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Washington Post Food Section


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I don't need no stinkin' slicer. 

Note also that, unlike most Euro-pork, country hams come bone-in, so a slicer may be of limited utility.

I meant some kind of ham restraining system and a big knife. Like the pretty picture in the newspaper.

Edited by Heather
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I think the Food section is sloooooowwwwwwlllllyyyyyyy improving, and week in, week out I do find more interesting reads. Unfortunately, those that pique my interest are generally not really "food" related (such as today's article about the love life of chef's).

The wine column has cratered.

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I think the Food section is sloooooowwwwwwlllllyyyyyyy improving, and week in, week out I do find more interesting reads. Unfortunately, those that pique my interest are generally not really "food" related (such as today's article about the love life of chef's).

At least we now know why Landrum is so cranky.

Edited by Waitman
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http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/media/2006/media0303.html

I'm very surprised that no one has mentioned this. This is the type of forum that can help influence the Post to keep this section intact. I should also note that the consideration of its demise, for me, is also confirmation of the limited budget it has had for its operation and the limited ad revenue they've been able to generate. With readership declining in the Post and other print mediums a greater emphasis is placed on the internet at their expense. But before anyone makes a comment about "let it go" consider that the Post has an extensive international and national following. Eliminating a weekly section for food and dining will HURT the D. C. restaurant industry. I believe it is in our and the local industry's best interests to convince them to keep this section. It would speak volumes nationally of the importance food and dining out have here if it is ended as a separate section.

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Joe:

I did see some mention on DR.com that the Post was considering bagging the weekly sections. I don't remember where I saw it. But frankly, given the decline in the quality of the Wednesday food section, I doubt I will miss it. It did serve as a vehicle for inclusion of the grocery store weekly sale flyers. Any more, I looked forward to the Wednesday paper just so I could see what was on sale at the grocery stores that week.

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It would speak volumes nationally of the importance food and dining out have here if it is ended as a separate section.

I think it already speaks volumes that they've done such a notably half-assed job with it so far, whatever the future may hold.

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I don't think our discussions here would or will have any influence over whether the paper chooses to keep the section intact; it is clearly a sweeping change that has more to do with re-aligning format than making a statement about whether or not food and dining are important to the DC area.

Do I think there should be a separate Food section? Of course I do. But if they're talking about re-aligning Food, Home, and Health content into one big shmush, this is clearly about much more than food.

Personally, my favorite thing about the Food section is the online chat the Food Section editors do on washingtonpost.com every Wednesday at 1pm -- they are more helpful and responsive than either Tom or Kim, hands down.

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Although sorry to hear it may be going... I rarely read the Food section. I rarely find it particularly informative, helpful or interesting. Certainly would rather spend my time reading the news from the group here <_<

However, I *do* make an effort each Wednesday to read the NYT's Dining section. I just find it more interesting and visually appealing - even as a non-New Yorker.

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http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/media/2006/media0303.html

I'm very surprised that no one has mentioned this. This is the type of forum that can help influence the Post to keep this section intact. I should also note that the consideration of its demise, for me, is also confirmation of the limited budget it has had for its operation and the limited ad revenue they've been able to generate. With readership declining in the Post and other print mediums a greater emphasis is placed on the internet at their expense. But before anyone makes a comment about "let it go" consider that the Post has an extensive international and national following. Eliminating a weekly section for food and dining will HURT the D. C. restaurant industry. I believe it is in our and the local industry's best interests to convince them to keep this section. It would speak volumes nationally of the importance food and dining out have here if it is ended as a separate section.

Perhaps, but I'm not sure. The article seems to suggest they are going to fold the three sections into one, but still publish it three days per week. Other things held equal, that wouldn't diminish the amout of coverage. It would diffuse it, but that could go both ways as to being an improvement or not. It is true that the food coverage leaves much to be desired up to now, so if anything it might improve (along with the others). They say that's why they are considering it. Who knows?

I doubt whether the way in which the Post reports local food matters has much impact on how the DC area is viewed by those outside as a food/restaurant town. I'd be amazed if it has any impact at all. Very few residents outside the DC area, including travelers to DC who eat in restaurants here, likely even know the Post has a weekly food section or care. Probably very few could even give the name of the paper, let alone ever read it, let alone ever look at a local-interest section like food. The Post does not have a "national presence" like the NYT, which actively publishes and markets widely in areas outside its home market.

I also doubt the insight being brought to the table by the City Paper writer. He seems to say the editors suddenly had "closed-door consultations" when the new circulation figures were announced, as if that's the first the editors had heard of the circulation decline. That's highly questionable on its face, to put it mildly, and to me impunes the points made elsewhere.
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The WashPost is undergoing all sorts of angst about circulation, including discussions of what I call "dumbing down" ala NYT. They deny that's what it is about, but hey - if the public is dumbing down, what choice do they have? OTOH, the dumbed-downs aren't reading the paper or caring about the news, full stop.

I like some aspects of the Food Section. Particularly Robert Wolke's column. As a scientist (though not a chemist), I love when he debunks some silly food claim. Though I sure wish he'd support the "calories leak out of broken cookies" theory!

