Friday, January 16, 2009

Mr. Obama: Not the Time to be Feasting on Pheasant

Yesterday, because it was so cold out, I decided to take the El downtown rather than the train, figuring that a brisk walk on a day like yesterday was a very bad idea. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why it is impossible for an el train to be unable to manage an average speed of 15 mph down to the loop. Granted, Chicago got its rapid transit early, but it seems to me that its high time that the CTA realizes that the El train is no longer competing with the horse-drawn streetcar.

I ran into a friend who I don't see too often and we stopped a moment for a chat. What I heard wasn't good: tales of professional people losing jobs and business so bad at some companies selling professional services that they are in danger of failing.

On the way back home, I had to stop at Howard to transfer to the Purple Line. The heat lamps weren't even giving off heat, and the CTA had cleverly failed to have a solid or glass back to where you stand under the lights. Instead they had substituted ventilated metal, the better to enjoy enjoy the Arctic blasts. The only problem was, people weren't enjoying it at all. More precisely, they were downright miserable.

On the train, I saw a man with a big purple turban and tucked into it was a black bandanna almost completely covering his face and beard. I briefly considered he might be a terrorist, then I saw his lack of boots and a very carefully tailored linen tunic and trousers and no boots, and decided he was either a tourist from India or a new Chicagoan. Mostly I think he was very cold.

I also ran into an acquaintance who had volunteered in Iowa and Wisconsin and Indiana to drum up support for Mr. Obama. He is a nice person with political ambition and since he lives in the city it is no surprise he is a Democrat. He had not yet decided whether to head to Washington for the inaugural. I am hoping that Mr. Obama proves worthy of the people who worked so hard to elect him. While he believes he is a man of the people, I don't. To my way of thinking it becomes clearer every day that he is an elitist, and that is a shame.

Apparently parties celebrating Mr. Obama's election will take the better part of a week. Personally, I am floored by Mr. Obama's inauguration menu. It will be be comprised of the the costliest luxury foods--duck breast, pheasant, shrimp and lobster. To my way of thinking that shows very poor judgment. While the explanation is that since Abraham Lincoln used to eat a lot of game, they should be eating game, too. Nevertheless, I did a little research and it turns out President Lincoln's favorite food was steak. Steak would be cheaper than what is planned, but given the economy I really think pot roast would have been a far better idea. Not only do a surprising number of people really like pot roast, serving it would show some genuine sensitivity to what's happening outside the political bubble in Washington, D.C.

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Feb 14, 2009, 2:00:00 PM  

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