Chicago Mexican Food: I had my first taste of Chicago Mexican cuisine! I went with a friend to a very small Mexican restaurant called El Mariachi. The food was fantastic, but there were some slight differences in the way things were made. First of all, the chips were made of flour tortillas, I think, because they were a dark brown, thick and flaky, like if you were to make them at home in a frying pan. I think I prefer a thin chip, like at Alamo Cafe or Las Palapas, but the salsa they had was really good. Another thing, which my friend was telling me to be true of all Chicago Mexican restaurants, was that the cheese enchiladas I ordered didn't even have the option of chili con carne as a topping. Absolutely everywhere you go in Texas offers that, so I was surprised to hear that news. That's one of my favorite things about ordering cheese enchiladas! Maybe it's more of a Tex-Mex thing... Anyway, for the topping, I had a list of salsas to choose from, and the cautious side of me told me to stick to the mild red. Plain, I know, but it was really good. My friend went with a mole sauce (which is made from cocoa, I believe), but I've had mole before and I'm not the biggest fan. The rice and beans were delicious (the rice assembled in a pyramid and the refried beans in ice cream scoop form) and now I have a place to go whenever I get a craving for Mexican! Next time I need to satisfy my BBQ itch...
Light Show at the Bean: Another friend and I took a trip to see this light show in Millennium Park which turns the Bean into more of an art exhibit than it already is. Basically, these large projectors on either side of the Bean were flashing lights on the ground, constantly changing and moving, as to reflect themselves onto the metallic sculpture. It doesn't look that great from a distance, but once you got under the Bean it was crazy. The wide array of reflections is enough without the light dancing around, and when you add that extra element it's almost too much to handle. You don't know where to look! This is the first time they've done this and it only lasted about a week so I'm glad I got to see it happen!
Ash Wednesday Mass: Something I really enjoy doing is seeing the way other people and cultures live. While this certainly wasn't an extreme look into the lives of other people, I really enjoyed going to Mass on Ash Wednesday to see just what Mass was all about. When a friend of mine texted me that he was going to Mass that night (uncertain of whether I was Catholic or not) and invited me to come along with him, I thought it would be a cool experience, as I'd never been before except for the few times we went to some different churches with Grandma and Peepaw (I'm pretty sure they were Catholic, anyway... I remember all of the ritual kinds of things that we did). Overall, it was very interesting. It's so different from the Baptist sermons I'm used to, and I could barely keep myself from clapping when a girl sang a solo in front of the entire church. Apparently talent is recognized in other ways at this Catholic church because there was no clapping anywhere in the service. I also felt a little out of place because everyone knew exactly what to say and when, while I fumbled with my words and wasn't sure of when I was supposed to sit, stand or kneel. I don't think too many people noticed, though, and I made it out alright, with a much better understanding of the world around me, I would say.
I think that's about all the major things I've done recently, but I'll be back with more soon! I hope to never let such a long break go between posts, so I'll come up with something! Thanks for reading, everyone!
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