Stop #1 Pilsen

Chicago Gastronomical Tour

Stop Number 1- Pilsen

 

Gastronomical Location: 

Abuelo's Mexican Grill

2007 South Damen Ave 

Chicago, IL 

http://abuelospilsengrill.com/

Neighborhoods: Lower West Side, Heart of Chicago

Pilsen History: Construction of Southwestern Plank Road (aka Ogden Avenue) originally encouraged immigrants to settle in Chicago’s Lower West Side.

Following the Great Fire, mills, sweatshops and yard jobs were created in the Lower West Side neighborhood. These jobs drew immigrants from Bohemia (now Czech Republic). The area started to be referred to as Pilsen when a restaurant named after a large city in Bohemia was opened, called “At the City of Plzen”. 

PIlsen saw its first Mexican residents when labor shortages during World War I brought many immigrant groups to the area.  Then in the 1960s, the expansion of the University of Illinois at Chicago caused the forced removal of Mexicans from the Near West Side and into the Pilsen area.  By the 1970’s Pilsen’s population was primarily Mexican.  Adlerman Solis states, “They came here to make enough money to retire to Mexico. But their children, the Baby Boomers, stayed and created a little Mexico here” (Mann, 2009).

Pilsen Today: Pilsen remains a primarily Mexican American community, and the population is 86.9% Hispanic.   In addition to The National Museum of Mexican Art, Pilsen houses many Mexican bakeries, grocery stores, shopping and of course restaurants! Every July, Pilsen residents celebrate Fiesta Del Sol (Festival of the Sun) which raises money for neighborhood scholarships. Pilsen is decorated with murals and mosaics celebrating Mexican culture and an eagle statue stands in Pilsen that was a gift from a former Mexico City mayor.

Eating in Pilsen: Pilsen’s restaurants remain primarily Mexican and according to Rick Bayless authentically so. Rick is quoted in the Houston Press regarding Pilsen’s ability to remain authentic, "When somebody from Mexico moves to Texas or California, the Chicano community is there to teach them how things are done," says Bayless. "But that doesn't happen in Chicago. The Mexicans here are almost all first-generation, and they still cook the way they did in Mexico. There's nobody here to show them what Americanized Mexican food is supposed to be like" (Walsh, 2000).

Living in Pilsen: Pilsen is currently experiencing a major change as the neighborhood continues to be gentrified. Many artists/bohemians/hipsters are leaving the already gentrified areas of Wicker Park and Bucktown and heading south to move into Pilsen’s relatively cheap housing. For example, a two bedroom apartment in Pilsen ranges from $700-$1000, and a two bedroom condo is around $275,000. In addition to this new community, young professional Mexicans are returning back to Pilsen after going to school. The alderman’s daughter, Maya Solis is quoted as saying, “My friends and I call ourselves 'muppies' — Mexican yuppies. We came back here to raise our families” (Mann, 2009). 

As the area continues to gentrify there are advocates and opponents for the changing neighborhood. The Pilsen Alliance is an organization that has formed against gentrification. The Resurrection Project formed in 1990 works to encourage Mexican Americans to stay in the neighborhood and develop it. The area will continue to grow and change. Alderman Solis will work to continue raising awareness of Pilsen, “My vision is to make Pilsen the preeminent Mexican-American community as Chinatown is to Chinese-Americans — not only for the families who live here but for people who visit” (Mann, 2009).

References

@Properties, www.atproperties.com

Behrens, Web “Pilsen Gentrification” (2009) Time Out Chicago

Chicago Neighborhood and City Guide “Pilsen”

Craigslist, www.craigslist.org

Gillman, Erik “Pilsen” (2005) Encyclopedia of Chicago

Mann, Leslie “Pilsen: Where change is underfoot” (2009) Chicago Tribune

Pilsen Portal, www.pilsenportal.org

Walsh, Robb “The Authenticity Myth” (2000) Houston Press

Wikipedia, “Lower West Side, Chicago”