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The Bear was made specifically for me.

Chicago / Italian Beef / Bears / Matty

New Noun → 070824

The Bear

I’m pretty sure the algorithm made this show specifically for me.

Today

  1. I ❤️ Chicago

  2. I ❤️ food

  3. I ❤️ Bears

  4. I ❤️ Matty

  5. I look like JAW (?)

The Bear is a show named after a fictional restaurant called The Bear (that used to be called The Original Beef of Chicagoland) because the executive chef’s last name is Berzatto, which kind of sounds like Bear-zatto, so people call him Bear as a nickname, even though his real name is Carmen but people call him Carmy as a nickname too.

Yes chef.

Approve Oliver Platt GIF by The Bear

If you haven’t watched The Bear by now, this email isn’t going to make you do it.

There are enough reviews, TikToks, SNL sketches, and thirst traps out there to make you aware that The Bear is a show worth watching.

Season 3 just came out. This is not a review.

Instead, I will argue that The Bear was made specifically for me.

Exhibit A: I love Chicago

Season 5 Chicago GIF by Parks and Recreation

My dad’s family grew up in South West Michigan. He promptly moved to East Lansing to get a degree, start a business, and build a family.

His two younger sisters ended up in Chicago. One on the North side, one on the South Side.

While we didn’t visit often, that city always had a certain magic for me.

I vividly remember staying with my aunt and uncle for a week when they lived in Gold Coast for a few years. We biked the waterfront. We threw paper airplanes off their balcony. It was paradise.

I knew it was where I wanted to be.

When it came time to apply for colleges, I sent one application.

season 3 netflix GIF by Gilmore Girls

I was accepted in early admission to DePaul and signed up for a class that started a week early, just to be there sooner.

To this day, driving into Chicago gives me the most homey feeling of any place on Earth.

I love Chicago.

Not to beat a dead horse, but my wife and I walked back down the aisle after our wedding vows to a bluegrass cover of Chicago by Sufjan Stevens.

Click the link below and stare at the photo. It will feel like you were there.

Exhibit B: I love food

Jeremy Allen White Foodie GIF by Emmys

I’m pretty sure food is my whole family culture.

We’re not into sports. We don’t go to church. We don’t really do politics.

We like art. We like music. But mostly we like food.

I would rather eat at a Michelin star restaurant than go to the Super Bowl for free. It’s not even close.

My dad’s wedding present was the promise of a bucket-list dinner, inscribed in the Alinea book. It was amazing.

Best gift ever.

Eating the green apple balloon

But it’s not just the fancy food.

Season 3 Nbc GIF by The Office

I love Italian beef.

When I graduated from high school, I threw a backyard bbq party open house thing.

My dad asked what food I wanted to have. I said Italian beef.

It was the only thing we served. In my backyard. In Michigan.

(It’s worth noting we aren’t even a little bit Italian.)

I even tried to serve Italian beef at my wedding. This is an Italian beef empanada at our food taste test.

It was super juicy and made a mess, so we opted for tiny Chicago-style hotdogs instead…

I cannot think of a show I would love more than a love letter to Italian beef and fine dining set in Chicago.

Xzibit

Exhibit C: I love bears

Wave Hello GIF

When asked my favorite animal, I will say bear.

I’m not sure why, or where it came from.

But they are great.

Specifically, sun bears.

Their tongues are so long.

More specifically the sun bears at the Lincoln Park Zoo. In Chicago. Do you see where this is going?

Again, I’m not just making this up. If you know Katherine (my wife) and I, you know I almost exclusively call her Goose. She once illustrated a comic of how we met with herself as a goose and me as a bear.

She had stuffed animals made.

Exhibit D: I love Matty Matheson

I first learned of Matty on guest appearances during the Bon Appetit test kitchen’s YouTube heyday and have followed him closely ever since.

His cookbooks are on my shelf.

Speaking of BA, the Molly Baz ones are amazing too.

If you haven’t checked out his YouTube content, I would recommend.

It’s a little unhinged.

Exhibit E: Someone once told me I look like Jeremy Allen White.

Fx Networks Cooking GIF by The Bear

Okay, it was “you kind of look like the kid from Shameless.”

And it was long before The Bear came out.

And I haven't heard it again since the Calvin Klein shots came out.

But still.

I’ll take it.

The Bear is my algorithm.

I rest my case.

be good

z

What to watch next?

If you’ve got a windy city kick after The Bear, check out Easy.

“This eclectic, star-studded anthology follows diverse Chicagoans fumbling through the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture.”

Netflix

I watched (and enjoyed) the first season when it came out in 2016. Maybe I’ll catch up on seasons 2 and 3 now that I’m up to speed on THE BEAR.

In case you missed it:

A few weird facts about the POTUS. Completely official rules changes coming to the 2024 Olympic Games. Sorry boomers, we‘re winning. My wife and I started Couple’s Therapy. Why are we all bearcats? Will a Stanley cup keep my birria taco juice hot? Is LinkedIn trying to be the next Wordle? The 8 things I always have on hand.

Jeremy Allen White Cooking GIF by The Bear

now get off my expo chef.