[PDX] Joe Vithayathil: The Latter-Day Frank Bonnema

3127.

Old-school Portlandia, pure and simple.

Those of you who have any recollection about Back-in-the-Day around these parts know about Portland Wrestling. You are no doubt aware of modern pro-wrestling, with its flash and gloss and pyrotechnics, and its acknowledgement of kayfabe-as-dramatic-storyline.

I can't really get into it. I remember pro-wrestling as-it-was … regional circuits, a working-man's pastime at the fairground or at the armory, and every week, without fail, on KPTV-12, late at night on Saturday … it was Portland Wrestling. It was the kind of show that your babysitter would let you stay up much later than you should be (and don't tell Mom) to watch. Hailing from the Portland Sports Arena (which was a converted bowling alley, I'm told, up on North Chautauqua Blvd), we got a weekly diet of Tom Peterson Xonix TVs, Playboy Buddy Rose, Rowdy Roddy Piper when he was comin' up … and Frank Bonnema.

He didn't host Portland Wrestling. He was Portland Wrestling.

Joe Vithayathil, a/k/a Joe V, KPTV's feature reporter, is also a wrestling geek from 'way back. He is right now living the dream. He hosted the recent re-incarnation of Portland Wrestling, known as Portland Wrestling Uncut, which has been on hiatus for far too long. And he's still working it … we understand that he's debuted a book about Lynn Denton.

Those of you suitably informed will know this man as THE GRAPPLER:

Yours truly is the author (well, co-author technically) of Grappler: Memoirs of a Masked Madman. It’s the autobiography of my good friend Lynn Denton, better known to the pro wrestling world as “The Grappler”. As I have discussed before on this blog, I was a wrestling nerd for decades, dating all the way back to the mid-80s. In 2012, a childhood dream came true (at the age of 36) when I was given the opportunity to work on a local wrestling show with Lynn- who everyone calls Lenny- and WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper. I became close with both men, and it was clear to me that Lenny had a story to share with the world.

Like I said, livin' the dream.

Joe has a blog posting up about it all here: http://gdojoe.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/look-ma-i-wrote-a-book/.  He's working hard at following in the footsteps of Bonnema, and while they broke the mold when they made that guy. I'd say Joe has the passion to make himself the modern-day image of the man.

As Katherine Dunn proved, writing about warriors in the squared circle can be seen as poetry on its own. I certainly wish the best for this effort.

[pdx] Where's The Best Damn Horchata In Portland?

2226.Those of you familiar with good Mexican cooking know that when it comes to sweet things, Mexican cuisine has the most amazing things. A serving of flan, for instance, is pure heaven. And perfect horchata is beyond words.

Horchata is made of many things, but when you say that locally, what you're saying is rice milk with a Mexican accent; cinnamon and vanilla. And there's a lot of pedestrian horchata out there, it's not hard to find. A couple of days ago, though, we found heaven in a cup off SE Hawthorne Blvd, in the hip section.

It's not hard to find Mexican roach coaches in Portland, but this one is a little hard to find, so I'll direct you. Behind the Dollar Scholar at 33rd and Hawthorne there's a little pocket parking area; SE 33rd Avenue between Hawthorne and Madison itself looks like an alley. It's a few steps out of your way, but worth the trip. Tucked in behind the Dollar Scholar is the Neza Mexican Food Cart, with a friendly little staff that is clearly family.

Nearly all the food there is in the $3-$4 range, including the quesadillas, that came in pork (which The Wife™ had) and steak (which I had), which will take the edge off the most demanding appetite. They have a limited menu which includes burritos, tacos, all of which looked very satisfying. I have no complaints whatsoever about the food – it was very good.

But it was the horchata that'll keep me coming back. Perfect, creamy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet – just like every good Mexican sweet food – it had a strong vanilla note that the cinnamon played a supporting (but strong) role in. I like vanilla more than cinnamon, and this all worked very well. And while some horchatas leave kind of a coarse texture on the tongue, this was well-blended, smooth, and felt very nice in the mouth.

So there you have it. You want great horchata,  you go to Neza. It's a few steps off Hawthorne, but more than worth the detour.

Technorati Tags: PDX Carts, PDX Cart Food, Horchata

[pdx] It's Like A Second-Hand Store, Except That Everything's Free

2225.There's a new player in the 12th and Hawthorne Cart Zone, which has actually been expanding of late.

Among the cart pods in the City, the one at 12th and Hawthorne is, if not the most famous, the one with the most community. Going down for a Whiffie's pie or an El Brasero chorizo burrito or a cup of Yarp's noodles means you get to sit and watch a lot of interesting night people (well, at the hours we're likely to be there).

The pod there has gotten so successful that it's actually spawned a satellite at the corner of SE 11th and Clay, one block south and one block east, on the opposite side of the Burgerville. There's an Airstream trailer there – the Empress Diner – and Northwest Hot Dogs. And now, in a painted bus, also at 11th and Clay, there's the Portland Free Store.

The website is http://www.freestoreportland.org/, and they Twitter at twitter.com/freestorepdx. The tagline It's like a second-hand store, except that everything is free seems to sum up thier business model succinctly. And it seems to be something of a movement; on the Free Store Portland webpage is a shout out from the Free Store Tulsa (yes, the one in Oklahoma).

It's a charming concept – kind of like the ArtBox on SE 20th by Colonel Summers Park, except that you might actually want what's in it. And an old painted school bus? What's not to like here? Looks like a unique way to support Portland's DIY and share-and-share-alike culture.

Oh, they're going to be on KGW's Live@7 tonight, so hey, you might want to check this out.

Technorati Tags: PDX Carts, PDX Culture, PDX DIY, PDX Food Carts, 12th and Hawthorne