A&E Section Editor, Portland Mercury, WWeek Weigh in on O

Oh hey we just checked — yep, internetz are still exploding. In addition to comments from foodie insiders and irate Twitter-folk (many of which are getting better and better now that folks have consumed some coffee), other in-town media is weighing in on today's Oregonian story smack-talking "foodies."

From the Portland Mercury:
"The 'non-foodies food guide' hit the streets in what is either a misguided shot across the bow at Portland's nationally respected food community or just the worst article you will read in a long time. Perhaps both! The Palin-esque, aw-shucks introduction is a good hint of what is to come."

From the Willamette Week:
"We can’t figure out whether the story was prompted by misguided faux-populism, demands from the advertising department or group dementia brought on by an office-wide outbreak of syphilis; in any case, its angry, anti-food lover’s tone is puzzling and pissing off a hell of a lotta locals." [Eater ed note: Thanks for that spit-take of a line, Kelly!]

From the Oregonian message boards, now rife with both pro- and anti-foodie comments — all of which are angry — comes the editorial opinion, as A&E editor DeAnn Welker responds to the backlash with a few bullet points, of which we'll summarize:

1. "This story was not meant to be a dining 'guide'... Instead, this is a feature story about chains and/or longtime restaurants that are generally ignored by the food media (including The Oregonian), but that have deep local roots."
2. "The fun poked at 'foodies' was meant to be funny, of course, not mean. I consider myself a foodie, too, and I found it humorous."
3. "The opinions in the piece are those of one person, the writer (though fully endorsed and supported by me, the section editor), and are not indicative of any larger agenda by The Oregonian."
4. "I think this story was a refreshing change from what we at The Oregonian normally write about dining in Portland."

· All Previous Oregonian Coverage [Eater PDX]