"pacificnorthwest" news and stories

From mid-May to mid-June, Pacific Northwesterners get to eat the famed Copper River salmon thanks to the millions of fish that spawn up the Copper River in south-central Alaska and the thousands of fishermen that catch them.

To be in Seattle right when Copper River salmon are in season is like visiting Pamplona right when the bulls are running, or showing up in Rio just in time for Carneval, or visiting France when there isn't a strike.

Connoisseurs of Copper River Salmon say that what distinguishes it from regular salmon is its rich, nutty flavor. But I think it has more to do with the fact that it is available for two months out of the year. It's like Beaujolais Nouveau --- if the wine world's answer to Kool-Aid were available year-round, probably no one would ever drink it.

Unavailability, after all, makes things taste good.

I'd like to confess some sins of the edible variety. 

I may be a slashfoodie, a gourmet wannabe, a woman whose credentials even include the word "chef" after "position" on her résumé. But still, when I'm hungry and busy and in the car for any reason, I'll stop at the burger joint more often than not.

At least it's Burgerville. The Pacific Northwest-based fast food chain is the slowest on the burgers-and-fries scale. They get their beef from Oregon-grown, free-range cows. They get their cheddar cheese from Tillamook. They use local tomatoes when they're in season, they only make onion rings a few months a year from Walla Walla sweets. Their salads feature Oregon hazelnuts and blue cheese and they even offer apple slices in their kids' meals.

It may be fast food, but I still feel a little bit good about it. Now if I could only figure out a justification for skipping breakfast...

[Photo Sarah Gilbert, Burgerville via my husband]