. For that I am grateful.

And after not having a roommate for seven consecutive years, I’m going through a big-time adjustment at home. What to watch on TV, what movies to put in my Netflix queue, what to eat for dinner, what time is lights-out time. I’ve become so accustomed to not having to think twice about these key aspects of my day. Lights-out time is whenever I’m tired, right? What to eat is whatever I feel like eating, right? Nope. Not anymore.

But I feel tremendously lucky to make compromises each and every day. It means I’ve found someone I care enough about to make these compromises for. How important is it, really, if I catch every Cubs game or every episode of Top Chef? A year ago, it seemed very important. Now, I really couldn’t care less. I’m happy to watch 90210 with my arm around Elissa and her head on my chest. And she’s certainly watching more sports than she’s used to.

We’re both giving up aspects of our previous routines – and we’re both extremely routine-oriented people – but I don’t think I’m being presumptuous when I say neither of us has been much happier at any other point in our lives.

Yes, life is full of tradeoffs. But tradeoffs, while occasionally appearing otherwise, are inherently positive things. Many people find themselves frozen when confronted with life’s big decisions. Fill your life with great things, and you’re bound to make great decisions!

New Beginnings: A Natural Process

As some of you may have learned through my Facebook profile or Twitter stream, I’m happy to announce that I have accepted a marketing position with Big Teeth Productions, a web video production company here in Chicago. I’m very excited about this new opportunity for many reasons.

It is, of course, good to have a job in this economy – any job, with any company. But this isn’t just any job, and this isn’t just any company.

During my nearly yearlong search for work, I have applied for dozens, maybe hundreds, of positions, mostly with large companies. They all have their systems for application submissions. Fill out this form. Send your resume through this portal. Wait this long before we acknowledge your existence (if ever).

After suffering through this impersonal process countless times, I finally just stopped. There are better ways to spend my time than crafting cover letters to be scanned by faceless, keyword-searching HR bots.

And that’s when things began to fall into place. Shortly after my moratorium on resume sending began, I came across the Facebook profile of Gregg Jaffe, who was raised in the northern Chicago suburb of Glencoe, the same 8,000-person town I grew up in.

Gregg was one year ahead of me in school back in Glencoe. I don’t think we ever had an actual conversation with each other, but we knew of each other’s existence in the way that kids growing up in a small town do.

So, knowing his name and seeing that he was a member of the Facebook group of Social Media Club Chicago, an organization on whose advisory committee I sit, I perused his profile and noticed that he ran his own company, Big Teeth Productions.

Searching the Big Teeth website, I found no mention of job availabilities or expansion plans. What I did find was solid work created by a passionate man (along with his wife, Elise) with an endearing sense of humor and a refreshing outlook on life.

And, though I had no expectations of landing a job at Big Teeth, I felt a natural inclination to reach out to Gregg as simply a likeminded individual who I might like to get to know.

Sure enough, he was quick to respond to a Facebook message I sent him and, a couple of weeks later, I found myself sitting in his office engaged in a lively conversation that ended up lasting more than two hours, during which we discussed some of our mutual passions and several ideas for creative projects we thought we might work on together.

Over the next month or so, we met several more times and continued to be in touch frequently until we finally realized it would make perfect sense for both of us if I would begin to work with Gregg within his company.

And that’s where I find myself now. No position was vacant. No resume was sent. No protocol was followed. Two semi-strangers simply got together and a common bond was formed.

Of course, this is just where it begins. I certainly have my work cut out. The beauty of being part of a small company is that you can make a profound difference in a short amount of time. The other side of the coin is that you have nowhere to hide if your methods are not successful.

The expectation is that I will catalyze growth for Big Teeth and essentially earn my keep. I will be attempting to do so through a number of channels, including further development of the company’s website, expansion of its presence in social media forums and production of promotional materials, to name a few.

At this point, I’m a little nervous about the task at hand, but I’m also excited about the possibilities and confident that I am prepared to meet the challenge.

I’m sure you’ll hear more from me about my ups and downs as I engage in this new endeavor. So buckle up, it should be a fun ride!

Hot and Cold: My Own Personal Theory of Relativity

I might be at rock bottom, or I might be on the brink of something great. It’s hard to tell.

