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I recently spent three days in the city of Portland, Oregon.  I was attending a culinary workshop hosted by Plate Magazine at Le Cordon Bleu.  It was a riveting experience that challenged me as a chef and a person and showed me things about the world around me that I was previously unaware of.  How did I get all of that from a workshop about snacks and street food?  Simple – the greatest learning didn’t come from the presentations of Chefs Edward Lee, Mitch Prenski, and .  It came from my experiences on the street. 

I’m not by any stretch of the imagination a backwards redneck hayseed from Central Wyoming.  I’ve spent sometime in larger cities, (Seattle, Salt Lake City, and Denver) but I was unprepared for a few of my experiences in Portland.

The first I wasn’t prepared for was the homeless.  I have seen homeless people on the streets before, pan handling on the Streets of Salt Lake and Seattle; sleeping on the streets of the city called New York.  But I have never experience such a high concentration of homeless in a city.  My assumption is that due to the setup of the greater Portland area downtown is simply a natural gathering place for the homeless of that city.  Rescue Missions, street churches, and Salvation Army buildings are as prevalent as restaurants and shops. 

I’m not qualified to make sociological or political comments about the nearly 2000 people sleeping on the streets of Portland[i].  But I am qualified to say that the sight of several dozen people gathering under a single covered area gave me reason to pause and give thanks for the blessings in my life. I wondered what situation existed be it real or imagined that forces someone on to the street away from family and loved ones. I was never more aware that another person was someone’s child, someone’s friend, lover, brother, sister, etc.   

Asia Dog by Chef Mitch Prensky

I mentioned the violent anti-police protests.  I encountered this as I tried to find a source of something cheap, greasy, and delicious to eat that wasn’t a Voodoo Doughnut.  (Honestly it is hard to escape the Voodoo Doughnut in Downtown Portland.) For the first time in real life I saw angry protestors, I saw an officer of the law attacked and pulled from his horse and then slowly drug by that same now frightened horse for several yards down a street.  I saw people aggressively beaten, arrested, and corralled.   

I did experience some food while in Portland as well.  Ironically I was there to study Street Food and that is what I had the least of.   I did sample the BBQ Brisket from Fusion BBQ and was turned on to Alabama BBQ Sauce which will soon become something I use on a regular basis. 

Chocolate glazed doughnut with peanut butter and oreo

While walking the streets we noticed a long line and figured if I line had formed for something we wanted to see what it was.  After getting in line we learned we were about to experience the gluttony that is Voodoo Doughnut.  A short review of this novel house of fried pastries – the experience is worth the trip. Some of the unique items on the menu were fun and this business is certainly positioned for ongoing success.  But in the end a doughnut is a doughnut is a doughnut unless, served within minutes of immergence from the fryer.  

Overall I loved my visit to the City of Roses which was decidedly different than my first visit ten years ago when I was ready to write the city off.  If as my future unfolds I find myself spending each day in the Portland area I would not be saddened by that fact.