Where protein is concerned, chicken is easily the biggest mainstay in our diet. It's affordable, lean, and easy to prepare; it provides us with the flexibility for a wide array of recipes; and we're never bored with eating it. On the other side of the spectrum is mayonnaise. We don't mean satiny emulsions like aioli fragrant with garlic or dill, mind you. We're talking about the white man's poison, Hellman's ca-ca. more ›

Everyone knows puberty is the #1 most awkward and mortifying stage of growing up, but what if it hit you before you were even 8 years old? According to today's Sun Times, kids as young as 4 are experiencing early-onset puberty. Precocious puberty, which is not as fun as it sounds, is more common than you'd think. According to the Oak Park-based Magic Foundation, between 1 in 5,000 and 1 in 10,000 kids become gangly... more ›

Note: This post has nothing to do with Lollapalooza. Tonight marks the return of Impress These Apes, the comedy octathalon demanding creativity, versatility and a wicked sense of humor. Eight contestants face eight different performance challenges over eight weeks. We missed last year's competition but, thanks to YouTube, are still getting a good chuckle from the dance routines, videos, and goofy spectacles it produced. Now eight new contestants are vying for the most impressive crown.... more ›

When we wrote about the Gardenist project last week, we intimated that our basil "threatened to overrun all the other plants." It wasn't until we were in the midst of pruning the tomato plants yesterday that we realized just how much of an understatement that actually was. Aside from our normal weeding and the occasional picking of cilantro, we've left most of the herbs alone. But we've got chicken breasts thawing out in the fridge,... more ›

We often sit around the Chicagoist office wondering how “Viagra Triangle” could get any more ridiculous and trashy -- with men throwing around money and women with implants and botox taking it all in -- it's just like the fairy tales of our youth. Lucky for us, our question was recently answered when, lo and behold, in swept attorney Corri Fetman and her billboard advertisement proclaiming, “Life's Short. Get a Divorce.” The ad sits atop the parking garage behind Gibson’s and features the headless torso of a man with 12-pack abs and a woman with very large breasts in a black lacy bra, a thong and thigh-high stockings. It reeks of class like a dumpster full of seafood scraps sitting in 100-degree heat for a week. more ›

Spring is when we get busy here in the Ist-A-Verse. Very busy. But, after staying bundled-up indoors all winter, it's nice for us to be out, about, and collecting things to write about for you. Here's a glimpse at what's been keeping your favorite citybloggers busily away from home and out of bed. For LAist, strong winds attacked LA on the same day the Feds raided the Crips. Not to fear, though: the Japanese... more ›

We’ve been patiently waiting for The Hottest Moms in America television show to post a gallery of audition pictures from its recent Chicago stop this past weekend. All week, we’ve been seized with the possibility that perhaps the women of Chicago are not as hot as we think they are. Is this some kind of payback for eschewing the skinny black pant faux-trend? Luckily, local photog Rich Mohr is picking up the slack with... more ›

Mo Ryan, the Trib's genius TV critic and FOC*, poses an excellent question, one for the ages: "Why [have] some of the lamest sitcoms ever been set in Chicago?" more ›

Since we’re on the subjects of boobs and tools this week, we thought we’d point your attention to a Chicago woman who is mad as hell, and not going to take it anymore. We’re pretty sure we can all agree on at least one thing – it’s not OK to randomly grope a woman’s breasts at a bar. We can agree on that, right? (Please say yes.) Well, at least one guy in our fair... more ›

Chicagoist enjoys Built To Spill. We also enjoy Uncle Tupelo. How could we not? We live in the Midwest. So it’s safe to say that when a band comes along and is described to us as being similar to Doug Martsch and Jay Ferrar on a road trip we would be equal parts excited and hesitant. We first saw Spanish For 100 at Schuba’s a few years ago when they opened for some crazy band... more ›

Boobs. What can't they drive a person to do? In a time long ago, in a land 164 miles south, Chicagoist was known to occasionally frequent a strip club in her college town because 1) there was no cover charge, 2) it was one of only a smattering of bars that women could go to and not worry about men giving them a hard time and 3) well, strip club. Chicagoist knows very few women... more ›

Last night, after being inspired by ourselves, we headed over to the Metro for The Sounds and Morningwood show to see if these girls really do just wanna have fun. more ›

The one new restaurant in University Village Marketplace that arouses our curiosity the most is Kohan Japanese Restaurant. There is such a glut of sushi bars in Chicago that even the addition of a small, nondescript place like Kohan feels like supersaturation. But diversity is the spice of life, or so goes the adage, and if your personality is such that you simply want sushi without the extra trappings of dim lights, exposed brick walls,... more ›

We've heard plenty of stories about women gettin' their cry on to get out of speeding tickets, but apparently one Chicago cop wouldn't let you off without some T&A to go with those tears. Chicago Police officer Mike Allegretti allegedly made two traffic stops, one in November 2004 and one in May 2005, during which he told the women he'd pulled over that he wouldn't write them a ticket if they showed him their breasts.... more ›

Do you come from a family of assholes? Then the Sun-Times is here for you! In a story that we cannot believe escaped the grasp of the Trib's WomanNews, the Sun-Times takes on…gung gung gung…what to do when your family asks you why you aren't married. more ›

Ah yes, the WomanNews section of the Tribune. Did you notice it was missing yesterday from your print edition? We didn't because 1) we read the Trib online and 2) we can't remember the last time we read an article in WomanNews that wasn't idiotic. And about Relationships. Or Breasts. (Which reminds us, it's still breast cancer month, and if you haven't done your self-exam, get to it.) Or about how Women Love Shopping. Anyhow, we don't usually flip to that section. But even if we had wanted to yesterday, we couldn't—at the very last minute, the section was yanked because senior editors deemed one of the articles too lewd. The section had already been printed, so Tribune staffers had to head over to the printing press and remove the section by hand. Damn. If you work at the Tribune and want to tell us a first-hand account of this, e-mail us. That sounds hilarious. more ›