Is Oregon the Place For Us and If So - Where?

[Steve Pickering]

They bake the bagals here. Bagals should be boiled.

[Eric1026]

In terms of allergy issues = I have slowly developed allergy issues over the last 15 years and without going into a long story I had tried basically everything and was taking a few pills/things a day just to feel good enough to go to work. Anyway my mother had the same issue and she did the allergy shot regiment for 2-3 years and it cleared them up for her. I was reluctant to do this because of the time commitment in going to the doctor and getting shots every week or so. It got to the point where I had to go see a specialist and while there he said there was an alternative of at home drops you can place under your tongue 3 times a day. It replaces the need for shots. I have been on the drops for 9 months and I can not believe how healthy and allergy free I am. It is a miracle. I feel like I have my life and health back. The drops are expensive (besides initial testing and stuff it costs $ 65 PER MONTH and after 2 years you drop it down to one drop a day and probably an average of $ 20 per month).

The cool thing about the drops is they test for the local allergens and then make a custom mix of the actual allergies that will effect you so your body builds up the natural defense. The only issue I see in your case is that you have not moved out to Oregon yet so your body may not show what stuff you are allergic too. You might need to wait until you move out and then see if you have allergies and then go to a specialist in Oregon.

Anyway the only reason I wanted to respond to this post is that my wife and I live in Orlando but LOVE the PNW and Oregon and we may move out there one day and I would hate to have a thing like allergies effect someones decision. Also it is hard to judge people by what happens on vacations but the 3 times we have been to Oregon we have been amazed at how nice most of the people are/were. I have also worked for a company out of Beaverton which caused me to fly into Portland a few times and once again the people were just wonderful. We get a similar feeling in western Washington and places like the San Juan Islands and Sequim, etc.

Good luck with your search and choice and keep us posted.

[Nell Plotts]

The last major European immigration to Oregon were refugees after WWII. IMHO once that generation passed great European ethnic cooking has been hard to find in Oregon.

In the late 50s Rose Naftalin moved to Portland at the behest of her son, Dr. Rosenbaum, who I think believed she needed looking after. She soon established a restaurant and brought us fantastic Jewish style deserts and sandwiches. No more 'cheesecake' made with jello once we tasted the real thing.

Our first generation foreign immigrants in the last 20 years have been from Asia and Mexico (Canada doesn't really count).

[VistaCat]

I will say that I will surely miss some of the food here in NJ. NY Metro Italian food can't be beat (in this country anyway). We also have a sizable and growing Asian Indian population not too far from where we are and their food is our favorite cuisine. I am vegetarian and my husband is trying to eat more vegetarian meals and between Italian and Indian, there are so many choices. He's a big seafood lover and would be thrilled to have all the fresh seafood choices. Very occasionally, maybe once every two months, I will eat a piece of salmon (the only meat I eat). The proliferation of farmers' markets sounds right up our alley too. My husband does all our cooking and he loves the act of procuring the ingredients. We also love various Asian cuisines so we'd be in a good place for that. And his favorite nut is the hazelnut (I told him that was the Oregon state nut) and that sealed the deal for him

Oh and we're big Mexican food lovers and if there are good authentic places we would much prefer that to the Americanized chain places here.

After we go through the allergy testing, well be in a better place to see how we would fare. The sublingual drops sound interesting and I would definitely like to learn more about that.

I only wish we were able to move sooner but we have certain issues that we must see through to the end.

[haggardhouseelf]

There's a great blog I love to read... if you guys are foodies I'll bet you'll appreciate it, too...

Culinaria Eugenius

Oregon introduced me to the Slow Food Movement. Oregon's got some wonderful food... but you often won't find it in restaurants... isn't that just so Oregon?

You might also like this:A Cuisine of Our Own | Oregon Experience | OPB

[Steve Pickering]

I like the outdoor food venues.