It’s possible that both are true. It’s a matter of perspective, really. I’ve always been a cup-half-full kind of guy, and I also believe that life is one giant self-fulfilling prophecy. Enter your favorite cliché here: You get what you give. You reap what you sew. My personal favorite, by way of the Grateful Dead, is: “If you plant ice, you’re gonna harvest wind.”

Whatever saying you prefer, the idea is if you enter a situation with a certain idea of the outcome, it’s more than likely you’ll end up exactly where you thought you would.

Where you are, where you’re going, where you’ve been – it’s all a matter of perspective. And everything is relative.

Here in Chicago, there’s a strong case of cabin fever going around right now. It’s April, and we had a snow storm last week. We try to remain patient for the arrival of the pleasant weeks of late spring and early summer, but after these many months of ugly weather, it’s difficult not to become overly anxious.

Last week, the mercury rose from the mid-30s one day “all the way” to the upper 40s the next. Suddenly, everyone was smiling. I’ll admit I shed my winter coat and went for a walk along the lake. But my brazen “reach” for spring was downright mild in comparison to the many people I saw wearing shorts and T-shirts. And I’m not just talking about a few loony teenagers. There were grown men and women – parents – acting like summer was upon us.

I couldn’t help but think back to last fall. October, November – I’m not sure which month, but it was the beginning of the end of the pleasant period of late summer and early fall. The temperature had dropped from the upper 50s one day to the 40s the next. That’s when I went out and bought a serious winter jacket and started wearing my wool socks. And I wasn’t alone in hunkering down for winter. Everyone was breaking out the cold-weather gear and bracing for worse to come.

So we’ve got two days of similar weather. One in the fall, moving toward winter. One in the spring, moving toward summer. Almost identical days when looked at without context – sunny, in the 40s. On the autumn day, people are wearing winter coats and wool socks. On the spring day, people are wearing shorts and T-shirts. A matter of perspective, no? Everything is relative indeed.

While the cycle of seasons – global warming or not – goes in the same order every year, my life does not have the same predictability. But for better or worse, though there is the occasional moment of self-doubt, I prefer to see sunshine in my future. And I believe this perspective will help to lead me in that direction.

That’s not to say that by simply picturing good things, those good things will automatically happen. But if, for example, I’m presented with a potentially promising opportunity, my disposition at the moment of presentation will no doubt affect how I react to the opportunity.

If I’m in a positive frame of mind and ready for good things to happen, I’m likely to look at a scenario and see how I can make it work toward the vision of success I’ve been picturing in my head. By the same token, if I’m in a negative frame of mind, I’m likely to look at the exact same scenario and wonder why I should waste my time working on yet another project bound for failure.

I truly believe both reactions would be likely to prove accurate. Am I headed toward a dark and lonely winter, or am I headed toward a warm and happy summer? The choice is up to me.

Turn and Face the Change

It’s been too long since my last post. But I’ve been busy! My girlfriend Elissa and I returned last week from a nine-day excursion to California. Along the way, we visited my parents, met up with a few of my old friends, toured some beautiful wineries and made a stop at my college alma mater, which I hadn’t visited since the turn of the millennium.

It was a trip full of people and places I’ve known for years, but I was seeing them now through different eyes as I introduced my Chicago girlfriend to many aspects of my former life on the West Coast. I think I subconsciously wanted to show Elissa everything the way it used to be -- exactly the way I remembered it. Inevitably, though, change abounded.

Upon arriving at my former college campus, the very small Pitzer College in Claremont, a place that will forever remain very near and dear to my heart, we immediately strode through the stone pillars of the ornate entry gate toward the location of my first-year dorm. My jaw nearly disconnected itself from my mouth when I realized that the empty field I was gazing upon was, in fact, all that remained of what once were my living quarters.

My initial reaction was sadness tinged with anger. How could they take this place that held so many memories for me and just tear it down like a meaningless pile of metal and concrete and then surround the lifeless plain of dirt and weeds with a temporary metal fence and just leave it there with no apologies?

With a year’s worth of dorm-room memories racing through my head amid a nostalgic confusion, I pushed on to show Elissa other locations throughout the tiny campus that had played significant roles in my experience there. As our tour continued, we came upon several completely new buildings that are now serving as dorms for current students, replacing the building I once called home.

Instead of the institutional white of the dorms from my era, I noticed that these architecturally unique structures were designed in soft earth tones. As it turns out, the new buildings were constructed as sustainable “green” dorms with features such as French doors leading from students’ rooms, organic gardens with sitting areas in the courtyard and solar panels and gardens on the roof.

Suddenly, I was reminded of Pitzer’s motto, Provida Futuri, which translates to Mindful of the Future. This phrase refers primarily to the ideal of preparing the school’s young students for meaningful futures in which they remain conscious of how their actions might affect the world around them.

While, as a former history major, I believe strongly that we must honor our past and embrace the lessons it has taught us, I believe just as strongly in embracing change and innovation and using those very lessons from the past to strive toward making things better now and in the future.

It bothers me to no end that human nature seems to lead us toward negative knee-jerk reactions to change of almost any kind. We get used to a certain structure, a way of doing things, and we become comfortable with it. When it changes, we often don’t take the time to gauge whether it might make things better in the long run. In the short run, it’s different, which means adjusting, whether it’s better or not. Comfortable trumps better nine times out of 10, and it truly bothers me.

Though that same nature is wired into my brain as it is in those of others, I’ve always tried to do my best to counteract it. I’ve embraced a couple of mottos of my own, which I often repeat to myself when I feel myself slipping into a “negative knee-jerk.” First: Change is Inevitable. Second: Change is Good.

Change is indeed inevitable. This one is clear. No matter how much you try to keep things the same, the world will change around you. Whether you like it or not, it’s going to happen. You’re better off making the most of it.

And no matter my initial reaction, I’ve found that change is indeed usually good. No, it’s not always good. But more times than not I’ve found that once I accept it, it turns out for the better. If you’re not changing, you’re not really living. And if you’re not busy living, you’re busy dying.

Chicago As a Community: A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

During my decade in California, the thing I missed most about my hometown of Chicago was the genuine sense of community its residents maintain.

Although big cities offer ample opportunity for their citizens to become lost in the shuffle, I’ve always believed it’s a combination of Chicago’s role as the hub of the Midwest and the sometimes brutal weather that goes along with it that brings people together with their neighbors and instills in them a notion of common purpose.

Since my return to this world-class city last summer, my idealized memories/expectations in that regard have not only been confirmed, they’ve been surpassed. While I was happy to see that Chicago remains the open-armed city I remembered so fondly, there’s been a big change since my previous life here that has only added to the collaborative spirit.

When I departed for other climes in the summer of 1996, the Internet was still in the early stages of becoming the vital communication tool located in nearly every home that it is today. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was not yet of bar mitzvah age!

One of the most surprising developments I returned to find this time around is Chicago’s warm embrace of emerging technologies and the use of those technologies in countless creative, innovative and collaborative pursuits.

While I was busy reporting on the effects of the dot-com bust on the coast just south of Silicon Valley (and later attempting to sell some of the millions of square feet of empty office buildings left in the industry’s wake), Chicago was building itself up as a world leader in the many facets of new media (and nurturing a future president who would take advantage of that new media to become a world leader).

Being unemployed for the seven months I’ve now been back in Chicago has been frustrating, but it’s been a gift in disguise as I’ve taken advantage of my free time to get to know some of the amazingly talented people at the forefront of this city’s most exciting initiatives.

It’s people like John Patterson and Bruce Montgomery of The Chicago Convergence, Barbara Rozgonyi and Jeff Willinger of Social Media Club Chicago and Ross Kimbarovsky and Mike Samson of crowdSPRING who are building upon Chicago’s natural penchant for community and collaboration to bring this city together in the name of creativity and innovation.

While jobs may still be hard to come by in these difficult times, it’s efforts such as these that I believe will spur Chicago into a leadership role in the next wave of economic prosperity. In a world where a rising tide still can lift all boats, I’m happy to say I live in a city where many people realize that an “I, me, mine” attitude may lead to fleeting glory, but a “we, us, ours” approach will lead to something far greater: A flourishing community.

Damage Control: A Lesson in Self-Marketing

For those of you who don’t regularly check my Facebook page or who aren’t on my mother’s speed dial list (Is speed dial even a relevant term any more?), I’m happy to report that I’ve been accepted into Northwestern University’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program, within the university’s Medill School.

I couldn’t be more excited to learn from some of the true pioneers in this field. This is a tremendous opportunity for me to arm myself with the technical tools to take my career to a whole new level.

I found the application process particularly intriguing, as I was faced with the task of “marketing” myself to a “marketing” program.

