My mom's move to Chicago - disappointments and unexpected delights
This is another one of those posts I've been meaning to write for a while, and I figure I better write it now, before the news cycle ramps up again.
My mom moved to Chicago back in early May 2021. May 9, which Russia and some other ex-Soviet countries mark as Victory (in Europe) Day, which was... interestingly auspicious. This was something she discussed for years, though the time table got moved up quite a bit so it could happen before vladiatorr's move to Washington D.C.
(And then she kind of dropped the news in her LJ post-facto, and acted surprised when many people in the comments were surprised. As if she didn't know that not all of her LJ friends read her English-language blog, for one reason or another).
Anyway... When the move became reality, I figured that there were many things about Chicago in general and Rogers Park in particular that my mom would like. But I was surprised to discover that there was one thing that I thought for sure she would like - and one thing that I was surprised she didn't think she would like.
2012 (c) Brule Laker
I've been a regular shopper at Devon Market since I moved to Chicago. I still maintain that it's the closest thing in Chicago to Eurofresh Market back in the northwestern suburbs - the extensive selection of international food, Russian and otherwise, all the produce and fish, the rainbow of incomes and ethnicities that is its customer base, the cheap prices... I thought former Chicago Reader reporter (and fellow St. Petersburg native) Maya Dukmasova's ode to Devon Market was a bit too rosy, but it captured a lot of its appeal.
But, for whatever reason, my mom just didn't like it. Well, maybe "didn't like it" is a strong word, but she certain liked Morse Market more. And, don't get me wrong - I think Morse Market had a lot to recommend for itself, too, and it objectively has some products Devon Market doesn't. It is also more convenient for my mom to reach on the way home, public transit wise. But it's a smaller store it doesn't have nearly as much overall variety, and it has longer hours so... I don't know.
At one point, my mom said something along time lines, "do you know that they mix in expiring produce with new produce, just like Eurofresh used to do?" and I admit my reaction was surprise, because (a) I had no idea Eurofresh stopped doing that and (b) I just kind of assumed that the way things were in grocery stores geared toward immigrants, a trade-off for having cheap produce. Looking carefully at the apples, cucumbers, oranges, etc is practically second nature to me at this point.
Loyola Beach, July 8, 2020, 20:46 CST
But while that was disappointed, what really surprised me was that, somehow, my mom didn't realize just how nice it would be to have a beach within walking distance of her place. I talked about how great it was to be able to go to Hollywood Beach during the summer many, many, many times, and I'm sure Vlad praised the beach, too. But somehow, it still caught my mom off-guard.
She wrote about it in her English-language blog a few times. I think this post does the best job of summing up her feelings - at least in English. If you are a Russian speaker, I would recommend this LJ post. Both are written well, but I like the Russian-language post better. And it has better imagery, in my opinion.
I am glad that my mom was able to appreciate the beaches, but it's like... It's not even "I could've told you that." it's "I've been telling you that, for years, you should have listened."
In the end of the day, I am glad that my mom was able to appreciate the beach. And while I'm bit sad that she couldn't appreciate the Devon Market like I do, it is what it is, and I'm glad that she at least found one immigrant-orientated store she liked.
It just funny how those things work out sometimes.
My mom moved to Chicago back in early May 2021. May 9, which Russia and some other ex-Soviet countries mark as Victory (in Europe) Day, which was... interestingly auspicious. This was something she discussed for years, though the time table got moved up quite a bit so it could happen before vladiatorr's move to Washington D.C.
(And then she kind of dropped the news in her LJ post-facto, and acted surprised when many people in the comments were surprised. As if she didn't know that not all of her LJ friends read her English-language blog, for one reason or another).
Anyway... When the move became reality, I figured that there were many things about Chicago in general and Rogers Park in particular that my mom would like. But I was surprised to discover that there was one thing that I thought for sure she would like - and one thing that I was surprised she didn't think she would like.
2012 (c) Brule Laker
I've been a regular shopper at Devon Market since I moved to Chicago. I still maintain that it's the closest thing in Chicago to Eurofresh Market back in the northwestern suburbs - the extensive selection of international food, Russian and otherwise, all the produce and fish, the rainbow of incomes and ethnicities that is its customer base, the cheap prices... I thought former Chicago Reader reporter (and fellow St. Petersburg native) Maya Dukmasova's ode to Devon Market was a bit too rosy, but it captured a lot of its appeal.
But, for whatever reason, my mom just didn't like it. Well, maybe "didn't like it" is a strong word, but she certain liked Morse Market more. And, don't get me wrong - I think Morse Market had a lot to recommend for itself, too, and it objectively has some products Devon Market doesn't. It is also more convenient for my mom to reach on the way home, public transit wise. But it's a smaller store it doesn't have nearly as much overall variety, and it has longer hours so... I don't know.
At one point, my mom said something along time lines, "do you know that they mix in expiring produce with new produce, just like Eurofresh used to do?" and I admit my reaction was surprise, because (a) I had no idea Eurofresh stopped doing that and (b) I just kind of assumed that the way things were in grocery stores geared toward immigrants, a trade-off for having cheap produce. Looking carefully at the apples, cucumbers, oranges, etc is practically second nature to me at this point.
Loyola Beach, July 8, 2020, 20:46 CST
But while that was disappointed, what really surprised me was that, somehow, my mom didn't realize just how nice it would be to have a beach within walking distance of her place. I talked about how great it was to be able to go to Hollywood Beach during the summer many, many, many times, and I'm sure Vlad praised the beach, too. But somehow, it still caught my mom off-guard.
She wrote about it in her English-language blog a few times. I think this post does the best job of summing up her feelings - at least in English. If you are a Russian speaker, I would recommend this LJ post. Both are written well, but I like the Russian-language post better. And it has better imagery, in my opinion.
I am glad that my mom was able to appreciate the beaches, but it's like... It's not even "I could've told you that." it's "I've been telling you that, for years, you should have listened."
In the end of the day, I am glad that my mom was able to appreciate the beach. And while I'm bit sad that she couldn't appreciate the Devon Market like I do, it is what it is, and I'm glad that she at least found one immigrant-orientated store she liked.
It just funny how those things work out sometimes.