What you you hate about Portland? (homes, movies, school)

[bobkeenan]

In my OP I was looking for what people don't like about Portland because I think I have a good idea of the goodness of the that city. I cited Restaurants as one.

That comment got a lot of flak.

I have only been to Portland about 5 times for maybe a total of 20 days....mostly eating out days at different places.

I only go to 4+ Star Yelp places or places that friends/relatives recommend.

I have eaten at good places all over the world (SF, LA, Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, New York, London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich..... and lots more) for the past 50 some years so I have some experience.

My meals in Portland have at worst been average and at best they have been totally great. Anybody try "The observatory".

I have noticed that the ethnic mix of this city is pretty plain vanilla white. So I would not be surprised by a lack of certain good ethnic foods.

But my tummy has been happy with Portland so far. So that's a plus for me.

[Trufllvrs Northwest]

I Live in Bend, Oregon and had lived in Portland for 3 years. We travel to Portland several times a year and the only complaint we have is: THE LINE AT VOO DOO DONUTS IS TOO LONG!!!

Whichever you choose, you are making a great choice.

From Bend, OR

[HonuMan]

Originally Posted by bobkeenan

I have noticed that the ethnic mix of this city is pretty plain vanilla white. So I would not be surprised by a lack of certain good ethnic foods.

But my tummy has been happy with Portland so far. So that's a plus for me.

That's a good point. To take Cuban food, for example, there aren't many Cubans in Portland, which limits the number of people who would open a Cuban restaurant, and probably who would patronize it enough to keep it in business. Pambiche has been crowded the times I've been there, but it's the only game in town, if you want Cuban. On the other hand, I'm guessing that Tampa, Florida doesn't have a lot of Pacific Northwest fusion-cuisine restaurants.

As for Chinese food, I read that the high rents in downtown Portland drove out many Chinese restaurant owners, who proceeded to create a second Chinatown in the SE 82nd/Division area. Some friends of my wife and me from Hong Kong took us to Wong's King, telling us it was authentic, and we weren't disappointed. We also like a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Beaverton called Chinatown, and we've had some good dishes at Jin Wah in Beaverton.

I suspect high rents are what keep authentic Mexican restaurants out of downtown Portland. If you want authentic taquerias, they aren't hard to find once you get outside the city limits. We love a Mexican restaurant on Cedar Hills Blvd called Pepita's, which was recommended by some friends from Mexico City. Of course, the Mexican food is going to reflect the Mexican population, and I haven't found any, say, Yucatan-style restaurants in the area, because that's not where most of our Mexican population is from.

There's plenty of good Indian food here, because we have a significant Indian population. Try the buffets at Curry Leaf or Abhiruchi, for instance (also in the western 'burbs). For authentic Thai, there's Red Pepper on NW 23rd, where you'll find dishes you won't find elsewhere. Hai Rim in Beaverton has outstanding Korean food, and it passed the test of a Korean friend of mine who generally doesn't like any Korean food that doesn't taste the way his mother makes it. (If my recommendations are weighted toward the west side, it's because I live there, but I've been to some wonderful restaurants on the east side, too.)

I could go on, but there's a difference between "lousy food" and "not as many choices as I'd like." Florence, Italy, for instance, is renowned for its cuisine -- but good luck finding much variety beyond Northern Italian. There's also a difference between "lousy food" and "food that isn't prepared the way I remember it back home." My Hawaiian wife, for instance, bemoans the dearth of Hawaiian-style Asian food in Portland. There's far more variety in Honolulu than in Portland, when it comes to Asian. On the other hand, there are plenty of cuisines in Portland that you can't find much of in Honolulu. Of course, there is a difference between "lousy food" and "good food." Most people would agree that something is lousy if it's burned, not fresh, soggy, gristly, swimming in grease, and so on. But there's a huge middle ground where it comes down to personal taste. I'll end with the caveat that I've always said I'd make a questionable food critic, because I'll try almost anything, and I'm easy to please. I like spicy, pickled, fermented Korean salads with seaweed, for instance, and I'm not sure how to distinguish good from bad, unless it's clearly spoiled.

[SunJoaquin]

Restaurants are probably restricted to the flavorings of their food because Oregonians do NOT like spice. Learning how bland tastes are around here have been a wake-up call. When I cook something it often is too flavorful for others' tastes.

[Nell Plotts]

Oh, you have not tasted bland until you go to family restaurants in the corn belt. They serve margarine and call it butter. Ug!

[jjpop]

Originally Posted by SunJoaquin

Restaurants are probably restricted to the flavorings of their food because Oregonians do NOT like spice. Learning how bland tastes are around here have been a wake-up call. When I cook something it often is too flavorful for others' tastes.