In my mind, the biggest obstacle I would have to overcome was a subpar grade point average from back in my undergraduate days. I felt it was in my best interest to acknowledge the issue but not focus too heavily on it.

Once I decided upon that approach, I set about trying to figure out where in the application I could best accomplish it. I found my opening in Essay #3: “What do you see as the biggest challenge you would face as a student in Medll’s IMC program?”

In 298 words of a maximum 300, here was my answer:

“The biggest challenge I will face as a student in Medill’s IMC program will be adjusting back into academic life after eight years in the professional world. So much has changed in my life since I earned my undergraduate degree. But, in my professional career, I’ve risen to meet many challenges, and I will approach this new chapter with the same confidence and determination that have led me to previous successes.

“In the end, I believe my time away from the classroom will prove to be far more of a positive than a negative as I immerse myself anew in the educational arena. Without the lessons I’ve learned in the professional environment, I could not submit myself to you as the strong candidate I believe I am today.

“In fact, I can honestly say that in the years immediately following college I would not have been ready to make the most of the Medill experience. Evidence of this can be found with one look at my undergraduate transcripts. When I think about the grades I received back then, I am truly ashamed. Those grades are not an accurate reflection of my academic abilities, but rather an indicator of my lack of focus as a young person during that stage of my life.

“The reason I can assure you that I will overcome this challenge and thrive upon my return to the classroom is the very same reason it may appear to be a challenge in the first place. I’ve now had enough distance from my undergraduate experience to focus myself entirely on this program. I’m now mature enough to truly understand the value of the top-notch education I will receive at Medill and what a priceless opportunity it offers to help me reach greater heights in my career. “

As they say, all’s well that ends well. I got in, so naturally I’m happy with how I addressed what I viewed as a potentially devastating weakness in my credentials for the program. But at the time of completing the application, I tortured myself over whether I was handling the situation appropriately.

How much effect did this essay have on my acceptance into the program? I’ll probably never know. Whatever the case, at the very least, it was an invigorating exercise in self-marketing and one I won’t soon forget.

Baby Steps: Bound for Glory

I have to admit I’m starting to freak out a little bit.

When I moved back to Chicago in August, my parents were kind enough to allow me to stay with them. I knew I would have a few months of living in a heavy state of high school reversion before they’d depart for their winter home in California, at which point I’d have their place to myself and five more months to find a means of income before they’d return and put me out on the street.

Well, actually, I’m sure they wouldn’t put me out on the street. But an adult child and his parents can only tolerate living under the same roof for so long before the relationship begins to take any number of unhealthy turns. And I’m not interested in testing any limits.

When December came and my folks boarded their westbound flight, I breathed a big sigh of relief and felt comfortable with the task at hand: Find a job by May. But since then, time has flown by, and it occurred to me last week that the days past are greater than the days ahead in the imaginary December to May calendar. Yikes!

I have long prided myself on my ability to plan well for the future while continuing to keep myself grounded in the present moment. But right now the two look like they’re on a collision course, and I can’t seem to slow the darn train down.

But as I continue to barrel through this tunnel of uncertainty, I keep reassuring myself of one thing: I’m moving forward.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found a way to stop time. It’s been said on many occasions by people far wiser than I that time is our greatest commodity. And I’m sure there’s somebody somewhere working on a way to bottle and sell it.

But until then, I have no choice but to keep plodding forward, doing what I’m doing, and have faith that it will all work out in the end.

If I were sitting at home playing video games and watching movies all day long, perhaps I couldn’t be so sure. But at this point, I’m confident that I’m doing all I can to put myself in the right position to identify opportunities and seize them when they present themselves.

And in the end, that’s all I can really do. I can’t force the stock market to rally. I can’t force companies to stop cutting jobs. I can’t force someone to hire me.

What I CAN do is be mindful of my surroundings. Talk to people. Research companies. Join organizations. Actively participate in my community. Continue to better myself. Be open to learning new things. Keep a positive attitude. Have faith in myself and the world around me.

If I’m doing these things, I’m moving forward. The steps might be small. And I might not be certain of my exact direction. But I know I’m headed for good things.

There’s no getting around the fact that it’s a job I require to provide sustenance and the means to navigate through our money-driven society. But it’s all the people I’m meeting, the experiences I’m living and the lessons I’m learning that will truly add value to my life.