Purim 2026: Tasty Treats and Celebrations in Portland

Edie and a plate of hamentaschen for Purim 2026.
My then 7-year-old Edie who is now a pre-teen but still loves their hamantaschen.

The holiday of Purim is almost here—a joyous holiday filled with tasty treats and celebrations, observed by Jews around the world. Purim begins on the evening of Monday, March 2, and continues through March 3 (and through March 4 in Jerusalem). The holiday commemorates the story of Queen Esther, whose courage helped save the Jewish people from Haman’s evil plot to kill the Jews of ancient Persia.

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Rotisserie Chickens: Another Stumptown Savings Taste Test in Portland

Pieces of rotisserie chicken for our taste test for Stumptown Savings.
All the chicken for our taste test.

I had the opportunity to participate in a taste test for rotisserie chickens, led by Bryan Vance of Stumptown Savings. I joined a handful of local food writers on Tuesday, November 18 to taste a total of nine chickens from eight stores. Bryan has published our results over on Stumptown Savings (subscription required to read—it’s free to subscribe), but I thought I’d share some additional thoughts on this very fun gathering.

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The Battle of the Portland Deli Salads: 9 Enter, With a Surprising Clear Winner

Salads for the Portland deli salads tasting.
The Portland deli salads.

Portland’s grocery stores compete fiercely for deli dominance, but which makes the best of the Portland deli salads? When Meg Cotner of Bridgetown Bites reached out about participating in Portland Salad Week, I jumped at the chance to settle this with an old-fashioned taste test.

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Supermarket Alternatives in Portland

Safeway
There are other places to shop than Safeway

Many of you shop at Safeway, Albertsons, and QFC and are concerned about these stores’ futures in the wake of the recent merger talk. In the tradition of “plan for the worst, hope for the best,” I went ahead and looked at what my supermarket alternatives and options are in town, and have shared my research with you in this article.

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Portland Area Events, October 12-19

Beets

And the beet goes on during this week of vegetable love.

Each week we will bring you a roundup of public food events in the Portland metro area. It’s not every single event that’s going on, but the ones in particular that catch our eye. Want to submit an event? Fill out this form. Listings curated by Meg Cotner.

Haunted Pub Tour
Until Tuesday, October 31, 2017
7pm Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays; 3:30pm Sundays
Starts at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub, 112 SW 2nd Avenue, Portland

“Uncover Portland’s dark side on this spine-tingling walking tour and hear first-hand accounts of paranormal encounters—all while sampling 6 local beers.” The tour distance is about .8 of a mile, takes about two and a half hours, and includes six 5oz pours. Tickets are $45 (buy here). More information. Continue reading “Portland Area Events, October 12-19”