 Dinn, who runs the Che-Chi stands, doesn't dwell on bad student behavior.
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Che-Chi certainly has some good stories to tell. Stories that would make you laugh. Stories that would make you cringe. Stories that you would share with your friends at dinner. You know, stories about unruly college kids.
Like the time when a Newton Campus freshman was stranded outside the Mods at 3 a.m., looking for a way back to his room in Duchesne. The buses had stopped running, a taxi ride cost too much, and walking was obviously not an option. He did exactly what he thought was appropriate in that moment: hijack the Roggie's Pizza delivery car, drive back without getting caught, and then tell all of his friends about it.
Stories like that practically write themselves. In the search for something similar, Che-Chi was the obvious choice. He is, after all, a man who sells food to, as he puts it, "well-greased," college students every weekend of the year.
And when he says every weekend of the year, he's not exaggerating. It was a subzero Thirsty Thursday in the month of February, and nobody - not even Bear Grylls - could be found outside braving the cold. Nobody, that is, except for Che-Chi, huddled up against his grill in front of St. Ignatius Gate, with nothing on his hands but a pair of latex serving gloves.
"I come here every weekend regardless of the weather," he says. "Rain or shine. Rain. Or. Shine."
The face behind Che-Chi, otherwise known as Joe Dinn, most likely inherited that persevering quality from his Irish ancestry. Dinn's grandfather landed on Ellis Island around the year 1900 and was soon working on dredging operations up and down the Atlantic coast. Eventually, the tides brought him northward to clean out the Boston Harbor, and that's when he finally decided it was time to adopt the bean as his favorite side dish and settle in the Hub.
Grandpa Dinn was lucky enough to be there when the Red Sox won the World Series in 1918, but the dry spell of 86 years that would follow may have pushed the younger generations of the Dinn family out of fandom.
Although Joe still follows the Sox with some interest, his favorite sports team is by far the Patriots, and he never misses a game. Still distraught from the Super Bowl loss, Joe's only advice for next season is, "They got to keep Moss."
2008 Woodie Awards
