Willamette Week Is Totally on Top of this New Food Cart Thing

Has anyone noticed that Willamette Week seems to be having a bit more fun, lately? Instead of the usual gangsters, politicians and tortured monkeys, Portland's venerable alt-weekly has been obsessing over pinball (last week) and food (this week, here and here.) A corps of nine reporters walked the mean streets to bring in reviews of 31 new (year or less old) food carts, in advance of WW's own food cart fest, Eat Mobile, which happens this Saturday and which is sold out. There's also a review of pastry chef Kir Jensen's recently relocated Sugar Cube. AND this week also brings a 20-page pull-out guide called Devour, which lists specialty markets from A to Z, literally, and ranges across the ethnic spectrum from East Africa Market to Fiji Emporium to German Bakery to Halal Meat & Mediterranean Market. Could this sudden paroxysm of omnivorous omniscience have anything to do with the convention of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, which started today in downtown Portland? It seems that WW has developed a big, sugary, (and not creepy because reciprocated) crush on the IACP. WW editors spent part of today leading IACP-sponsored food cart tours, and IACP luminaries will be among the judges for the Carty Awards, which are the prizes passed out to carts at Eat Mobile.
·All Previous Willamette Week Coverage [EaterPDX]
·Previous Eat Mobile Coverage [EaterPDX]
·Previous IACP Coverage [EaterPDX]