It's a good weekend for attending a food festival if you:

a) are a hipster of the American Northwest
b) love wine
c) have never attended a crawfish boil
d) are hungry

If you, like me, find yourself nodding emphatically at these criteria, read on! This weekend offers food festivals sprinkled across the country, promising some of the most interesting and delicious foods I've seen in a while.

The newest issue of Cooking Light, which is their 20th anniversary issue, has the magazine's choices for the top 20 cities in the US, based on 15 criteria that they feel embody their "Eat Smart, Be Fit, and Live Well" philosophy. They looked at fitness, health and exercise data from the Centers for Disease Control, the number of parks and recreation areas (and how often they're used) from the Trust for Public Land, restaurant ratings from the Zagat Survey and James Beard Foundation, and the USDA's farmers markets listings. Everything was evened out on a per capita basis and the cities with the most of everything made the top cut.

One of the top ten cities will be featured each month in the magazine this year, so readers will have access to information about all the things that got the city their ranking.

1. Seattle, WA
2. Portland, Ore.
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Minneapolis, MN
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Boston, MA
7. Denver, CO
8. Milwaukee, WI
9. Philadelphia, PA
10. Tucson, AZ

It looks like Trader Joe's is set to open a store in yet another Joe-less town. Though they have not released the address yet, Trader Joe's has confirmed that they are planning to enter the Pittsburg market. Local speculation and city officials say that the specialty grocer has plans to move into the Wheeler Paint Co. building on Penn Ave in the neighborhood of East Liberty. There are only five TJ's locations in Pennsylvania at the moment, so this should be good news to Pittsburg residents who are fans of the store.

Now that TJ's has store-opening almost down to a science, it's no surprise to hear that the store should be open by the end of the year.

Research from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center suggests that levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, commonly found in fish, may have effects on depression levels, personality and behavior. A recent study examined the blood levels of omega-3s in 106 healthy volunteers and found that those with lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids were more likely to be impulsive, have a negative outlook and report mild or moderate depression. The results were based on "three accepted tests for depression, impulsiveness and personality," according to a UPMC press release. The release also reminds that the American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish per week.

We dished out a Sarah G. vs. Sarah G. food war, pitting Pittsburgh's pierogis against oysters, pierogis against Seattle's raw and salty oysters, Seattle's Pan-Asian fusion cuisine against Pittsburgh's Polish (yes, again) pierogis, Polish sausage against smoked salmon.

We went further, chalking up ate (8) reasons why Pittsburgh is better than Seattle, or is it Seattle is better than Pittsburgh? Finally Sarah Gim rounded up her Pittsburgh talking points, probably assuming she'd sealed the deal.

Au contraire, my friend. I am here to say, uncontrovertibly, that Seattle's food rocks, from its seafood to its apples to its sweet, sweet Walla Walla sweets.

Now it's your turn. Lob in your volleys in the Seattle vs. Pittsburgh debate! After all the battling, which Sarah G. convinced you that her chosen city's cuisine rocks the NFL?

Sarah Gim says Pittsburgh kicks Seattle's butt. OH YEAH? I'll take Pike Place over Polish sausage any day. Here's why:

1. Costco was born right outside of Seattle. You're talking the world's largest* producer of bulk butter, deli counter muffins, five-pound logs of goat cheese, and free samples. Top that, Giant Eagle!
2. Sure, a Polish sausage might beat up an oyster in a fight. But a 10-pound wild salmon would beat up both of y'all. It swims upstream, avoiding bears and dangerous man-made obstacles, just to procreate. Even the most impressive sausage... is just a bunch of ground meat wrapped in pig intestine! Eww!
3. Iron City beer is better than Starbucks coffee... when you're coming home from the swing shift at the steel factory. Those smarty pants at Microsoft and Amazon.com need coffee to wake up in the morning for a hard days' work dominating the universe! Yeah!
4. Seattle's cuisine is influenced by Vietnam. Pittsburgh's cuisine is influenced by Poland. My Communist cuisine is so much better than your post-Communist cuisine!
5. Right, Pike Place Market! They throw seafood there. Do they throw seafood at you in Pittsburgh? I didn't think so.
6. Smoked salmon dip or Heinz ketchup - which would YOU rather dip your chips in? That's what I thought!
7. Let's have a cheese off: I'll take Cougar Gold, you take... umm... American cheese?
8. You think Washington apples are boring? Try a Walla-Walla Sweet onion. Slice one, cook it up reeall slow in butter over medium-low heat, add a 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of chipotle pepper, mix with 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup sour cream in Cuisinart, salt to taste, and wow! Seattle Onion Dip.

* I have no evidence to back up this claim. [Photo Sarah Gilbert]

1. I'd rather eat a pierogi with #7 Ben Roethlisberger (hot!) than salmon with Matt Hasselbeck (not hot!).
2. Steelers are people. Seahawks are...birds. Tweet tweet, little birdies!
3. If they got into a fight, Polish sausage would eat an oyster alive.
4. Black and gold helmet cookies are just so much classier than...what color are the Seahawks? Oh yeah, too many - navy blue, Pacific blue, green and white.
5. I'd rather drink an Iron City Beer than...Starbucks.
6. Pittsburgh was founded in 1758 and the Steelers were born in 1933. Seattle was founded in the 1850s and the Seahawks in 1976. Seattle is such a baby.
7. Pittsburgh has its own language. Wut dem Seahacks got...? Exactly.
8. Sour cream tastes much better with potato pancakes than an apple.