Pete Buttigieg is a singular presidential candidate in one important sense: He is the only to candidate to have answered the question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich in advance of his interview with The Takeout. We applaud his forethought in tackling this question from the get-go. His answer: No.

I may be a proud Chicagoan and a humble FIB, but I have a deep and abiding love of Wisconsin. And it’s not just me—we’re basically all in the tank for our neighbor to the north. Brush aside the things you don’t bring up at polite dinner (politics, sports, Ed Gein) and you’ve got nothing but beautiful lakes, delicious…

Dear Salty: Last weekend I hosted a casual get-together at my house. Everyone was having a great time, but I couldn’t help but notice one of the guests (I’d consider him more an acquaintance than a close friend) rifling through my fridge! Not only did he help himself to an expensive bottle of beer I hid in the back, I…

Like many Chinese children, I was subjected to piano lessons growing up. And like many of us forced to practice hours upon hours each day, playing the piano was a robotic, joyless pursuit (then I discovered Ben Folds Five, and that became a whole other story).

For some time now, Target has positioned itself as the big-box store of the people. While every shopping chain ostensibly wants to be considered in that way, Target has been able to position itself around the “Target run” as a one-stop destination for anything and everything a person could need, including and beyond…

Over the past 20 years, the food competition show has taken the gravitas-laden template of Iron Chef and frequently re-purposed it in service of escapist entertainment. Many of its present-day descendants will still teach you a few things along the way, but from Chopped to MasterChef to Guy’s Grocery Games,…

If you’ve been enjoying McDonald’s new International Favorites offerings in recent months, know that there are more options are on the way. There’s just one catch: For now, you have to find your way to Chicago to try them.

A few weeks ago I bought a can of Mountain Dew Amp Game Fuel and reviewed it. I hated it. It sucked. Evidently, this angered some people on the internet. I guess some folks really love Game Fuel? Between comments calling me names and people yelling at me for not liking an energy drink, some helpful folks suggested I…

I’m able to separate politics and food, or if we’re being honest, I’m able to turn a blind eye. I find Chick-fil-A’s politics repugnant, but they’re also close to my house, their sandwiches and waffle fries are tasty, and my 3-year-old thinks the same. It weighs on my mind, believe me, but that triangulation of…

I can admit when I’m wrong. During The Takeout’s recent fantasy food draft focused on supermarket (i.e. easily accessible nationwide) beers, my colleague Dominic Suzanne-Mayer scooped up Shiner Bock for his team before I could. “If I could find Shiner near me,” I said, “I’d drink it more often.” Well aren’t I turning…

I doubt your brain works like mine (and if it does, condolences), but I found this video from Wryfield Laboratories immensely satisfying. It’s of tomatoes being sliced, but the footage is reversed, and so you’re watching pieces of tomato magically restored. And the soundtrack, which may or may not have been digitally…

Chick-fil-A is known for two things: surprisingly addictive chicken and problematic politics. To enjoy the former and avoid involvement in the latter, a DIY recipe is needed. Most people think the key to making Chick-fil-A’s iconic poultry lies in a pickle juice brine, but if you look at the ingredients list, there’s…