Weekly Cover Is Cruel and Unusual Punishment
DEAR EDITOR: Criticize Greg Nickels for his policies, his goals, his WORK in the community. But to put his son on your cover [“Trouble in Spades,” Aug. 22] with such a cheap story—what happened, loss of thought in the newsroom last week? It’s certainly hard to accept your lack of compassion. Of course, he should have not accepted a bribe, or a take, but the COVER of the Weekly</em>?
Barbara Sardarov
Seattle
A Daley City
DEAR EDITOR: To many, it seems that Mayor Nickels imagines a Seattle that will become “all Chicago, all the time.” The casino debacle looks like a failed attempt to establish one more Chicago tradition: gangsters!
Wyatt Wood
Seattle
Drunks Help the Earth
DEAR MAGGIE DUTTON: Loved your article about Maui’s own Ocean organic Vodka [“Search and Distill,” Aug. 22]. I have tried the stuff, and it is a pure delight. Thanks for spreading the love and encouraging others to drink Ocean to save the planet!
Nancy Biery
Quilcene
Seely’s An Asshole
DEAR MIKE SEELY: You’re an asshole [“The Lost Waltz,” Aug. 22; and possibly other stories]. I was there. [Neil] Diamond’s performance ROCKED THE HOUSE. And he DID belong there. BTW, Robbie Robertson was co-writer of “Dry Your Eyes.” Maybe you should consider another profession because you SUCK as a critic.
Tony Starr
New York City
Pining for Toshi’s
DEAR JONATHAN KAUFFMAN: You have no idea how much your teriyaki article means to me [“Teriyaki’s Boss,” Aug. 15]. I finally understand why I haven’t been able to find the Seattle version of teriyaki anywhere else in the world. I’ve lived in Seoul, visited Tokyo five times, and have been living in L.A. for the past nine years, and during that time I’ve found ZERO places that serve stuff like Toshi’s. No one ever understood what I was talking about, not even my wife who grew up in Vancouver, B.C. Now I have documented proof that I am not crazy.
I grew up near the Toshi’s in Greenlake, where my dad, my brother, and I would go regularly. Also, while at school at UW I spent at least four nights a week at Tokyo Gardens and Yaks Deli. I miss it so. Thanks so much for finally letting me understand what I’ve been missing!
Gavin Purcell
Los Angeles
Keeping the Dream Alive
DEAR JONATHAN KAUFFMAN: Thank you for a wonderful article. As a 12-year ‘native’ in the Seattle area, I’ve quickly embraced the phenomenon of teriyaki fast food. With the Kirkland Teriyaki Madness just a few blocks away, how could I not? But I was ignorant to all of the fascinating historical roots. Your article does a comprehensive job of setting out and clearing up the story, reminding us of the wonderfulness (can I say the American-ness?) of Korean immigrant families serving delicious faux-Japanese food to a grateful Seattle audience. And it is a reminder that entrepreneurs are still finding diverse ways to achieve the American dream.
Robert Bradley
Kirkland
A Memory of War
DEAR JONATHAN KAUFFMAN: I have been told by my father that during the Korean war, teriyaki was the Korean immigrant people’s food. Japanese soldiers would make Korean refugees cook for them, and teriyaki was one of the dishes. So it became a fast-food invention for the Japanese solders and Korean refugees. It’s my father’s pain and memory. Just another story…from the Korean prospective.
Charles Woo Chae
Seattle
Corporate Sentences
DEAR EDITOR: I just wanted to say thank you for this well-written and informative article on book donations and prison restrictions [“Missed Print,” Aug. 15]. More people need to know about the many ways in which correctional facilities are connected to corporate interests. Drawing attention to these issues is the first step in getting more people to work towardchanging the increasingly dismal situation. Thanks again.
Tricia Burmeister
Pittsburgh
A “Story” With an Agenda
DEAR EDITOR: Since the city released its list of downtown properties eligible for nominations as Seattle landmarks, I’ve read two editorials in the Seattle Times against historic preservation and now your “story” [“Landmark Theatrics,” Aug. 15], which is anti-preservationist.
The absurd angle in this article is that City Council member Peter Steinbrueck is using the historic preservation platform to get elected to higher office. When has anyone ever gotten elected or even run for office by coming out in favor of preserving old buildings in this city? The sad truth is, most people don’t care about historic preservation around here and continue to vote for elected officials and propositions and initiatives that favor more growth and development. What your story fails to mention is how many buildings are demolished every year in this city, or how many have been demolished in the last 10 years, 20 years, 30 years? Hundreds? Thousands?
If people are buying buildings with the intention of destroying them so they can make even more money by building something bigger, I don’t feel at all sorry for them if the city puts a stop to it. Greedy developers and property owners have made Seattle an overcrowded, more expensive, and ugly place to live.
Monte Wright
Seattle
CORRECTION: In our cover story on teriyaki, we said the parents of Hyung Chung are still running the Aurora Toshi’s that they bought in 1989. In fact, the couple sold the store four years ago and now run the Northgate Toshi’s. We apologize for the error.
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