“Astoria Sea Lion” by Gary Sheldon

We understand. Really, we do. Every time you go outside, the mud sucks the galoshes right off your feet and you’re living inside your parka hood, so why on Earth would you consider…blech…camping? This seasonal blindness to Oregon’s natural beauty means that Oregon Wild’s photo contest comes at just the right time to remind you: Hey, there is a reason we live here! It’s friggin’ gorgeous! Sometimes.

The photo contest began five years ago, as a way to highlight beautiful, endangered Oregon places. This year, they picked the Siskiyou Wild Rivers area in Southwestern Oregon, which gave outdoor photographers plentiful material to work with. The area has been compared to Yellowstone in sheer natural beauty, and also encompasses part of the coast.

Five winners were chosen in five different categories: Wildlands, Wildlife, Waters, Endangered Places, and a Kid’s category. Pictured here are the winners from the Wildlands category (Gary Sheldon, with “Astoria Sea Lion”, top photo) and the Waters category (Jody Ellis, with “Sparks Lake”, above).

The winning photos and honorable mentions will be unveiled tonight at Tribute Gallery on Broadway. The exhibit is free and will feature beer provided by Rogue and wine provided by Lemelson Vineyards. Entrance is free, although a $5 donation is suggested. Framed prints of all the displayed photos will also be available for purchase.

Oregon Wild 2009 Photo Contest at Tribute Gallery, 328 NW Broadway #117, Thursday, Nov. 19, 5:30-7:30 pm. Free.

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PETA has finally said something with which we can all agree. The normally dissident organization compiled a list of the country’s best faux-meat spaghetti toppers and listed Southeast Portland’s own Portobello Vegan Trattoria as one of the best. As reported only a few weeks ago, WW fully agrees.

The restaurant’s zucchini noodles in a tomato-basil sauce topped with a giant meat-free ball of vegetable protein showcases “all the flavor of traditional meatballs” without any of the “cruelty or cholesterol” of its swiney, beefy cousins, says PETA vegan campaign coordinator Kate Brindle. Brindle further praised the restaurant, saying “This eatery is a great example of the growing number of restaurants that are satisfying America’s hunger for healthy and humane cuisine.”

Unfortunately for us, the dish is not currently on the menu–Portobello’s selection changes weekly. One can only hope that it will grace the menu again soon.

Other high-ranking contenders came from as close as Seattle (Ike’s Place’s Vegan Meatless Mike and Not So Sloppy Ike) and as far away as Ashbury Park, New Jersey (Twisted Tree Cafe’s baked tofu meatball wrap). For a full list of all the winners, check out PETA’s VegCookingBlog.

Image: Portobello’s Chef Aaron Adams in the kitchen by Darryl James.

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon

She should so choose Jacob.

From an opening dream sequence that echoes Wild Strawberries to a cliffhanger finale featuring an ingeniously hammy Michael Sheen—and especially in the middle, while a shirtless wolfpack broods and brawls across the screen—New Moon is infinitely better than Twilight. Sorry, Portland: The sexually repressed vampire picture Catherine Hardwicke filmed here can’t hold a candle to the woozy vampires-vs.-werewolves sequel Chris Weitz didn’t film here. (He went to British Columbia instead.) The new movie is so much better, in fact, that I find myself wondering if it might actually be…no, it couldn’t be…is it good? God help me. I’ve become a 12-year-old girl.

All I can remember from Twilight are the locations and a lot of white greasepaint on Robert Pattinson’s face, but a return to my original review tells me it was a thinly veiled “True Love Waits” rally. This one? Well, it’s basically a supernatural Dawson’s Creek—a humiliatingly addictive soap opera in the meadows, with glampire Edward (Pattinson) as Dawson and Native American beefcake Jacob (Taylor Lautner) as Pacey. Like all sane people, I preferred Pacey: The ill-tempered interloper is always more interesting than the cosmic soulmate. And so it is here, even if once again neither boy can really act.

As our story resumes, Bella Swan—cripes, these names!—is still dating Edward, and begging him to penetrate her. It is, after all, her eighteenth birthday. He’s 109. “Maybe I shouldn’t be dating such an old man,” she jokes, making an observation she studiously avoided for the entirety of Twilight. “It’s gross.” Kristen Stewart continues to play Bella as a twine-ball of hormones, though her performance suffers from a poutiness that I don’t remember in her other roles—is it a magazine-cover effect? It’s enough to send Edward packing, with an explanation about how if he just went and bit her already, she’d be eternally damned. This speech accomplishes two laudable goals: It give overdue exposure to the creepy religious subtext of all this chastity-belting, and it gets rid of the paleface for most of the remaining movie.

Bella’s resultant massive sulk is relieved by the arrival of Jacob, who then proceeds to also leave her in order to join a muffin-baking werewolf tribe. It is somewhat convenient that the gang is required to not wear shirts. At the same time she’s palling with Jake, Bella has become a thrill junkie, in order to see visions of an Admonitory Edward Ghost (it’s a kinky sub-Looking for Mr. Goodbar thing), and this is how she finds out what’s been causing all the damage in the woods. “They’re not bears!” she informs her dad.

You see how it goes. Yet the events of New Moon proceed with astonishing good humor and an even more surprising lack of hyperbole. Halfway through, I wrote a somewhat disappointed note: “Not much to mock, really.” Since Stephenie Meyer’s dialogue is still breathtakingly stupid, Weitz has chosen to express most of Bella’s moods wordlessly, and the Golden Compass director has a knack for borderline poetic visuals. (I especially liked a shot of a crow suspended in midair, passed by a super-fast bloodsucker who appears to be jogging in real time.)

Look, this isn’t Shakespeare, even if some Romeo and Juliet pentameter is recited. But it’s got some lightheaded energy, and it’s got Michael Sheen at the end, taking a break from Brit fare like The Damned United to unite the damned. (He has more fun than all the teens combined, simply by darting his red eyes.) The whole affair is like watching Gus Van Sant film a Dungeons and Dragons convention: Shirtless boys jump in the air, and they land as snarling CGI wolves. This is a lot more fun than vampires moaning through a baseball game. So I can’t defend New Moon, but yeah, fine: I liked it. I’m going to go write in my diary now. PG-13. AARON MESH. Broadway Metro 4 Theatres, Century 16 Cedar Hills Crossing, Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99 Stadium 11, Cinemas Bridgeport Village Stadium 18 IMAX, Cinetopia, City Center Stadium 12, Cornelius 9 Cinemas, Division Street Stadium 13, Evergreen Parkway Stadium 13, Hilltop 9 Cinema, Lloyd Center Stadium 10 Cinema, Lloyd Mall 8 Cinema, Moreland Theatre, Movies On TV Stadium 16, Oak Grove 8 Cinemas, Pioneer Place Stadium 6, Roseway Theatre, Sandy Cinemas, Sherwood Stadium 10, St. Johns Twin Cinemas and Pub, Tigard 11 Cinemas, Wilsonville Stadium 9 Cinema.

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Indeed, the Top Chef application (available for download from the Top Chef website) not only asks about restaurant experience, but also about potentially heated topics like restaurant cliches, most embarrassing moments and bragging rights. These questions are intended, Braun insists, to hone in on pride, not to create a dramatic cast. “It’s not drama that we seek. We want people who are going to have pride in a dish. I think that sometimes pride can get confused with drama.”

As any Top Chef fan knows, much of this drama… er… pride… comes from the elevated levels of accomplishment amongst the contestants. Each season, the selected cast enters with more honors than the season before. This year, for example, there are chefs who have worked under tapas master Jose Andres (Michael Isabella), seafood god Eric Ripert (Jennifer Carroll) and restaurateur extraordinaire Charlie Palmer (Bryan Voltaggio), as well as a James Beard nominee (Michael Voltaggio). “I think that maybe executive chefs who were afraid to apply in the first couple of seasons realized that the competition is serious now, so we’re definitely having a higher level of chef apply … and we are probably having fewer home cooks apply for sure,” says Braun.

It is logical, then, for a show focused on rising talents to end up here in Portland. Braun said he was hoping to meet “really cool” creative and sustainability-minded chef. “I definitely think there’s something unique about Northwest chefs… Not every city has a clientele that will appreciate unique and inventive food, but it definitely seems that in Portland, the restaurant goers and the foodies are willing to try new things, so that makes the chefs more inventive as well.”

Braun explains that this focus on talent is what sets Top Chef apart from other reality television. “You can’t fake culinary ability, even if it is on TV.” So what did they find in our proud little foodie burg? Braun stayed mum on Sunday’s casting call at the Benson Hotel but he did tell us this: “Portland’s favorite restaurants are tucked away in so many different neighborhoods all over the city, so we’ve had a blast bouncing around town to seek out the best and brightest chefs,” he says. “We’re thrilled with what we’ve found!”

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By means of audience response, BodyVox’s current show, Chronos/Kairos was certainly successful. The guests laughed when they were supposed to laugh, gasped when they were supposed to gasp and gave the dancers a standing ovation at the curtain. While it certainly felt warm and fuzzy to sit with such receptive company, the enthusiasm for what turned out to be a lackluster performance got a little old. It only served to codify the distinction between diehard BodyVox fans and everyone else.

Chronos/Kairos was a strikingly accessible show. Yes, some of the pieces, like Urban Meadow, where the dancers dressed like sheep and “baa”ed all over the stage, were a bit strange. Yes, some of the costumes, like Ashley Roland’s in Beat, were tight and sheer enough to be nude. But almost every piece had a clear motive and/or narrative running throughout. Any person, of any age, watching Fishers Are Men, for example, would know right from the start that the two goofy men dressed as fishermen would inevitably enact some sort of goofy fishing adventure while onstage. The dancing just filled in the gaps between the predictable opening and closing of each piece. Like a children’s television show, it is easy to follow along and feel as though one “gets it,” even with no dance background.

Many of BodyVox’s older shows work in a similar way–each easily deciphered piece is a short component of a larger narrative whole. Those of us with short attention spans benefit greatly from this approach, and the variety gives nitpickers a chance to find at least a few points of interest.

Perhaps this was the point of most of the selected works for the evening. It’s a notable goal–after all, the more people who feel comfortable watching dance, the better, right?

Sure, except when the dance in question seemed to rely on (not particularly amusing) humor to cover up poorly executed movement. Since Chronos/Kairos re-staged works from BodyVox’s entire career, it was inevitable that some of the dancers would be more familiar with certain pieces than others. It showed.

At times, newer dancers seemed so unfamiliar with the choreography that it was uncomfortable to watch. Even in Shed, the only new work of the evening, one could see struggle. Poor Heather Jackson looked terrified as she climbed up an invisible staircase created by the male dancers and a couple of planks of wood. Tricks such as this one are supposed to defy gravity, not point out its nagging danger.

With time, one hopes that she will learn to tackle these stairs with ease–after all, Shed was, along with Cusp, one of the strongest pieces of the evening. Lighthearted and playful (yet still genuine), the piece showed off the company’s strong classical training along with just enough story line to be uniquely BodyVox. If only the entire show had been the same.

Photo of BodyVox’s Bottom of the World by Blaine Truitt Covert, courtesy of BodyVox.

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Thanksgiving—it’s the time of year when we all come together at a table creaking with the weight of pure American gluttony. Spending hours stuffed into a chair, shoving forkful after forkful of turkey and pie into our mouths, is pretty freaking fantastic—unless the days and days of cooking have already made you sick of stuffing. Take it easy this year and let a professional do the work for you. Here’s a list of all the best lazy-day Thanksgivings, from restaurants serving dinner to food carts selling pie. If you’ve got more suggestions for excellent take-out joints, markets or T-Day dinners, leave ‘em in comments or email kwilliams@wweek.com and we may add them to the roundup.

RESTAURANTS SERVING THANKSGIVING DINNER

Jake’s Thanksgiving Buffet at the Governor Hotel
Yes, you can eat a full Thanksgiving dinner at Jake’s Grill at the Governor Hotel (or Jake’s Famous up the street, or any other of McCormick & Schmick’s Portland outposts). But if you wanna go big, reserve a seat at the local chain’s grand buffet at the hotel. From tom turkey, cedar-plank salmon and New York strip steak to whole stations devoted to chilled seafood, salads, side dishes and desserts, this meal’s so big it has to be served in a ballroom. It’s like a wedding where the bride is dinner and you’re the groom (or vice versa). Visit mccormickandschmicks.com for a list of the chain’s other Portland seafood restaurants, all of which are serving T-Day dinner. Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Ave., 224-3400. Reservations begin at 11:30 am and end at 3:30 pm. $29.95 adults, $7.95 children 6-12, 5 and under free. Call 241-2125 to make your reservation.

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Heathman Restaurant
An overwhelming assortment of traditional Northwestern eats, from roasted turkey with sage stuffing and pumpkin cheesecake to bouillabaisse and smoked salmon, for both sit-down eaters and buffet lovers. Prix fixe dining-room service 11 am-9 pm. Holiday buffet 11:30 am-5 pm. The Heathman, 1001 SW Broadway, 790-7752. $39.50 per person ($18 for kids under 12) for prix fixe dining. $46.50 per person ($18 for kids under 12) for the buffet. Call to reserve seats.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Meriwether’s
Chef Earl Hook prepares a family-style feast with ingredients from the restaurant’s own Skyline Farm this Thanksgiving. Meriwether’s, 2601 NW Vaughn St., 228-1250. 1-5 pm. $45 per adult, $20 children under 10.  Call 228-1250 to reserve seats ASAP.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Salty’s on the Columbia
Nothing says “Thanksgiving” like Dungeness crab, prawns and seafood chowder. Get your seafood on with a mega holiday buffet at this riverside classic. Don’t worry—there’ll be turkey and all the trimmings as well. For the extra-lazy, they’re offering an extensive to-go menu. Salty’s on the Columbia, 3839 NE Marine Drive, 288-4444. 10:30 am-5:30 pm. $39.95 per person. Call for reservations. To-go orders must be placed by Nov. 22. Visit saltys.com for menu.

Thanksgiving Buffet at The Resort at the Mountain
Need a little vacay on your turkey day? Head east to Mount Hood for a buffet dinner at the resort. Along with the requisite turkey, there’ll be items as varied as roasted halibut, croissants and even an omelet station! Oh, and dinner comes with champagne—if you need to get a room, the resort will be happy to put you up (you’ll even get a turkey sandwich to go at checkout). The Resort at the Mountain, 68010 E Fairway Ave., Welches, 622-3101. 11 am-6 pm. $36 per person ($15 for kids). Call to reserve seats. For hotel rooms, visit theresort.com.

Thanksgiving “Two Ways” at Urban Farmer
In case you need to stuff yourself twice in one day, the downtown restaurant will be offering its traditional brunch (which includes rich delicacies like wagyu beef brisket hash and fried chicken and waffles) on Thanksgiving morning, followed by a four-course prix fixe, slightly more traditional meal filled with your choice of meat (or mushrooms for the veggie types), salads, sides (from mashed potatoes to giblet gravy) and desserts in the afternoon and evening. Oh, gluttony. Urban Farmer, 525 SW Morrison St., 222-4900. Brunch 6:30 am-2 pm. Prix fixe meal 2-9 pm. $49 per person ($29 for kids under 12). Call to reserve seats.

Aquavira True Oregon Thanksgiving Buffet
Eat a totally local meal right on the river at Aquavira. It’ll be filled with the likes of Heritage Farms turkeys, Sauvie Island potatoes and artisanal cheeses. Aquavira, 0470 SW Hamilton Court, 802-5850. Noon-6 pm. $40 per person ($20 for kids under 12). Call to reserve seats.

Peruvian Thanksgiving at Andina
Have a cross-cultural meal at the renowned Peruvian restaurant this year. You can snack on over 30 different tapas plates, Peruvian entrees or their own special take on turkey (served with quince-huacatay chutney, lucuma gravy, corn-pumpkin humita and swiss chard). There will also be live music from Nelson Salazar and the Danny Romero Trio most of the day. Andina, 1314 NW Glisan. 228-9535. 1-9:30 pm. $55 per person ($27.50 for kids under 12). Call to reserve seats.

Thanksgiving Feast at the Country Cat
Gorge yourself on chef-butcher Adam Sappington’s carefully carved meats served with locally sourced soul food like chanterelle soup, truffled deviled eggs and bacon-braised collard greens. The Country Cat, 7937 SE Stark St., 408-1414. 2:30-7:30 pm. $40 per person. Some sides are $5 extra. Call to reserve seats.

Huber’s Thanksgiving Dinner
Have a traditional meal at Portland’s oldest restaurant. It offers your choice of soup or salad, a big helping of turkey and your choice of pumpkin pie or bread pudding. And then there’s the Spanish coffee…. Huber’s, 411 SW 3rd Ave., 228-5686. $18.79 per person. Limited reservations still available. Call to reserve seats.

THANKSGIVING SUPPLIES FOR YOUR HOME TABLE

Salt Fire and Time/Abby’s Table
[FRESH BIRDS, TAKEOUT MEALS] The community-supported kitchen is offering a special T-Day menu full of whole-food, nutrient-rich delicacies like celery root and wild mushroom soup ($4 per serving), stuffing with sage and chestnuts ($6 per serving), and mashed potatoes and parsnips ($6 per serving). Abby’s Table is providing raw, vegan and gluten-free options as well—like cured kale salad ($4 per serving) and raw pumpkin pie mousse ($4 per serving). It will also be selling sustainable (and oh-so-delicious) turkeys from Deck Family Farm ($7.50-$8.50 per pound). To order prepared foods, stop by Salt, Fire and Time/Abby’s Table. 609 SE Ankeny St., 208-2758. To order turkeys, contact Deck Family Farm, 541-998-4967. Specify that you want to pick up at Salt, Fire and Time. Orders must be placed by Nov. 20 and can be picked up Tuesday or Wednesday, Nov. 24 or 25.

Sassafras Catering
[TAKEOUT MEALS] This catering company is creating a Southern-inspired Thanksgiving for the ultimate comfort meal. Its turkey is roasted in herb butter and served up with apple chutney and cranberry-peach relish ($25 for half bird, $50 for full). Sides ($3 per person) include a root vegetable mash, stuffing with your choice of oysters or mushrooms and bacon mixed in, beer-braised collards and apple pie studded with crystallized ginger ($25 for full size, $5 for mini). Call 369-0599 to order. Meal pick-up all day Wednesday Nov. 25 at the kitchen. 5222 NE Sacramento St. Delivery is available in Portland area on Tuesday Nov. 24 or Wednesday Nov. 25 for $25. Orders must be placed by Friday, Nov. 20.

Elephants Deli Thanksgiving
[TAKEOUT MEALS] This PDX deli has a wealth of to-go Thanksgiving options. But Elephants’ menu ranges beyond the bird and trimmings to include soups, appetizer platters, salads and gift baskets. See a full menu at elephantsdeli.com. Call 224-3955 or order at elephantsdeli.com. Orders for whole turkeys must be placed by Wednesday, Nov. 18. All other orders must be placed by Monday, Nov. 23. Elephants Uptown, 115 NW 22nd Ave., 299-6304.

Kenny & Zuke’s
[TAKEOUT MEALS] You won’t get any pastrami with your turkey, but you can trust the sandwich-makers to throw together a killer dinner. They’ll be offering turkey stuffed with wild mushrooms ($13.75 per pound), along with sides like cornbread stuffing ($9.50 per pound), twice-baked truffled potatoes ($4.50 each) and three different pies ($16.50-$19.50). Call 222-3354 or email catering@kennyandzukes.com for full menu and to order by 3 pm Monday, Nov. 23.

New Seasons
[FRESH BIRDS, TAKEOUT MEALS]: RAW: The Portland-based grocer offers Diestel Family Turkey Ranch birds ($1.69-$2.99 per pound, more for special heirloom varieties). Plus, they’ve got an actual Turkey Hotline (473-8695) you can call to order—and generally talk about birds—9 am-8 pm Monday–Friday, 9 am-5 pm Saturday-Sunday. Or just order online at newseasonsmarket.com. Also, there’s goose ($5.99 per pound) and duck ($3.99 per pound) to be had. COOKED: The market offers a slew of prepared dinner options, sides and desserts, including full traditional T-Day dinners for two ($39.99): Diestel boneless turkey breast with your choice of stuffing, buttermilk mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, choice of vegetable, Parker House rolls, and pumpkin pie. Visit holiday.newseasonsmarket.com to place an order by Sunday, Nov. 22.

Whole Foods
[FRESH BIRDS, TAKEOUT MEALS]: RAW: Diestel Family Turkeys ($2.99 per pound) and Pitman Farms Mary’s organic birds ($2.99 a pound). COOKED: Whole Foods has pretty much the same lineup on offer as New Seasons, with traditional takeout dinners for six to eight people in regular ($99.99, turkey, stuffing, green beans, gravy, cranberry relish, rolls, pumpkin pie) or organic ($120). There’s a vegetarian dinner for two to four for $40, too. Check out the bounty at Whole Food’s Portland store page. Wholefoodsmarket.com/holidays, order online by Sunday, Nov. 22.

Gartner’s Country Meat Market
[TURKEYS] This old-school meat market is pretty much a protein mecca. Find an excuse to get your behind out here for the cheap, fresh housemade pepperoni sticks (10 for $5), even if you’re not ordering a turkey. Gartner’s has got competitive prices on both fresh and house-smoked birds ($1.69-$3.49 a pound) as well as stuffed game hens ($8.99 each), prime rib roasts ($8.98 per pound) and sugar-cured hams ($3.98 per pound). Gartner’s, 7450 NE Killingsworth St., 252-7801.

Nicky USA
[TURKEYS & MORE!] When a turkey just won’t do, local wild-game purveyor Nicky USA has all your weird protein needs taken care of. Squab! Rabbit! A partridge in a pear tree! Prices range from $7 to $13 per pound. Order online at nickyusa.com or by phone at 234-4263. $75 minimum on all orders, and no walk-ins.

PastaWorks
[TURKEYS] Get thee to PastaWorks for “broad-breasted white” Northwest Natural turkeys  ($3.75 a pound). They’re already out of their heritage-breed turkeys, so place your order quickly. The store also offers a range of delicious holiday ingredients to bulk up that bird. Call 232-1010 to order ASAP.

Meirav Catering
[KOSHER TAKEOUT] Need a more kosher meal? The local Jewish catering company will provide a five-course kosher turkey dinner—complete with gravy, mashed potatoes and pie. Everything will be cooked in the Shaarie Torah kitchen so you know it’ll be legit. Email meriav@comcast.net or call 740-7050 for menu and pricing information. All orders must be placed by Sunday Nov. 22.

Pix Desserts
[DESSERT] Bring a little ooh-la-la to the table with dessert from Pix Pâtisserie. The traditional pumpkin pie gets a cheesecake makeover with a spiced pecan crust ($24-$32) while the pecan pie goes glam with the addition of Spanish almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and bittersweet chocolate chips (the Nutcracker, $28-$34). Most intriguing? The macaroon cornucopia: “Four dozen colorful French macaroons in assorted flavors overflow an edible cornucopia of caramelized almonds.” And that’d be an $85 wow. Pix on Division will be open for pickups 9 am-noon on Thanksgiving Day. Pix Pâtisserie, 3402 SE Division St., 232-4407.

Random Order Pies
[PIE] This season, Random Order Coffeehouse is ready with desserts like brandied pears with dark chocolate and candied ginger streusel, and pies such as pumpkin, boozy pecan, pear-cranberry-blackberry and old-fashioned apple. Nine-inch rounds ($28) serve around six to eight people. Visit the shop or call to order. Check out pie list at randomordercoffee.com. Random Order Coffeehouse, 1800 NE Alberta St., 971-340-6995. Orders must be placed by Sunday, Nov. 22.

The Sugar Cube

[DESSERT] Only in Portland could you order Thanksgiving dessert from a food cart. The Sugar Cube is dishing out spiced buttermilk cornbread muffins with meadowfoam honey (6 for $10, 12 for $18, 24 for $25), port cranberry jam ($6 for 8 oz or $10 for 12 oz), pumpkin gingerbread cupcakes (6 for $15, 12 for $30, and 24 for $60) and four different Lauretta Jean pies (rum spiced apple, pumpkin with gingersnap crumble, bourbon and ginger pecan, and coconut cream) for $30 each. Call 890-2825 to order by Monday Nov. 23. Sugar Cube pick-ups noon-4 pm, Lauretta Jean pick-ups 11 am-2 pm, Wednesday, Nov. 25, at the Sugar Cube. 4237 N Mississippi Ave.

THANKSGIVING FARMERS MARKETS & EVENTS

Thanksgiving Farmers Market—Beaverton
The Beaverton Farmers Market gets ready to make merry with a Thanksgiving supply blowout this Saturday. The market is promising tons of local produce, table arrangements, root veggies, local breads and cookbook author Ivy Manning. Beaverton Farmers Market, Hall Boulevard between Third and Fifth streets. 643-5345. 8 am-1:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 21.

Portland Thanksgiving Farmers Market
Beaverton too far away? The Portland Farmers Market also gets ready to make merry with a Thanksgiving supply blowout the Saturday before T-Day. The PSU market is promising chanterelles, heirloom squash, wreaths, cheese and pies, plus tips from guest chefs. Portland Farmers Market, South Park Blocks between Southwest Montgomery and Harrison streets. 9 am-2 pm Saturday, Nov. 21.

Thanksgiving Reunion Market
Still not fully stocked for Thursday’s revelry? Portland Farmers Market is giving you one last chance. It’s holding a “reunion market” at the Eastbank Farmers Market site. Local produce shall abound, but we’re going for the free hot cider. Mmmm. Eastbank Farmers Market, Southeast 20th Avenue and Salmon Street. 241-0032. 1-5 pm Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Thanksgiving Wine Weekend
Willamette Valley wineries and vineyards—even many appointment-only outfits—throw open their doors to local winos for cheap bottle deals and special tastings. Highway 99W gridlock and purple-toothed revelry ensues. Visit willamettewines.com for a list of participating wineries and directions. Most wineries open 11 am-5 pm Friday-Sunday, Nov. 23-35. Tasting prices vary.

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Phil Busse, former Mercury editor, former mayoral candidate/mayoral campaign manager, sign plucker and panty model, is no longer the general manager of White Bird Dance, after only six months in the position. Byron Beck broke the news that Busse was let go near the end of last month on his spiffy new blog this afternoon.

“Phil brought some really good new ideas for us. But after his six month review we agreed that it wasn’t working out to either of our satisfaction. We agreed to go our separate ways,” said Whitebird co-founder Walter Jaffe. “Sometimes people don’t click. It’s a chemistry thing.”

Jaffe said the break did not have to do with Busse’s lack of arts background, but rather was simply a bad fit for the powerhouse dance presenter, which has brought everybody from Merce Cunningham to Lyon Opera Ballet to town over the past decade.

The position, which was designed to manage many of Jaffe and co-founder Paul King’s day-to-day duties so the dance-crazy duo could focus on “fund raising, programming and working with the community” has not been filled yet.

“We’re way open,” says Jaffe. “We have agreed that the person needs to have some arts background, someone who feels connected to the arts and dance if possible. It’s very open.”

Whatever the outcome, the presenters’ show last night at the Schnitz, Shen Wei Dance Arts, was a hit, at least, according to WW reviewer Kate Williams. White Bird’s next show is also the kickoff to this year’s Uncaged Series, which features unconventional dance groups in oddball settings, from Oaks Park to the YWCA. Wednesday, Dec. 2 brings Montreal’s Daniel Léveillé Danse at the Leftbank Project.

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Last night, we got to see a less grand, but no less meditatively magical, performance by the genius (yes, he won a “Genius” award) choreographer’s company. In a manner evoking the stunning visual artistry of the Olympics, the dancers were already hard at work when the doors opened, calmly laying down blue and white crepe paper in a mandala pattern. They were silent and hardly moving–I can’t imagine how long it took them to lay the whole piece down. Audience members were either gathered mesmerized around the stage or sitting and grumbling in their seats, flustered with the change of pace with which they were greeted. The grumblers should have kept their mouths shut.

The performance began with the curtain still up–no artificial separation of audience member and dancer tonight–the eight dancers gliding across the stage, dismantling the mandala as if puffs of breath from a Tibetan monk. This first piece, Re- (Part I) was billed as an abstract interpretation of Wei’s visit to Tibet. This is not the maligned and struggling Tibet; this is the proudly majestic Tibet. The dancers move as if without spines, twisting amongst each other to create a sense of calm. I found myself taking slower, more gentle breaths as the piece continued, completely content if not for the nagging desire to see the dancers interact with each other.

It wasn’t long into the second piece, Re- (Part III), however, before the performers made contact. In an act bravely comical, two dancers broke out from a marching squadron and leaned against each other, neck to neck. The slowly lowered themselves towards the floor, ever so carefully, until they dropped with a bang onto the stage. This act of disobedience became a common thread throughout the piece, inspired this time by Wei’s travels in China, contrasting militaristic stiffness with pastoral flexibility. It was hard not to find a motive in the piece–as it continued one witnessed the transformation from a green China to a gray one. Indeed, the final sequence featured a soloist still dressed in green being overwhelmed by the rest of the now industrially dressed company. While just as beautifully choreographed as Part I, Part III left us with a taste of uncertainty. The sense of calm had dissipated.

Photo courtesy of White Bird Dance

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Wow. Now, Budnick (who was a staffer at WW years ago) is really just using Yancey’s story as a window into the bigger battle brewing between the state government, who is starting to take a closer look at ingredients and Oregon farmers markets vendor practices in the name of food safety, and local vendors and farmers selling at markets, who totally want ODA to leave ‘em alone. He also mentions other clashes up in Portland, where “Sarah Broderick, manager of the Hollywood Farmers Market, said the department warned vendors that having a dog in their booths would lead to immediate “closure” of the booth — even if the vendor was unaware of the four-legged intruder.” And now, irritated vendor grumblings have made their way to Salem:

[Some] vendors and market managers are not happy with the agency’s recent decision to take a close look at markets — and the critics have found a friendly ear in the Oregon Legislature. Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, who heard complaints while shopping at a market in Portland, has invited representatives from the farmers markets as well as the Agriculture Department to testify at a hearing on Wednesday.

But still… outlawing love? Have a heart ODA.

You can read the whole story at bendbulletin.com (if you’re a subscriber).

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Here, though, shackled to the necessity of telling an actual story, the opera falters where so many theater works, musical and otherwise, fail: exposition. Despite the brilliant set design (evoking the famous mirror effect in Cocteau’s original but in a different way), the first act mostly lacked the magic of either Cocteau or Glass at his best. Nothing  much really happens, Glass’ static music (in spite of an almost ragtimey early sequence) treads water, and the whole set up of explaining the poetic rivalry, midlife marriage ennui, the poet’s erotic attraction to Death (and vice versa) seems to take forever. “Life is long when you’re dead,” one character sings, and compared to the dull reality of Orpheus’ life (set in the beige living room of what might be a South Waterfront condo), a trip to Hell actually sounds like a pretty good idea–especially when Death (ravishingly played and sung by Lisa Saffer) is so attractive. For all the film soundtracks and theater music he’s composed, Glass’ music just isn’t that suited to propelling a conventional narrative forward on stage. And the sense of disconnect isn’t helped by the sluggish stage action and the capacious venue. From where I sat in the back row, Keller Auditorium’s vast confines dwarfed the parlor setting and muffled the restrained score for chamber sized orchestra, well-conducted by Anne Manson. I wonder whether this production would have been better suited to the Newmark Theater, though economics probably wouldn’t permit it.

All is forgiven in the magnificent second act, however, as the music and the characters’ emotional temperature both heat up. Paradoxically, as Orpheus enters the land of the dead, the opera springs to life. The chemistry between Saffer and Philip Cutlip’s Orpheus sizzles, a slapstick scene with Eurydice doing everything possible to avoid Orpheus’s fatal glance provokes giggles, and the gorgeous love duet and final sequences deliver all the emotional kick that any fan of opera—or Orpheus—could crave. Glass imbues the music with the kind of passion you’d expect from a composer who, like Cocteau’s Orpheus, was facing challenges from the next generation of the avant garde and who, like Orpheus had lost his beloved; Glass’s wife, Candy, had died not long before he began work on Orphée.

Maybe, with a tale as well known as Orpheus’, the opera might better have jettisoned explaining Cocteau’s alterations and machinations and left a bit of the evocative mystery that made Glass’s operas with Wilson so powerful. Like Orpheus, we’re better off if we don’t look back, and forget the ho hum first act. But even half a L’Orphee this compelling is better than yet another tired remake of overfamiliar 19th century fare, and Portland Opera deserves kudos for bringing it and its composer to town. Once it gets going, escapes mundane reality and crosses the mirror into the underworld, Orphee is one of the year’s most fascinating musical spectacles.

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