Pip Treats Erin: A Guest Post from Chicago

When Brian offered for me to write a guest post for Its My Treat, I immediately thought of Erin (pronouns: they/them). I met Erin about 10 years ago, when my kiddo and I started attending Second Unitarian Church (2U) in Chicago.

For this It’s My Treat episode, we visited Penelope’s Vegan Taqueria. We had previously been planning on visiting a different vegan restaurant, but I had run across Penelope’s earlier in the day and been impressed by the colorful vibe and open front area that would allow maximum ventilation (it’s still a pandemic, after all).

Erin and I split an almost alarmingly massive dish of Nachos Locos, it was delicious. I gave Erin my jalapeños (my spice tolerance has lowered recently). My (blue) beverage was a butterfly pea horchata and Erin had a Paloma. We had a debate about whether a Paloma was a type of Margarita (both have tequila, and the salt rim), but a Google search tells me it is not.

For entrées, Erin had a 3 taco dinner and chose three different types of tacos: Mushroom Chimichurri, Soy Chorizo, and Cauliflower. I had 3 tacos, all Soy Chorizo. These taste and feel like real chorizo to me, even though they are vegan. The first couple bites didn’t seem too spicy, but by the end my face was covered in sweat, so the heat builds. Erin was sweating too from their food. I’m sure our immune systems got a nice boost from all that spice!

Over the years, Erin has come to be nearly a member of our family. They were the kiddo’s primary babysitter for years, hired by either Brian or myself. We’ve hung out socially at my place and out and about. They lent me their car to take wren to see the eclipse in Indiana, and they co-cleaned the house with me when Wren was having a health crisis, and I needed a friend to listen and be with me. They mopped my floor when I sprained my knees and couldn’t stand that long. They stayed overnight with the kiddo when I had an overnight ER visit. They’ve come to several birthday celebrations and have been a positive influence on the kiddo growing up. We attended a zine-making zoom workshop together once, and we’ve played Space cats Fight Fascism more than once.

Over our tasty dinner, we had a nice chat. I asked questions I don’t usually ask people, questions other people always ask in social situations. Like, “where did you grow up” (Southern California), “how many siblings do you have?” (one sister, and one stepbrother). What is your degree in? (psychology). I don’t usually ask people about where they grew up specifically, because I moved a lot as a kid and don’t like being asked it myself. I don’t tend to ask about siblings or degrees because unless we happen to be talking about topics related to those things, the questions don’t come up.

Erin’s parents both live in California, so does their sister and stepbrother. In the pictures you see here, Erin is the baby in the pumpkin as well as the older sibling of the two littles with their Dad. In current pics, the turtle is a backpack, and the tattoo is a flaming chalice with a pentacle on it, making it a combo Pagan and UU symbol. We didn’t talk tattoos, but we should’ve.

Erin and I hadn’t talked for a while, so we also caught up on things I did know about their life. They are in a fulfilling social services job where they help folks access housing. I’ve been a reference for them for past jobs because we are both involved in Chicago Community Jail Support, where we provide kindness and aid to people being released from jail, and sometimes this includes finding housing as well. Erin is happy to report that this current job is bringing up green flags, in that the leadership style of their boss, and the workplace culture they are surrounded by, are seeming very healthy and positive. Sadly, this is so often not the case, which is truly weird for organizations so invested in helping.

We split a dessert as well. We had a Buñuelo dessert, which was a thin, crispy cinnamon pastry under scoops of vanilla (vegan of course) ice cream, with glazed pineapple and strawberry slices. I also got a dessert for the kiddo at home, so they didn’t feel too left out. That’s the rainbow cake. I did have a bit, I have to say, and it’s astonishingly good.

Erin’s life lately has consisted mostly of working, then chilling at home watching TV, which has not always been the case in the past. I realized I’ve been bad at making plans with friends lately, not for any reason to do with them but just because I get so busy with working, looking for more permanent work, and other responsibilities. Before Erin and I hugged and said goodbye for the night, we put a day on our calendar to maybe make zines or play some games.

I would highly recommend Penelope’s, it’s on Clark St., in Andersonville, in Chicago. And I highly recommend getting together with longtime friends to catch up, eat delicious food, and maybe ask questions that you don’t usually ask each other.

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