LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

[November 1st, 2006] TRY OUR INCREDIBLE FRIES!

As the owner of Corbett Fish House, I have to take exception to the quote in last week's cover story about our French fries ["No Fries for You!," about the movement to ban trans fats]. Nothing could be further from the truth than, "The fries are soggy, like they've been soaked in oil." A soggy fry has never come out of our kitchen; you couldn't make the high-quality fry we use soggy if you tried.

We invite your readers to verify this. Between now and Thanksgiving, stop in and sample the fries; they're on us. Afterward, write a letter to WW asking them to be a little more credible.

Greg Boyce
Corbett Fish House
Southwest Corbett Avenue

COVER YOUR FAT ASSES

Regarding your "No Fries for You!" cover story on trans fats, there are a couple of very important points that Brittany Schaeffer should have placed more emphasis on.

Restaurants—especially fast-food franchises—that cook with trans fats place an unreasonable burden on our health-care system (or lack thereof). What about the people who eat dollar-menu fried-chicken products and fries three times a week for economic reasons, because healthier food is more expensive? Aren't many of those the same people who don't have health-care coverage?

The story seems to conclude that focusing in on trans fats is silly and petty, but I don't agree. Too much salt or sugar is bad for almost everyone's health, but you can taste that. Those who eat oversized portions, or don't know when to stop at the buffet, have rather immediate bloating and heartburn as a signal. But if certain fried foods are expertly prepared, your piece acknowledges, you might not be able to see, smell, or even taste the difference. I beg to differ, Mr. [David] Mackay, fish isn't a junk-food treat; it's lunch for a lot of people, some who know better and some who don't. How is the average Joe fries-eater going to be able to tell whether there's trans fat in his lunch or not?

Message to local restaurant owners: If big junk-food companies like Frito-Lay have pulled trans fat from their ingredient list for fear of the financial and legal consequences, doesn't that make you a little nervous about serving trans fats as part of a meal? Forgive me for caring about my arteries, but if you don't want a trans-fat ban and you don't want to be accountable for the effects of putting it in the food you serve, I have one very simple menu request: You need to tell me about it.

Bengt Halvorson
Via wweek.com

CALLED TO JUDGMENTOne has to wonder whether the editors of Willamette Week bothered to read the candidates' rÉsumÉs before endorsing longtime politician Jack Roberts over longtime Court of Appeals Judge Virginia Linder in the upcoming election for Oregon Supreme Court. Judge Linder's legal CV is nothing short of stellar, while Roberts' major qualifications are name familiarity and special-interest dollars. Unsurprisingly, 83 percent of participants in the Oregon State Bar judicial preference poll selected Linder over Roberts.

Remind me not to ask you guys for a referral to a surgeon.

Barbara Smythe
Tigard