crosscut.com : Food

In the garden: Le Tour des Plants

Crosscut — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:23:01 PDT

Although I wouldn't have picked the name myself, I have to admit it makes me grin just looking at it: Le Tour des Plants. Start your hybrid and bicycle engines running, my gardening friends, because more than 35 locations throughout Oregon and southern Washington are going to be hosting "plantastic events" beginning on September 13th and lasting through the following weekend. We're talking gardening tours, scavenger hunts, accessible experts, workshops, rare plant findings, and, why not? Bluegrass music.

A Stumptown weekend

Crosscut — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:00:01 PDT

Portland is one cool town. As a lifelong Washingtonian, I've always considered Seattle my city, whether growing up in the rural community of Arlington or living on Whidbey Island for the past 33 years. But after spending a weekend in Portland, defection is not out of the question. I'm not surprised that a growing number of our South Whidbey "kids" have decided to make Portland their new home town.

Carless and carefree: Seattle to Bellingham

Crosscut — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 07:01:01 PDT

I prefer road trips that don't include me as the driver. And now with the gas gods scowling down on us, even folks who would never leave their beloved vehicles at home are opting for alternative ways to roam. Plus, lots can happen when you're not behind the wheel. You can read. Listen to tunes. Eavesdrop. Take a snooze. Or see familiar sights with fresh eyes. My favorite way to travel to British Columbia is a combination of trains, buses, boats, and planes. This is the first in a series of my carless, carefree getaway to B.C. Depending on your time and budget, cut and clip as necessary.

Terry Theise has no axe to grind about Washington wine

Crosscut — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:00:01 PDT

Terry Theise expressed concern about Crosscut writer Harris Meyer's choice in today's story to highlight Theise's opinion on Washington Reislings, which isn't favorable. Here are excerpts from an e-mail exchange between Meyer and Theise:

A Riesling for no reason

Crosscut — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Wine importer and writer Terry Theise spoke in Seattle recently, and he finds little to admire in Washington state's Rieslings.

Eat and walk your way through Northwest cities

Crosscut — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:00:01 PDT

Our Whidbey Island correspondent shares her favorite way to explore the food and atmosphere of Portland, Vancouver, and Seattle.

BC Ferries offer better fare

Crosscut — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:01:01 PDT

Even though I'm a Washingtonian, if I had to choose between the Washington State Ferries (WSF) and the BC Ferries, the Canucks win by a kilometer. Granted, BC Ferries has had its share of mishaps. In 2006, the Queen of the North sunk while cruising the Inside Passage on its 18-hour journey between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert. One hundred and one passengers were on board, and two are still missing and presumed dead. Human error was blamed for the sinking. Two years later, the Queen of Oak Bay lost power and plowed through dozens of boats at a marina in West Vancouver while attempting to dock at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal.

In Seattle, let the people 'chill'

Crosscut — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:01 PDT

Politicians have resorted to some some pretty childish arguments in defense of policies in recent days.

Walkability is nice, but it's not making us skinny

Crosscut — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:49:01 PDT

Current theory says that a city's walkability promotes health and will impact the fight against obesity. The claim is that America's weight problem can be helped by making cities more pedestrian-friendly. It should follow, then, that our most dense and walkable cities are where the skinny people are, right? Well, not really.

Is Big Nanny running your town?

Crosscut — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:43:01 PDT

The libertarian magazine Reason has published a list of the biggest nanny cities in the country. The results for the big cities on the Pacific Coast are interesting. Portland is caught in a kind of "nanny sandwich" between Seattle and San Francisco. Apparently, the most ecotopian town in the Pacific Northwest has escaped the worst excess of politically correct fussiness.

In the garden: U-pick blueberries

Crosscut — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:00:01 PDT

The book Plenty is about a young Vancouver couple, Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon. The two decide to live on locally grown foods for a year. I've just read to the section on blueberries where they find a patch of beautiful, fat juicy ones only to discover that they are being grown for a local Buddhist temple and are not for sale. I don't know, yet, if they talk their way into a sale. Given how personable the couple is, my guess is probably. Putting the book down to attend to chores, I've realized that Smith and Mackinnon have convinced me to seriously consider following their eat-local example. This is the stat that caught me:

Praising, and then panning, Alaskan salmon

Crosscut — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:01 PDT

A columnist writing in The New York Times boycotts wild Alaskan salmon, a 180-degree turn from an earlier position in favor of the fishery. Is his reversal motivated by the need to publicize a new book?

In the garden: mean girls

Crosscut — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:31:01 PDT

I happen to be one of those Buddhists who believes in rebirth. I might be the only Buddhist, however, who believes that mean girls are reborn as aphids and continue to prey on the young, the beautiful, and the innocent. In my case this means that aphids almost destroyed my kale.

RFK Jr.'s plot to destroy the planet

Crosscut — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:00:01 PDT

Environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently paid a visit to Washington and sang its praises, but I'm not sure why he'd be welcome these days.

Sausage Links, top-two headache edition

Crosscut — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:23:01 PDT

David Postman had a busy morning. First, The Seattle Times chief political writer reported the proper way to describe the ~~death with dignity~~ "assisted suicide" initiative. Then he dropped a political firebomb, reporting the state's political parties haven't yet given up trying to ax the "top-two" primary, with both Republicans and Democrats claiming the entire '08 election won't count. I thought that headache was over. Turns out it's just getting started. ...

What she's wearing: the little black dress

Crosscut — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:12:01 PDT

I wore this dress for a lovely Father's Day celebration. In the morning, we went to the International District and had yummy dim sum at Sun Ya. My daughter and I also attended her friend's dance performance that evening (Spectrum Dance Theater's All School Demonstration at the MOHAI)

Salmon on the Columbia: See you in court

Crosscut — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:00:01 PDT

The federal agencies are back for a fifth round in federal court, still cooking up very strained arguments for minimal efforts to save the fish. Two things might change the impasse: a new case for saving dams due to climate change, and the bestirring of Congress. Here's a survey of the high-stakes issues.

Polimedia lunch links, binge-drinkers edition

Crosscut — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:38:01 PDT

From today's edition of The Seattle Times comes this report from The Los Angeles Times, in what could be the first many reports profiling John and Cindy McCain's ties to the nation's big-time beer brewers. ...

Pagan or perv? Nude etiquette in Fremont

Crosscut — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:14:01 PDT

I went to the Fremont Solstice parade June 21 for the first time in many, many years and saw the famed nekkid bike riders. But I have a few questions about the etiquette of public pagan nudity in Seattle, so weigh in if you have an opinion.

A long wait for Seattle P-patches

Crosscut — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:00:01 PDT

Demand is greater than ever for a 10-by-10-foot urban farm. City officials say 1,650 people are waiting for a plot at one of 54 gardens.