RE: Up & Coming [Feb 5], in which music writer Morgan Troper disparages the band Falling in Reverse and its latest music video, positing that its frontman might be "the world's most exquisite choad."
DEAR MERCURY—First of all, you know that people who actually like music like this don't care what music critics like you say, right? No one is reading the Merc to decide if they want to see a dubstep show or not. Falling in Reverse is like Tommy Wiseau from The Room had a little brother who started a band. Goofy-awesome, and a damn sight better than most pop music or contemporary metal nowadays.
Isaac Hudson
RE: "Boxer Enters the Ring" [Last Supper, Feb 5], our lukewarm food review of Boxer Ramen, a newish purveyor of one of Portland's most sacred dishes.
Went straight for the tonkotsu ramen as any respectable ramen lover would. The broth was deep and rich, among one of the better I've had outside of Japan. The one disappointment was the noodles. While cooked well, they seemed too thin and wheaty.
posted by Gza1340
Went once, likely won't go again. GOOD: service, red miso ramen. KINDA GOOD: tots. BAD: (a) cash only, (b) no to-go, and (c) two in my party got the shiitake shoyu, and it was basically like a bowl of soy sauce (lukewarm soy sauce in one case). The tonkotsu was acceptable, but nothing special.
posted by Commenty Colin
RE: "An Urban Renewal Reckoning" [Hall Monitor, Feb 5], regarding the failed push to build a Trader Joe's on an empty lot on NE MLK amid complaints led by the Portland African American Leadership Forum (PAALF).
"... keep the neighborhood's cultural heritage intact." I have no idea what in the fuck that means. What is "cultural heritage" code for? "Trader Joe's, or even something just like it, caters more to the new arrivals than the neighborhood's longtime residents." How does how long one has lived in a neighborhood make it more or less convenient to have a grocery store located nearby? "... opposed to any development in N/NE Portland that does not primarily benefit the black community." I have no idea what in the fuck that means. Aren't we all the same?
posted by human in training
Trader Joe's makes the neighborhood more attractive for people to live in, so it will cause an influx of people that while may not be rich, have more money than the current residents, driving up rent/property values and driving out the current community, who will no longer be able to afford their homes. That's gentrification. That's what the PAALF is afraid will happen. That's why they're especially mad that, rather than work with PAALF like the [Portland Development Commission] promised, they instead sold the land at a huge discount to an extremely wealthy developer to put in a large chain. And that's also why they wanted affordable housing included in any plans for the development.
posted by Aestro
Doesn't what PAALF is saying translate to something like: "The city needs to keep this area undesirable enough so that rich people won't want to outbid poor people for the housing here"?
posted by Isaac Laguedem
RE: The Mercury's Lovelab online dating network: It works (apparently)!
HI MERCURY LOVELAB PEOPLE—Just wanted to send you a VERY belated thank you for making it possible for me to meet the amazing woman I'm sharing the rest of my life with! We met through Lovelab in January 2011, went on some great dates, and made a real connection. Fast forward to September 2012 when we got married, then one year later our baby girl was born. :-) You all gave us the tools to get the ball rolling, and we both sincerely appreciate it. Thank you so, so much!
Scott
AW, WHAT a sweet story, Scott. Sounds like you already won, but what the hell: Add another win for letter of the week with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, where you and your wife can have a date (maybe leave the crying baby with a babysitter, though).
