A couple of weeks ago, in my round-up of the Oregonian's FoodDay section, I linked to a story they ran about a budget eating challenge. In it, they asked four Portland-area families to reduce the amount of money they spent on food a week (without making mealtime a joyless experience) and document the experience.
At the time the story ran, I didn't think too much of the families that they chose to participate in the project, but soon after, it was pointed out to me by blogger and Slashfood reader Lelonopo (via twitter) that the Oregonian had only selected families that were white, straight and had children. As a lesbian woman without children, their selection made her feel invisible. Her comment got me thinking about how many different populations FoodDay had ignored when they selected their participants (and everyone has to eat, which would have made diversity in the pool an interesting and valuable thing).
She took her frustration and channeled it in a useful direction, penning a letter to the Oregonian (last one, on page two of the article) that was published today in an article that gathered an assortment of feedback about the article.
What do the rest of you think about the FoodDay's choice to only include white, hetersexual families with children? Who would you have liked to have seen?
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
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