What's in my Kitchen?
Hometowns Past and Present
Recent Goodreads Activity
Sights and Sounds
ALL ABOARD!
100

As a child I only disliked this vegetable, which can be green, yellow, orange, red, or occasionally purple or white. 

What are bell peppers?

100

This is the only major river in the world whose flow has been completely and permanently reversed by human engineering. 

What is the Chicago River?

100

When the Game was Ours was co-written by these NBA superstars, whose head-to-head battles in the 1980s embodied the legendary Celtics-Lakers rivalry. 

Who are Larry Bird and Magic Johnson? 

100

1996's Space Jam follows this NBA star's real-life 17 month retirement from the NBA, during which he played for the Chicago White Sox. 

Who is Michael Jordan? 

100

This organization serving the NYC area just announced a $100M renovation project for its Chambers St station, which has been partially abandoned for 95 years. 

What is the Metropolitan Transit Authority?

200

In the process of at-home brewing this beverage, I feed sweet tea to a rubbery colony of bacteria and yeast.  

What is kombucha? 

200

Having grown up in this state where pumping your own gas is illegal, I once drove away from a gas station without closing my car's fuel cap. 

What is New Jersey?

200

One of my favorite books last year was on US history through the lens of this federal institution, which is the only organization that serves every address in the country. 

What is the United States Postal Service? 

200

Next month, I'm going to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play my favorite cello concerto by this composer, who is most famous for his 'New World Symphony'.

Who is Antonín Dvořák ?

200

This is the most common name for a train station in the United States. 

What is Union Station? 
300

I started learning to cook at age 3 with this classic Chinese comfort food. 

What is tomato and egg stir-fry?

300

Many of my late-night meals in undergrad came from this Philly-based convenience store chain, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word for 'goose'. 

What is Wawa? 

300

In a Patrick Süskind novella, a bank guard with a 'propensity' for rigid routine falls into crisis when this common bird turns up outside his door.

What is a pigeon? 

300

In college I was a big fan of Anderson .Paak, whose 2021 R&B collaboration with this headlining singer produced the popular single "Leave the Door Open".

Who is Bruno Mars?

300

This Amtrak line got its name from the state bird of all of the six states it originally ran through. 

What is the Cardinal? 

400

When it gets cold, I make make a traditional Polish soup with pork bones, vegetables, sour cream, and a whole jar of this key ingredient

What are pickles? 

400

In my favorite local political scandal, this state governor closed two lanes of the world's busiest bridge to cause traffic as political retaliation. 

Who is Chris Christie?

400

After rejecting his Anthropology thesis in 1947, UChicago awarded this author a master's degree in 1971 on the strength of his satirical novel Cat's Cradle. 

Who is Kurt Vonnegut? 

400

My interest in basketball was kickstarted by recordings of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, which was formed in response to the US losing gold to this former country in 1988. 

What is the Soviet Union?

400

It's on my bucket list to ride this line, which is the world's longest continuous railway, running from Moscow to Vladivostok. 

What is the Trans-Siberian Railway? 

500

My favorite vegetarian dumpling filling consists of scrambled eggs and this vegetable

What are Chinese chives/韭菜 ? 

500

I was born in this city, formerly nicknamed "The Big Oyster" centuries ago when its Hudson River held about half of the world's oyster population. 

What is New York City?

500

This sci-fi novel, adapted by Tarkovsky into an acclaimed 1972 film, follows scientists on a research station orbiting a mysterious planet whose ocean may be sentient.

What is Solaris

500

This postwar art movement was led by two of my favorite painters, Willem de Kooning and Joan Mitchell, among others including Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. 

What is Abstract Expressionism? 

500

In 1882, this historical railroad company (which is featured in Monopoly) was the largest corporation in the world. 

What is Pennsylvania Railroad? 

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