Ellen

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I should also note that the consideration of its demise, for me, is also confirmation of the limited budget it has had for its operation and the limited ad revenue they've been able to generate.  With readership declining in the Post and other print mediums a greater emphasis is placed on the internet at their expense. 

I have no answer to this, but would like to raise a chicken/egg argument. I used to look forward to Wednesdays in the Post particularly because it was Food section day. Over the last 12-24 months, though, I read it less and less to where now I have totally given up on the section. I think the only time I read it now is simply when someone here makes reference to it and I want to see what they're talking about.

So, what came first? Poor story selection and reporting leads to less interest in the section leading to lower ad revenue leading to section budget cuts and a continuing spiral downward? Or did it begin somewhere else on that continuum?

As stated, I don't know the answer. I do think the section took a cliffdive when they lost their previous editor.

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A topical article in today's Food Section: Booking a Table? Be Patient, Flexible.

A further quote --

Complaints : Asked for a credit card number to hold the reservation. It made us feel as if they didn't trust us to show up.

With good reason, you nimrods! You tried to make 24 reservations! Did you actually cancel any of them or just not show? I thought this was a pretty fuckin' lame excuse for journalism.

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And while I'm ranting...

I can understand space limitations in the physical paper, but there is no good reason to not include all of the cases of the "experiment" on the web site.

Also, how about at least one byline so people know who to blame for this?

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I thought that the section was better than it has been in weeks. I so appreciate reading about what people are doing re. food. Though, I'm not sure why Lydia B was in there in relation to DC (I didn't read it closely enough).

There are SO many DC people doing interesting things regarding cuisine at markets, restaurants, in their homes, etc. That WP doesn't tap into our resources ensures that DC is viewed as more marginal than perhaps it deserves to be compared to other east coast cities, or for that matter, nationally. It's why things like the James Beard National awards focus on NY, Chicago, and SF, while DC is limited to the mid Atlantic categories. Why can't the city's paper showcase the city's food people?

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I thought that this week's section was the best in quite some time.

I liked the pieces on Horton and the history of the Caeser salad.

Tom followed DR.com to find Peter Chang and I'm now seriously considering a road trip to College Park (all of 15 minutes for me) to get a good cheesesteak.

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Uh oh...

The weekly Food section is losing four of six full-time staffers.
Anybody know which four of the staff are going, and/or whom they plan to draft to fill the section? The full article says a number of staff are coming back as contractors or freelancers, but it doesn't mention any of the current Food staff by name. Shame about the timing, especially since it seemed they were kind of back on track from earlier in the year.
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And, is the food section really folding in April and being absorbed by the Home and Health sections? I've heard that more than once from food people.

FishbowlDC is saying that a new "Source" section will come out three times a week starting in September, and combine the former Food, Health and Home sections. The Wednesday section will have more food related column inches than the other two days. Methinks there are one or two others who post on this board who know much more about this and maybe can give us some greater insight. :unsure:

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FishbowlDC is saying that a new "Source" section will come out three times a week starting in September, and combine the former Food, Health and Home sections. The Wednesday section will have more food related column inches than the other two days. Methinks there are one or two others who post on this board who know much more about this and maybe can give us some greater insight. :unsure:

I have heard that from several folk on the inside but I have no more details. There are a lot of uncomfortale feelings around.

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well, there is always the new york times online.

Not to mention all the other online resoures for food related info...

There were a couple of good articles in this past Sunday's NYT Magazine about Wal-Mart selling organic products and 'empire' chefs.

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Thanks for all the earlier, relevant links concerning future plans.

I am one of the women who stopped daily delivery because of NPR & online sources. However, I always used to buy the Post on Wed & Sunday. Now, there's a reason to buy the paper once a week and a hard copy of the NYT on Wednesday.

I am all for serious articles on food appearing on a daily basis in the other sections of the paper and do understand how the dire straits of print journalism affected the decision to cut staff and eliminate special weekly sections.

However, I am still quite perturbed that after feminism, when even the NYTs started use "Ms." and found the concept of the "women's page" no longer viable, these newly named sections of the paper--Home, Food, Health--retained a status baser and separate from Real News.

Yes, panels of amateurs sipping wine are not as significant as the graver issues of the political, social and natural world, but look at the role that human-interest stories play as hooks on the front page. How we eat IS important, and obviously not just to women. Where and how we live ARE important. Who dates and dines with a Bush twin DOES matter.

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I spend one to two hours a day on the internet which includes reading perhaps a dozen news websites from around the globe. I also read every page of the Post itself knowing that if everyone gave up print media there would be no websites to read. I, for one, feel extremely fortunate that it is my hometown paper and well worth reading every day of the week and of the year. I also have ten copies of the last issue of the Evening Star and a half dozen of the Daily News. I sincerely hope to never have the opportunity for there to be a last issue of the Washington Post.

Not a chauvinist. Just one who appreciates.

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I've noticed a definite improvement in the food section of late...Mr. Squids mentioned he noticed it as well. Anyone else?
I liked the older content more, lots of recipes. It's more about shopping than cooking now. Probably reflects the demographics but I like to try new recipes.
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