WGN Morning News Blog

(Chicago)   From the Useless Information Department of WGN Morning News comes the story of the "Sloppy Joe" sandwich.  It might surprise you to know this lunch room  staple has a well-traveled past.  And it has nothing to do with cafeteria ladies wearing plastic gloves.  

The evidence shows this all-American classic was born 90 miles offshore, on the island of Cuba.  Sloppy Joe's Bar in Old Havana lays claim to this colorful piece of culinary history.  The famous watering hole is said to be the first to offer ground beef on a bun, beginning in the 1920's.  If nothing else, the hearty offering helped rum-soaked patrons absorb buckets of Cuban Mojito's.  Many believe the cooks served up a spicy, seasoned version of ground beef that's long been a favorite Cuban dish , known as Picadillo.     

Nevertheless, Cuban food aficionados say the exact origins are difficult to pin down.  My older relatives remember a slightly different version of the legendary sandwich at Sloppy Joe's, known as Ropa Vieja (which translated to English means 'old clothes').  Classic  Cuban recipes call for marinated skirt steak stewed in tomato sauce, fresh garlic, peppers and a splash of cane sugar.  And it's served steaming hot on a hamburger bun or bed of white rice.        

But on the other side of the Florida Straits, you'll hear competing claims from Sloppy Joe's in Key West.  They say their establishment is the birthplace of the legendary ground beef sandwich.  Frequented by Oak Park's Ernest Hemingway, and the site of the annual "Hemingway Look-Alike Contest," the people at Sloppy Joe's have been serving up sandwiches to dangerously sun-burnt tourists for decades (along with unfathomable quantities of gin and rum).

But regardless of who invented the famous sandwich, here's my argument for the best-tasting Sloppy Joe's you'll ever enjoy.  At Old Havana Foods (the family-owned specialty food company we launched earlier this year), we offer a tantalizing version of the old Cuban standby.  My famous Chili Cubano is a blend of centuries-old Cuban recipes that were passed down from my great-grandfather.  And the great thing is it only takes minutes to prepare this all-natural specialty.  All you do is brown ground beef and combine in a large pot with my ready-made saute seasoning (sofrito) and Old Havana black beans.  Serve it over a fresh Kaiser roll and watch the kids go loco.  My little crazies love the slightly-spicy but sweet family recipe.        

So the next time a cafeteria lady with big arms serves you a "Sloppy Joe," take the time to tell her the amazing story of this satisfying (but underappreciated) Cuban dish that's served in cafeterias from Schaumburg to Havana. 

Nobody knows how bad it can get.  But hospitals and public health officials have no choice but to look at the worst-case scenario, when it comes to the H1N1 virus. 

We're LIVE at Mt. Sinai hospital - the latest Chicagoland hospial to impose temporary restrictions on visitation for children and teens under the age of 18.  It's one of many   measures that hospitals are taking to try and slow the spread of the swine flu.   

In today's Chicago Tribune, the newspaper takes a sobering look at what we could be dealing with in a so-called "worst-case" scenario for the Swine Flu.  Doctors say if 35% of the U-S population gets the H!N! virus, close to 60,000 might require hositalization in Illinois.  That's a whopping 75% of the state's available hospital beds.  It's a little bit scary to think about, as we struggle to find vaccines for our children and vulnerable loved-ones.  

But when it comes to dealing with this potent pandemic, it pays to prepare for the worst - and hope for the best. 

They've extracted their revenge for all those years we kicked sand in their face.  The computer nerds are the new "masters of the universe," if you ask me.  And they had their way with me this weekend - as we toiled to revamp my Old Havana Foods website.  It's part of a top-to-bottom retooling that's been as about as much fun as having your pupil's dialated.  

As a former English-major and avid reader, it's hard to stay awake reading poorly-written manuals on Google adwards and keyword analystics.  You might as well club me over the head if you hand me a book on web marketing.  As necessary as it is, I prefer a visit to the proctologist over a session with my friendly neighborhood computer tech.    

But as I've discovered, to survive as an on-line business, you have no choice but to verse yourself in the language of search-engine optimization and meta-tagging.  It's as important as the product itself.  I can offer my centuries-old Cuban recipes and the world's best black beans and rice.  But it doesn't amount to a hill of beans (or frijoles negros) if my family-owned and operated business doesn't get picked up by search engines.  

So for the foreseeable future, whether I like it or not, "Web Marketing for Dummies" is required reading.  Even if it puts me to sleep.     

It's been the most painful of days in Northwest Indiana this month of October.  Reporting on developments in the McClendon double-murder has been a difficult assignment - to say the very least.      

On Wednesday, we watched as the teenage suspects shuffled into a Crown Point court room, wearing leg-irons and shackles.  Reo Thompson and his alleged accomplice, Gregory Brooks, Junior, looked around the crowded courtroom, as they waited to hear from the magistrate.  Peering back at them, in hushed silence, were the McClendon brothers, surrounded by family and supporters.  For the McClendon's, still reeling in disbelief from the brutal murder of  Waymon & Ruby McClendon, it was their first face-to-face look at the suspects.    

It was as gut-wrenching a scene as I've ever witnesed.  Our friend and colleague, Gerrard McClendon, with his brothers Theodore and Duane, looking at the accused, trying to comprehend how such a thing could happen.  Two days later, the teens would be charged with murder.      

I'll never forget the nobility of the McClendon's talking to reporters afterwards - once they'd had time to meet privately in a courthouse office to console one another. 

Speaking for the family, Theodore eloquently described the family's feelings.  And how they continue to hope that this tragedy will move us all to action.  "It all begins with the terrible two's," Theodore explained.  "We have have to raise and nurture our children from the moment they're born."  And he urged parents everywhere to focus on their kids - make sure they're on the right path - teach them to work hard in school - support them so they do the right thing.    

