I made it to the taste this year, something I say I'm going to do every year, but somehow it always seems to pass me by. I suppose when you have lived here all your life, you end up having a pretty good read on just what the 'Taste of Chicago' is. Regardless, it seems like something every Chicagoan should do, oh, say, once every 5 years. At least that’s the pacing I’m on. While at the taste, I try to at least sample something new, as opposed to the usual Italian Beef, Chicago Style Hot Dog, Deep Dish Pizza, or one of a number of delicious Asian dishes. However, the Alligator on a stick, or Shark, or whatever is skewered at the time, is still a little exotic for my taste buds. I’d say the farthest I ventured this year from my love of bland foods was to a Pork Stuffed Banana Dumpling. I found it be quite good. All in all, I was really glad I made it this year, and the newly acquired freedom to enjoy a cold beer on a hot summer day, really made the whole thing a lot easier. Here I am pictured enjoying some delicious Celtic Corn on the Cobb. That’s an ear of corn, dipped in a vat of butter, and then heavily salted. Right up my alley.