Raccoon may be regarded as a culinary throwback, but in Chicago it's played an accidental role in the city's worldwide reputation for futuristic fine dining—thanks to a local community dinner held nearly every year since 1927.First, please let me address the elephant in the room, or raccoon—or coon.

Happy Chinese New Year! Today rings in the first day of the Year of the Dragon, 4710 on the lunar calendar. The dragon is the only mythical animal in the Chinese zodiac, and so widely considered the luckiest that Asia sees a dragon baby boom every 12 years.

To find a designer coop?Naperville wants to limit the number of backyard chickens to eight per household, reports WBEZ's Jennifer Brandel.

Portlandia: The Tour hits The Hideout this Wednesday, but it's sold out. In fact the show sold out in mere minutes way back on November 22 (as in last year) according to WBEZ's own Kate Dries.

Paula Deen announced she has Type 2 Diabetes this morning, confirming gossip online, in print—and all the schadenfreude.And Southern food takes the blame once again. But where in culinary history can one trace the giant lasagna sandwich?

This is not a Twinkie. It's a Tokyo Banana, a fine-crumb sponge cake filled with banana custard, said to be the best-selling edible souvenir of the capital of Japan.

Have you taken advantage of the so-called Roadkill Bill yet? Me neither. It's the law that went into effect at the beginning of the year that allows furbearer license holders to take roadkill for food and fur. Previously one would have had to have hunted or trapped all their game.