One of the biggest (and tastiest) Chicago summer traditions is the Taste of Chicago , a ten-day festival located in Grant Park where you can get, as indicated by its name, bite-sized treats from restaurants and food shops from all over the city. The event, which will take place for the 30th year from June 25-July 4, is known as much for the food and the live music as it is for the fireworks, the crowds, and the traffic issues it causes.  For participating eateries, “The Taste” is a great opportunity, obviously, to show off and get their food into the mouths of more than three million potential new customers each year. Most will find no greater showcase with which to be involved. That is the reason why, earlier this week, suburban restaurant owners were devastated and angered to find out that they were being shut out this year. I don’t get it. I mean, I don’t get it, but I get it . Being denied the opportunity to participate in the world’s largest food festival due to the lack of a city zip code is an unfortunate circumstance, especially if you have been allowed to participate in the past. However, I agree with Mayor Daley’s sentiment that “It’s called Taste of Chicago — not Morton Grove.” (My exact words to my husband when I heard the news were similar: “It’s called the Taste of Chicago, not the Taste of ChicagoLAND.”)  I’m sorry for the vendors here in suburbia that are denied entry this year because I know that the festival is a boon to their business, but I don’t think the city is being unfair. The city has the right to restrict its special events in any way it sees fit, and helping the restaurants that pay city taxes first makes sense. It’s similar to the way that city residents are given the privilege of paying lower admission fees for entry to certain museums. Apparently, vendors were told about the change coming this year back in 2007, and would have been allowed to participate had they established a Chicago location for one year prior to this year’s Taste. I think that’s reasonable. It’s no surprise to me that five former vendors from the suburbs didn’t do that: for one thing, a city location may not have been in their long-term vision. Also, with the economy having been in a recession, it would have been risky to say the least, and certainly not a good idea if the main motivation for the new location is to qualify for a booth at the Taste.  Though Kathleen Gits, owner of Aunt Diana’s Old Fashioned Fudge in Riverside, was quoted as saying “Why should people from the suburbs go down to Chicago if they’re not gonna let suburban restaurants participate?” I disagree. Why shouldn’t they? The entire Chicagoland area is full of great places to eat. If the Taste provides a strictly city experience, well, I can taste suburban food another time. Part of living in such a diverse area is experiencing all that it has to offer; there is no rule that says it must be done during the same ten days.  Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons This is an original Chicago Moms Blog post.  Melisa Wells really adores food, whether it originates in the city or closer to home in the burbs. She writes at Suburban Scrawl and tweets @melisalw .

The rest is here: 
Taste of Chicago Takes The Suburbs Off The Menu