This weekend's Bite of Seattle presented the adventurous eater more than a few opportunities to experience unique cuisine. With more than 100 food booths on hand for the three-day festival, it was not hard to find a dish that I hadn't tried (and some I hadn't even heard of).
Amone Jaime poses with her fresh coconut at the Bite of Seattle. Joe Darda/seattlepi.com. Check out the whole gallery here!
Passing up the certain pleasures of elephant ears and burgers, I decided to use the Bite's diverse array of foods to confuse my stomach as much as possible, starting with a mainstay of the event -- alligator on a stick.
With a seven-piece skewer of marinated gator meat priced at $7, this venture was a bit extravagant, but all in all a delicious one. My only concern with this Southern specialty was that, judging by the taste, the vendor easily could have been grilling chicken and passing it off as alligator. Despite my unease, I will nonetheless be telling my friends I ate gator, not pseudo-gator chicken.
With warm weather coinciding with this year's Bite of Seattle, the Coconut Hut's stand offered patrons an unusual drink to cool off with -- fresh coconut water (not to be confused with coconut milk). The coconuts were pre-husked, and upon ordering the vendor would chop the top portion of the fruit off and serve it with a straw and spoon.
Buffy, Angel, and Firefly fans rejoice! Your master, Joss Whedon, has released a project-in-the-wings recently created to avoid the hassle caused by the WGA Writer's Strike; a musical comedy about an under-appreciated (and frequently foiled) supervillain:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog!
Courtesy of http://www.drhorrible.com
This weekend nearly a half a million people will attend the 'Bite of Seattle' at the Seattle Center, where they will find much more than your traditional deep-fried fair food. In its 27th year, Seattle's annual food fest is in-step with Americans' increased desire for healthier diets and lifestyles.
The Bite's new 'Right Bite' program ensures that each of the more than 60 restaurants involved in the festival offer at least one healthier menu item. These 'Right Bite' options vary from dishes with reduced calories and fat to vegetarian and vegan items.
Lamb steak sandwiches are prepared at the Bite of Seattle. Joe Darda / seattlepi.com. Check out the complete photo gallery here!
One stand in particular was at the Bite to help promote healthy dietary options. The Organic and Natural Experience (O.N.E.) organization offered Bite patrons a wide assortment of free samples of organic crackers, milk, granola, and juice. It was apparent that their generosity was appreciated by the crowd, as their booth was packed all day Friday.
"We're here to help show people that there are healthy alternatives to the items you eat on a day to day basis," said O.N.E. regional manager Bethanne Wanamaker.
Today Starbucks released its full list of the 600 stores expected to close by March 2009 (P-I story here). While independent coffee shops are celebrating everywhere, fully-branded daily customers are shaking their fists.
 Christopher Furlong/Getty Images |
First the breakfast sandwiches and now this?
Then Starbucks announced it's closing 19 stores in Washington state.
Yea, only 19.
This means Starbucks motherland, Washington, will still have 388 company-operated stores and 247 retail fronts (basically, the crappy Starbucks inside Safeway).
Most of the closing stores are in the city, which means loyal customers will have to walk two blocks instead of one to get their coffee branding.
Although Washington state patriotism will undoubtedly sink, as the state flag, a naked mermaid, will no longer light 19 street corners in Seattle.
The states that took the biggest hits are Texas with 57, Florida with 59, New York with 39 and California hit the jackpot with 88. (Click here for full list of stores)
Mario Tama/Getty Images. Howard Shultz speaks at the opening of a shrine in New York in April 2008. The pictured Starbucks is a replica of the cramped one without seating in Pike Place, also known as the first Starbucks.
Ever try to make a movie in 48 hours? Yeah, me neither.
But Sean Roach and his friends -- the members of independent film production group Team Juicebox -- completed a short western just last weekend.
It was their fourth time participating in the 48 Hour Film Project, a national timed film-making competition, and SPI was able to follow them throughout the contest, culminating in the screening of their film, "Wild Wild Desk," last night at the University District's Neptune Theater.
