Beanology

Ah yes, can I just reiterate how gorgeous I think Chicago is? Granted I came during optimal prime weather but nonetheless - gorgeous city through and through! I continued to explore Millennium Park and visited that infamous bean. Interesting fact? They send in firetrucks to hose that baby down since pigeons take a liking to it.


Thankfully its mirror-like state proved to be beneficial since I was flying solo that day. (See self portrait below. Seemed like the thing to do amongst other tourists. When in Rome, right?)

Sitting in the shade Mike reads the non-fiction work "What to Eat" by dietitian Marion Nestle. Nestle walks readers through the various food choices we are inundated with and hones in on the various supermarket aisles and its products (meats, packaged foods, juices, waters, produce, etc.), helps decode nutritional labels and more.


Mike had heard of the book via suggestions from friends until one of them finally let him borrow a copy. This is actually a follow-up read to a book Mike had read earlier - "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". And by follow-up I mean it complements the other.

Mike enjoys reading non-fiction works for the most part but not necessarily self-improvement books a la his current food reads. Rather he leans towards more historical books and political science reads. "I like to be socially aware..."


Mike had the same mindset as me because he too heard about the new Modern Art wing at the Art Institute (my next destination after roaming around the park). He has just come from there and liked what he saw except he could've done without the crowds (with the grand opening of the new wing the museum was free to the public that whole week). "It's also a holiday weekend so there are many visitors/tourists in town." GUILTY! Mike doesn't regret going however he wants to go back the likes of me leave town :)

Growing up Mike enjoyed books like the The Black Stallion by Walter Farley and Jack London's classic The Call of the Wild. He also can't forget the Lord of the Rings books. "I prefer the books over the movies. You just can't compare the cinematic interpretation to the memories/interpretations one has of the tales as a child and even as an adult. It's different for everyone and I think everyone has their own personal interpretation that they have conjured in their imagination."

If he were to write his own book it would be about green living and the environment. He does his best to live a green lifestyle so he would like to write about his experience in doing so.



I think Mike is the first reader I've encountered who references Jack London. Such a childhood classic. What was your favourite Jack London book? Call of the Wild? White Fang? Sea Wolf?