And the brothers repeated their startliing assertion that despite their loss, they forgive those who killed their parents.  It was ... and continues to be ... one of the most courageous things I've ever heard.  And I salute the McClendon's for the tremendous grace they've shown in the worst of all possible situations.  They are born leaders.      

I hope Chicago and the nation will listen to the message of the McClendon brothers.  Because I believe they have some very profound things to say.  And it's more urgent than ever that as Americans we pull together - to prevent the kind of tragedy we saw in Northwest Indiana.  

O.K.  They don't celebrate Halloween in Havana (unless you stumble across a party of embargo-busting Americans defying the travel ban).  But from the history department of Old Havana Foods comes this creepy Caribbean tale.

Legend has it the bones of Christopher Columbus are in Havana.  Of course, the Domincans have long claimed he's buried in Santo Domingo.  And the Spaniards say they have D-N-A evidence to prove the explorer's remains are in Seville.  For centuries now, it's been one of history's most famous unanswered questions.

But through the decades, sun-burned tourists (groggy from too many frijoles negros and Cuba libres) have been startled to see an other-worldly apparition, slipping through the shadows of La Habana Vieja.  Believers swear it's the ghost of Christopher Columbus!    

When he died in 1506, Columbus' will revealed a desire to be buried in the New World.  After a lot of arguing and disagreement, the Spaniards later transferred his bones to Hispaniola.

But when the French took control of the Caribbean island in 1795, the explorer's remains were rushed to Havana (the Spanish wanted to prevent his famous bones from falling into the hands of their arch-enemies).  Cuban history records that for more than a century, Columbus' weary bones got a well-deserved rest in Havana. 

When the Spanish lost colonial Cuba in 1898, however, Columbus' well-traveled remains were on the move again.  They shipped his dusty bones over the Atlantic - back to the place where he first embarked on his famous expeditions - Spain.  

But no matter what the Spanish may claim, to this day, many Habaneros still believe that a part of Christopher Columbus secretly resides in Havana.  And to this day, as visitors enjoy Cuban music and Cuban food in the historic capital city - there are sightings.  People still see the spirit of the old ghost, roaming the cobblestoned streets of Habana.  Happy Halloween everybody!   

It may not be Roe v. Wade, but it does make for an interesting constitutional law debate and the right to free expression.  In case you didn't hear the latest - Rod Blagojevich wants the right to go on reality T-V (see today's Chicago Tribune).   The Trib says Donald Trump wants to have the ex-governor on an upcoming show.  But governrment lawyers reportedly want to block it because they fear the jury pool will be tainted. 

You may remember U-S District Judge James Zagel shot down Rod's request to go to Costa Rica, last spring, to appear in another reality show.  The ex-governor's on record saying he needs to find a way to suppport his family (while paying for his legal bills).

So what do you think?  Everybody's innocent until proven guilty, right?  So why can't Rod Blagojevich do Trump's show?  Where do you weigh in on this?  Tell us what you think.

What do centuries-old Cuban recipes and the internet-age have in common?  How can sauteed Vidalia onions, extra-virgin olive oil and black beans and rice have anything to do with Google?  Or Yahoo?  Absolutely nothing - if you ask me - except that they're tethered together like a baby with his umbilical cord.

That's the new reality as I tangle with the mind-numbing vocabulary of search engine optimization, meta-tagging and social media.  Feels like I'm learning Chinese or some other highly complex language that doesn't make sense.  But the experts say it all translates to cents (and dollars) ... with the miracle of the search engine.  

10 months into my experiment of launching an on-line specialty food company, I'm working to improve the website for the Crews family business.  What would great-grandfather Julio have to say about all this?  And what does it have to do with authentic Cuban Food.  I'll find out in another week when we unveil the new  Old Havana Foods.  And I'll be glad when it's over.  

I'm trying to boost what they call the search engine optimization (which means you improve the odds of being picked up on a Google search).  So I've had to read, "Web-Marketing for Dummies," consult with my computer genius and read page after page of web marketing material. 

It's enough to make an old English major feel Googley-eyed!

Doing a report on the shortage of seasonal flu.  The large drugstore chains bought up a sizeable portion of the available supply but now they're running low.  Unusually high demand from the hard-hit American South is partly to blame - although shortages in the Chicago area are not said to be as acute.

If you happen to live on the northside of Chicago ... the Walgreen's at Belmont and Addison tell us that they' in fact have seasonal flu vaccines in stock.  Don't know how much quantity they have or how long it'll last.  But I'n told they start giving shots at 10AM until 4PM.   

FOR FORTY YEARS ... DR. IRVING SPERGEL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HAS STUDIED CHICAGO GANGS FROM THE STREETS.

(GANGS #6 - LITTLE VILLAGE B-roll at 07:57:47)

("LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS" - 02:11:42)

(Spergel on GANGS #4 at 54:40)

(LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS - COP SHOP - 02:15:59)

FOR SEVEN YEARS ....THE LITTLE VILLAGE PROJECT BROUGHT POLICE, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND EDUCATIONAL COUNSELORS TOGETHER AS A TEAM ... LITERALLY LURING GANG MEMBERS AWAY FROM THE STREETS.

(Spergel on GANGS #3 at 40:46)

(MORE SPERGEL VIDEO/'LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS" - 02:07:56 )

(GANGS #4 - POLICE HEADQUARTERS - 03:39:35)

(Spergel on GANGS #3 at 42:37)

("LITTLE VILLAGE STREETS" - JULIAN STAND UP - 02:19:47)