Tell Spokane’s stories

As most of Spokane’s culinary scene clings to survival through sheer force of will, I was dismayed to see Don Chareunsy devote over 1,300 words to complimenting restaurants in Las Vegas (“Foreign flavors take flight,” Jan 27).

During a time when many beloved Spokane restaurants have been forced to close, with others on the brink, and when so many in the industry are unable to do the work they’ve trained for, it’s hard to fathom anything I’m less interested in reading than musings about the restaurants someone tried on their vacation to Las Vegas during a pandemic. Tacking on a few words at the end about local spots doesn’t cut it.

If this were an isolated example, perhaps grace would be warranted, but unfortunately, it’s one of many where the writer (who manages the Arts, Entertainment, and Food sections) has used his platform not to seek out unique stories of people in this community, but instead to write about Vegas, a city he seems much more interested in.

Our local restaurants are scared and exhausted. To open the daily paper and discover reviews of businesses 1,000 miles away, during a pandemic when most people can’t or won’t travel, is not amusing. It’s insulting to everyone in the industry fighting for their livelihood, and insulting to any restaurant in this region who hasn’t yet been reviewed or profiled. Our culinary arts scene deserves better. There are incredible, compelling stories to be explored here, about resilience, creativity, and survival. I wish more of them were being told.

Melissa Huggins, Director, Spokane Arts

Spokane