I had a hankering for some salami the other day, and it reminded me of the time I met GI Joe.
Talk about a random night: My friend and I decided to check out some east side dive bars back in January 2009. At Packer Inn, we noticed most of the patrons were gathered around some guy in a lab coat. We come to find out that he’s giving out samples of his meat, which he’s selling out of his truck outside.
So we get a heaping sample platter, and everything was delicious. I ended up buying a half log of garlic beerwurst. The guy, by the way, is named GI Joe, and he totally looks like it. The company is called Perl’s All American Sausage Co., and you can order by calling 1-800-JOE-PERL (he’ll also give you a Perl’s All American Sausage menu that comes with his “Sausage Emergency Number”). I’ll never forget him towering over me and saying in a deep voice, “Thanks a lot, brotha!”
Apparently, he stops by the Packer Inn 1-2 times a year; most weekends, you’ll find him at various bars in Chicago, where he’s based. Here’s a story that ABC Chicago did on him:
