Edgy Mama

If you’re one of the 150 million people on Facebook, you’ve been tagged, probably several times, over the past few weeks and asked to reveal “25 random things” about yourself. The idea is that people write 25 facts, habits or goals about themselves, then designate 25 other people to do the same. As always, I’m […]

North Carolina’s undergroun­d economy

Black perigord truffles have a tendency to embarrass foodies. Their flavor is so intense, so exquisite, that gourmands lapse into highfalutin’ gobbledygook trying to describe them, making the enthusiasts seem slightly snobbish and very silly. Truffle team: Franklin Garland, who harvests truffles near Chapel Hill, will bring his goods to the Truffle Fest. Truffle grower […]

Long live our finest

Connie Bostic’s commentary [“Drifting Toward Diabetic Coma,” Feb. 4] on the art scene in Asheville is very encouraging. I’ve been passing those ho-hum galleries for the unsophisticated art client by, allowing that the people who frequent them contribute significantly to the local economy. However, Connie’s article awakens a latent desire to ratchet art awareness up […]

Eyeing the edible art

Okay, Connie—you got my attention [“Drifting Toward Diabetic Coma,” Feb. 4]. Why rehash something that Robert Godfrey prophesized in 1987? Did you think that a craft town like Asheville would ever be anything else? Oh, Grande Dame of the Asheville Art Scene, may I remind you that circa 1997, a space was opened to showcase […]

Come back, MX

On behalf of thousands of customers of Plum Natural Market in Forest City and Barley’s in Spindale, we are disappointed at your recent decision to quit delivering your paper to these businesses for pickup. Believe it or not, Rutherford County is considered a mountain county full of progressive-minded, environmentally friendly and healthy-lifestyle people who look […]

Going tow-to-tow again

One recent night, a friend of mine parked in a tow-away zone [and the car was towed]. My live/work space is in the middle of downtown, and the purpose of this letter is not to complain about the act of being towed. In my neighborhood, it is an hourly occurrence and it is absolutely necessary. […]

The uglificati­on of Kimberly

Kimberly used to be one of the most beautiful streets in Asheville—wide, with a clean, flowing venue offering prominent glimpses of orange foliage as the deciduous trees turned each fall. Quite in contrast to the disturbing shout of brightly striped warning signs and an obstacle course of over a dozen traffic islands with prominent, high […]

Searching for Junie

Despite having worked in the veterinary profession for over 15 years, I was surprised by some of the things I learned while trying to recover my lost dog Junebug recently. Returning from work to find 11-year-old Junie missing, I immediately walked the fenced perimeter calling and searching for her, thinking she might be in a […]

Shuler’s not helping WNC

Congressman Heath Shuler’s charges on Feb. 9 in Raleigh that the “House leadership and Senate leadership have really failed” in creating bipartisan support for an economic recovery bill did not help District 11 in what will prove to be a competitive race to get economic support from the bill for our part of Western North […]

Bipartisan­ship goes two ways

Funny how Republicans never talked about bipartisanship when they were in control of Congress, or when they spent all of the monies that the Clinton administration left in the coffers when Bush’s administration took over. Bipartisanship goes two ways, and the Republicans are back at their old games. — Lloyd Kay Asheville

Obama, Israel and truth

In his first news conference, President Obama performed impressively. Standing for nearly an hour, he answered questions from the press. Only that morning, he had made a speech in Elkhart. My guess would be he’d really need a cigarette after that. He responded forthrightly to all the inquiries with amazing accuracy. I later wondered if […]

Small Bites

Indoor Tailgate Market: Recognizing that the best incentive to buy local food—at least in February—is a warm, dry place to shop, Appalachian Vintner has introduced a weekly indoor “tailgate” market. The new South Asheville beer-and-wine shop partnered with the Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project to launch the indoor market, featuring honey, trout, cheese and other Western […]

SoundTrack

In his bio, Silas Durocher says that he aims to combine “classical music with funk and rock n’ roll” to create “music for the head, the heart, and the hips.” It’s a noble pursuit, and on his new debut album, Thesis Statement, he’s largely successful. The young songwriter weaves together astoundingly complex compositions that call […]