One of the things I learned from running Chowhound was just how titanic an echo chamber the media is. Reading through pull-quotes from Chowhound's press reports would leave people flabbergasted by the blinding repetition.
The first full-length national article about the site was carried by Associated Press thirteen years ago. It was written by the great Bob Tanner who, thankfully, not only understood the Chowhound ethos but embodied it. In fact, Bob and I agree that this article was unique, in that the reporter and the subject could have switched places; he could just as easily have run the site, and I could just as easily have written the profile.
Anyway, the incessant media meme started there, with this line: "Spirited conversations about tortillas in Mexico, an Iranian spice called khah shir, the merits of various Korean dumplings." And since I just noticed that the article's still available online, I thought I'd link to it.
Let's not forget that Time Out got there first....
ReplyDeleteNo, Eric Asimov beat both by well over a year, in the NY Times. We opened in July of 1997, and he'd reported on us by September. Time Out wasn't til Jan 1999.
ReplyDeleteThere were lots of other little press mentions in the interim. But the AP piece was the first long, major, national one, if I'm not mistaken.
What a pleasure to read that again!
ReplyDeleteThat place in Union City sounds promising. Is it still there? Still good?
ReplyDeleteUnknown,
ReplyDeleteGeez, bear in mind that was 14 years ago! That scene's very different now. The old faithful/dependable choice thereabouts was always (and I imagine remains) El Artesano, but there are always a blizzard of smaller, more keenly delicious places opening and closing. I know no better area for jubilant scouting!