Today I will be leaving for Utah on a solo road camping trip, this will be my fifth one, first where I will not meet anybody.

Many people are puzzled by the idea of traveling solo, why they ask almost as if there is something wrong with it.

Their questions actually are very legitimate, fear, loneliness and even if this would be a mind expanding trip with a special diet etc.

The answer is partially yes to all, and especially getting away from it all to reflect, with what, what else mother nature.

This concept of solo traveling solo in the past was not so uncommon now however in a world where we must be all connected, stay in touch and belong the idea seems absurd, especially where our fear of loneliness has been exaggerated oddly enough by the technology that makes us feel closer to each other.

I hope to keep a photo journal of the some beautiful landscapes I will see on the way and in Utah. I also plan to paint these landscapes while I am there, which will be a new experience for me.

Every Thursday my eighty five year old mom makes it up to the restaurant at 6am from Andersonville mostly to see her grandchildren and to do some dishes. She however also does her famous Turkish Koftes “the right way” and if she is lucky I buy her a Martini on the way ride home.

Although shopping locally refers to buying from local surrounding areas, such as farms, meat producers and such, at Prairie Joe’s we buy from Dominicks, Jewel, Super Mercado Morelia, Edgewater Produce, Middle East Groceries, World Market , Restaurant Depot etc. which usually are not considered “local” by the “progressive” crowd. However one doesn’t get more local than that.

True the products all may not be local, the employees are though are very local, and keeping Chicagoans at work is the local thing to do because our survival depends on keeping our local work force employed.

I was so crazy to open a restaurant. A dream come true, like an empty canvas to paint, every moment of it would be fulfilling, well I wasn’t mistaken, everyday I am excited to go to work to paint that canvas once again.

Although I’ve noticed after twenty years I like to skip a day or two.

After 30 years I can still say I have no idea about cooking. I burn food plenty, I look at eggplant like it is an alien and I think cumin is a concept. So once again I will attempt to cook today in total disregard to tenements of cooking and actually serve it to my customers. When they actually say how good something is I will look at them in total puzzlement but true to my word, will say Thank You!

30 years ago I thought the only thing I could do was cook and cook I did. In fact even now when I arrive at Prairie Joe’s I start cooking obsessively, it is sort of like a compulsive disorder of cooking, within an hour I have all this food then I have to match as specials. It is almost as my sickness makes me a living.

Actually there are days that I get overwhelmed that I have a ” cooking nervous breakdown”, or obsessively start eating any fruit I can find. I supply myself with plenty of that.

Though today is Friday and I am trying to teach myself it is okay, and that at work I will have to control myself, I do have some ground lamb though and that needs to be cooked.

I woke up terrified that we were going to wake up to mayhem, mayhem of snow where getting out of your house would be difficult let alone driving on those trechereous roads. This pandemic called snow would paralize everyone and be a big blow to our already frail economy. Then I realized it is the social mania maniacs that actually created the snow and we actually live on palm tree lined streets.

Yesterday we saw the play Kill Me as presented Wildclaw theater. An excellent play it was in every way from plot to acting and special effects. Check their web site and see the play. It is under the intense category.

Between the hours of 6:30 am and 9 am you can experience an old American tradition where customers come in ones or twos including the regular counter customers enjoying a traditional American breakfast with a nice cup of American coffee.

I am going to swing to the Ozarks over the New Years to bring their fine cuisine to Evanston, there’s gotta be something.