You're going to the wrong places then.

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Where did I say "in restaurants"? I said 'on your way to a restaurant'. As you say, you come across people smoking it out in public all the time. And that smell lingers, no matter how short a period of time you come in contact with it. I can recall one day I went to go have lunch with my girlfriend downtown, and then drove back to my office in Beaverton....ran through a pot cloud on the way back to my car from the restaurant, and by the time I got back to Beaverton I still smelled like I had been taking hits off a bong all lunch.

HAHAHA that must have been a comedic scene to your office workers.

[DoctorRain]

Originally Posted by BrownRice

Well being on topic what I hate about Portland are the complainers (and those who freak out about certain things/laws encroaching upon their "free speech"), and the people that insist there's good food here.

Good tingz:

Portland really isn't that expensive, c'mon, it's the cheapest CITY on the West Coast and min. wage is higher than Cali and almost $1.20 more than where I'm from, which has the highest median house prices in the nation. Rent IS cheap here, even in the city. You're lucky to get a crap studio complete w/ a gas leak and no parking for $850 where I from, just ask my friend.

The traffic also isn't as bad as where I'm from. (I just had the pleasure of reading that my tiny ass home City has the highest peak commute hours in the nation, only after L.A., go figure that one out).

Electricity is so cheap, I just got my first bill of $9. Where I'm from, that cost could've easily been $25+...

So far the weather isn't that bad either. I used to live in the back of some rain foresty, musty valley, so I'm used to rain EVERYDAY.


Bad tingz:

...But for some reason, I always encounter people who continually ***** about the above, and I'm like wha-??? where?? For example, people are really lucky here to have such an extensive public transit system where more than half the regular riders don't even pay. Seriously. It seems like people have a hard time being appreciative here. My home has got a busfare of $2.50... on an ISLAND.

The restaurants here are mostly crap too, don't believe the hype. Where I'm from, I can get AUTHENTIC Asian food (I'm half Asian, I know, not to mention where I grew up the pop. is over 50% Asian). Mexican food is bad too (I'm half Mexican). Seriously, chile rellenos ARE NOT omelettes w/ chile n cheese, and the Mexican diet IS NOT 75% fried stuff. That's the only real fried thing we eat and almost everywhere seems to muck it up unless they serve the frozen kind. I've also never heard of FRIED quesadillas until I came here.

I've tried the Peruvian restaurant in the Pearl too. It's mediocre. I've also had sushi in the Pearl. Was the first time I've ever seen &/ had FRIED sushi. I also went to that trendy place called Pambiche (supposed to be Cuban/Mex). Was the first time I had beans that tasted like charcoal.

I was also gonna try Por que no? in NE... Was the first time I saw tacos that expensive. (Possibly the most expensive things in Portland).

And I'm not the biggest fan of deli food or pizza everyday (eventhough I do like the Elephant deli chain). Really, it's either deli, pan fried/deep fried, or pizza; those are your options.

I will tell you, It seems like people do complain a lot and on craigslist too. Portland Craigslist is worse than here IMO. They are whiners.. at least if you are gonna sit at home, keep busy or daydream of a better world, but don't inject that much negativity. They have a great city.. instead they sit in and ***** as if they were in some boring suburb. Take these ****ers where I live and they would soon appreciate Portland. I don't get some people... I think Portlands max runs very nicely. Portland seems better than many cities to live for what you pay. Rent is cheaper, not Pittsburgh cheap but thats ok. You need to pay at least some more to be in a livable city, but its nowhere near Boston costs or SF and yet the climate is similar. The amount of people keeping busy is similar. Yet some want to live like they live somewhere boring and complain.. fine let them.. I wonder if some of those people are some of the more bitter Oregonian natives anyhow who might be huge conspiracy theorists.. seems to be a lot of that out there.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by DoctorRain

HAHAHA that must have been a comedic scene to your office workers.

It was at first, because I had a meeting shortly after arriving and my clothes were, shall we say, overpowering the room scenters in the conference room. Fortunately, all I had to say was "sorry, I was downtown for lunch today" and there was a collective "ahhhh" from the room. They know. Everybody local knows. The ones that don't either never go downtown, always smell like pot themselves, can't notice the smell because they've got an even nastier scent on them (patchouli oil), or are just kidding themselves.

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by jjpop

You're going to the wrong places then.

I don't think he's wrong. As long as I've lived here I've been saying the same things he did. And it isn't a matter of restaurants, it's talking to people and hearing what they like and don't like. "It's too hot", even if it isn't. There IS a difference between spicy and hot. And a lot of restaurants know this so they under-spice for the masses. If I'm dining where I know they do this I ask them to spice it up a notch.