As I wrote the other day, Halloween is an important revelatory event ("Terror and Tacos in Portage and Albany Parks, Respectively"). For the first time, I went to the Halsted Street Halloween parade in Boystown in Lakeview. The juxtaposition of images and characters can be very creatively stimulating: Pacman chased by a dominatrix (really a by a ghost, but the "lady" with a whip is not far behind); a chicken appearing to hold a news conference; and guys with an excuse not to wear much.These types of events -- carnivals, parades, street fairs -- can also be remarkably important in developing and maintaining a civil and, dare I say, a loving public life. We can learn about, learn from, and value difference. Most human differences -- food, clothing, speech patterns, etc. -- are utterly unimportant, but acquire monstrous meaning in a vacuum. With a human (or Pacman) face, these differences can be seen as harmless, and as enriching, as they have the potential to be.
Next year I will be in the parade itself and, perhaps, outdo the chicken.
My friend Marcos and I went in search of costumes for Halloween late last night. I had heard of a place in Chicago's Portage Park (see top photo of a neighborhood landmark, the Portage Theater) that is open, non-stop, for the week before this holiday. We went and were not disappointed. All manner of get-ups were available, from "sexy" (sexy nurse, sexy secretary, fireman, etc.), to wigs, to prosthetics and animals.
The best part of the excursion, of course, was the people (see photo, second from the top, of shoppers at Fantasy Costumes). Given the neighborhood and the draw of a wide selection of costumes, we found a mix of Latinos, gays (and, of course, gay Latinos), and anyone else one could imagine. The environment was friendly and frenetic. It was a precursor to the best of Halloween.
Halloween can be a liberating time for us. It is a current version of the Roman Saturnalia, when the normal order of things was upended. At its best, we can indulge in some sort of fantasy that reveals a part of us. This year, I will be some sort of hybrid of Fantasy Costumes' departments (sexy cat?).
Leaving with various accessories, we had an insatiable hunger. Marcos and I came upon a taqueria, one that promised, with its colorful outside and lighting inside, at least a good environment for food. Like the costume shop, it was filled with visual delights: A small pepper-bull, a green taco truck (that apparently does not leave the lot), and a "rajas con queso" taco (cheese and strips of grilled pepper) with the rare, but tasty, onion and cilantro topping (see bottom three photos).
And there you have what you need for a good evening -- fantasy, beauty, conviviality.
As I wrote the other day, Halloween is an important revelatory event ("Terror and Tacos in Portage and Albany Parks, Respectively"). For the first time, I went to the Halsted Street Halloween parade in Boystown in Lakeview. The juxtaposition of images and characters can be very creatively stimulating: Pacman chased by a dominatrix (really a by a ghost, but the "lady" with a whip is not far behind); a chicken appearing to hold a news conference; and guys with an excuse not to wear much.
