When I first started this site, it was out of frustration over not being able to find any information on which restaurants were open for indoor dining after pandemic-related restrictions were eased. I created the database and maintained it for a year (I have added a few entries, and deleted some now-shuttered businesses, but have not done a major update in months,) until most places had reopened fully. While I plan to continue to update it (someone please find me an intern?), it seems more pressing to use this site to support local restaurants in other ways.

Namely, dear god… yes, journalism. (I am not a food critic, and I’m not starting now.) I do dream of food news that covers more than just the new restaurants or those with the best PR.  There are stories that I want to read about what’s happening right now, and if I have to write them… well, okay.  Anyway… stay tuned.

Below are a few photos of things I’ve loved recently, but I’d also like to point to The Best American Food Writing 2021, which contains some stellar essays.  

One of the quickest reads is “This Is the Dumbest Foodie Battle of Our Time” by Rebecca Onion (Slate) which discusses the bitter quip “where’s the ‘skip to recipe button'” that I came up against often when I first started posting food essays on public forums.  That this phenomenon is attributable to misogyny is of particular note.  Deb Perelman, of Smitten Kitchen, is quoted:

“It’s mostly women telling these stories. Congratulations, you’ve found a new, not particularly original, way to say ‘shut up and cook.’ (I just don’t see the same pushback when male chefs write about their wild days or basically anything. Do you?)”

Lastly, Portland Farmer’s Market turns 30 this year, and they’ll be celebrating at the PSU Farmer’s Market on Saturday, September 17th, with live entertainment, cooking demos, special guests, and a museum of Farmer’s Market history and memorabilia.