YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

DEAR MERCURY—Although the public blood sacrifice of
your interns was a bit harsh, it did seem to satisfy the weather gods,
and bring about spring as promised. Let me know if a memorial fund is
being established, I’ll gladly contribute.

Heat Miser

UP ‘TIL NOW

HELLO—I just read Matt Davis’ article entitled “Blacklisted”
[News, April 24] and would like to reframe the history of the program
currently known as the Service Coordination Team (SCT), whose concept
he attributed to Officer Jeff Myers. This program, if I’m not mistaken,
was known originally as the ACCESS Program, which was a partnership
between the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI), social service
agencies, law enforcement, and the judicial system. The ONI
program coordinator who came up with the concept became very
concerned about people with mental health and addiction issues
falling through the cracks and being placed in the revolving door of
the jail-to-street-and-back-again. She designed a response to assist
the top 30 recidivists with mental health and addiction concerns to
receive personalized services, which ultimately allowed them
to move off the streets into housing and care. That
program and the coordinator position was later cut from the ONI budget
and morphed into what it is now.

 Teri Poppino, Crime Prevention/East Portland

NOBODY IS PERFECT

DEAR EDITOR—Shame on you for endorsing a presidential
candidate whose website doesn’t list abortion as a health care
issue, or same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue.

 Ethan Beckley

IT SHOULDA BEEN ME

DEAR MERCURY—So… your food guy is pretty weak.
“Piquant” [“Cholesterol Cadillac,” Last Supper, April 10]? Take your
shit to the Oregonian, hack. You should have hired me when you
were looking for honest, intelligent restaurant reviews.

Don Chile Ortega

YOUR TEMPER TANTRUM IS MAKING ME HUNGRY

DEAR MERCURY—I don’t know what country or planet you
came from, because if you were a real Mexican or if you have ever been
in Mexico, then you’ll know that Taste of Mexico is real Mexican food
prepared with real ingredients just as we prepare it in Mexico, and it
is not the stupid “Mexican food” that you are used to eating in
AMER-XICAN restaurants that advertise “authentic” and serve you
“frijoses [sic] refritos” (refried beans)—cooked without
oil—with the nasty cheddar cheese melted in it, or the famous
“chile relleno” that is nothing else than a strip of boiled Hungarian
pepper—or any canned chile—with cheddar cheese, and a big
list of dishes American style [“Taste of Mediocrity,” Last Supper,
April 12, 2007]. For your information, that is not Mexican food, that
is American food based on Mexican recipes, and I will tell you why:
Enchilada: means [corn tortilla] coated with chile sauce.
Have you ever seen chile sauce in the enchiladas you ate at other
“Mexican” restaurants? Relleno: means stuffed, that’s what Taste of
Mexico makes—real chile relleno, grilled in charcoal, peeled then
stuffed with meat or cheese. Refritos: means refried with oil—or
pork lard—(it doesn’t mean mashed with no grease). I don’t
care if you don’t like Mexican food, but you should investigate what
something means and what the culture is before writing your
stupid ideas and your ignorance to the public in a local paper or
online. Because with all that you are telling us one thing: YOU ARE AN
[sic] STUPID (probably racist) PERSON that believes that just
because you can, you will write negative things about a place or
person, or race or culture (exactly like Bush and the war in Iraq for
weapons that never existed), and I believe you should not be working
for the Mercury. Ah, and next time you want to write
negative things about a restaurant, get a dictionary
before guessing what something means or what it should
look or taste like. 

 Daniel Franco

INEDIBLE

DEAR PATRICK ALAN COLEMAN—I am going to assume you plan an
apology to Nosh, not because of your review of the food [“Working
Lunch,” Last Supper, April 24], but for erasing any shred of the
readers’ appetites by planting the phrase “hairy bottom of a long-haul
trucker” before any talk of food even began.

 David Krough

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID for pointing out that hairy trucker
bottom has no place near one’s plate. That is pretty gross. David wins
two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at No Fish! Go Fish!,
where no such thing will be served.