The "Inspiring Impressionism: The Impressionists and the Art of the Past" exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum brings to light the artists of the past that helped to shape the art of the impressionists and the art of the future.
The exhibit aims at showing what it was that inspired the impressionists.
Some paintings, such as a series in the front room by Manet and Valezquez (picture), show how a lot of the art from the impressionist school has really taken art from the past and recycled it with a new eye.
"A Schoolboy Sleeping on His Book" (1755), Jean-Baptiste Greuze. Oil on canvas. Musée Fabre, Montpellier Agglomération, France. Photo by Cliff DesPeaux/Seattle P-I
You've got to admire the commitment of fans who populate midnight screenings every time a nerd-friendly genre movie arrives in theaters. It's undeniably impressive to see hundreds of like-minded strangers wait in a crowded line for hours just to be one of the first to see a new film. Especially impressive are those who go decked out in full fanboy regalia with costumes or themed clothing and swag.
Fans sit in anticipation minutes before the midnight screening of "The Dark Knight" begins at the Boeing IMAX Theater. Paul Comrie/Seattle P-I
Some were dressed up in Batman gear, others simply dressed in excited grins, and the waiting areas themselves were often decked-out in "Dark Knight" themes.
The hip-hop group the Flobots love America.
Last night at the El Corazon club in Seattle, they proved it decking the stage with American flag bandannas, American flag guitar straps, and lyrics about America making it look like the 4th of July all over again.
And last night, America was loving them right back.
The audience goes crazy for the Flobots at El Corazon Monday, July 16. Laura Johnson/SPI reporter
Squeezed into the small venue, the audience went crazy for them. About 100 degrees in the place, there was so much sweat excreted the walls even seemed to drip. Girls and boys alike stripped off their shirts to better handle the heat. The screams were so loud the only thing audible was the flow of the Flobots being pumped into the very bones of the audience.
Known for their single "Handlebars," the Bots have gotten so big that the average Miley Cyrus/Chris Brown loving fan has probably even heard of them. Yet, because they are so much better than the average, maybe it proves America is ready for something new.
"I love their single and I knew I had to go see them before they got big," Natalia Herrett, 19, said of the band last night. "Their message is so simple but powerful."
This morning, P-I columnist Jim Moore put in words the thoughts of many Mariners fans: Should the struggling team deal its superstar outfielder before the July 31 trade deadline?
I am reflexively opposed to the idea, as Ichiro is not only a remarkable baseball player, but the face of the organization since arriving from Japan in 2001. How can you trade the only player that most non-diehards would be able to name?
However, looking back on similar dilemmas in recent Mariners history, it would seem that dealing marquee players (with their bank-breaking contracts) has been a successful strategy.
I remember being devastated when the Mariners' superstars who I grew up with began to depart a few years after the riveting 1995 campaign. First it was the Big Unit in 1998, then Griffey after the 1999 season, and finally A-Rod in 2000. It seemed that the wind had been knocked out of the M's at the end of the '90s and they were simply cutting back on costs by dispensing their most expensive players.
This weekend the Seattle Center will play host to the 27th annual Bite of Seattle, a festival celebrating all things edible. What began as a 25 restaurant culinary event in 1982 has evolved into a three-day food paradise, attracting more than 450,000 hungry patrons and 60 restaurants every year.
Beginning this Friday at 11:00 and running through Sunday, the Bite will feature more than 100 booths offering every variety of cuisine you could imagine. There will be ethnic food galore (I got my first taste of Kenyan food last year) as well as booths battering and frying everything from asparagus to Twinkies.
Of course this is diet-conscious Seattle, so if you're watching your waistline don't be intimidated by the deep-fryers as there is always a wide assortment of organic, vegetarian, and vegan items available. In fact, every participating restaurant will be serving up at least one lower calorie option as part of the festival's Right Bite program.
