FEASTPDX 2017: 6 Tips

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. I was down in San Jose meeting my nephew. The little guy is 2 months old and already my favorite person in the whole world. While he was taking care of business his puppy brother and I started thinking about FEAST and how to get prepared (FEAST #6 kicks off Thursday, September 14th with Sandwich Invitational) -- Thanks, Jonas! While he was quite sad to realize he wouldn't be able to attend he did agree on these six tips to make the most out of FEAST 2017.

BITE BUDDY

 Meg of Landing Standing

There will be an abundance of bites and you most likely won't want to miss one. There's just a tiny issue -- you only have one stomach. Here's my trick for trying everything, getting seconds, and avoiding pain: get a bite buddy. Here's how it works: get a buddy, split up, and reconnect. Each buddy will stand in line and grab a small dish. This way you each take one bite of each dish, compared to eating an entire mini sandwich or taco. After trying everything you'll know the one or two bites that are worthy of waiting in line and getting an extra taste. 

Get Moving. Every Morning.

Hangover or food baby, you need to get moving. It doesn't need to be a grueling class, but you need to get moving. Head to the gym, go on an urban hike, or take a class. No matter what, get your body moving for 45 minutes every morning.

Looking for a studio? Try BurnCycle, Firebrand (Urban Row and Full Tilt), Orange Theory, Fulcrum, and Barre3.

Portable Phone Charger

Find out what is in my bag.

Three words: Portable phone charger. 

Why? Instagram. Texting. Pictures. Lyft. 

Get a manicure.

Your hands will be photographed... by professionals, friends, strangers, and yourself. Have fun and pick a jazzy color.

Research.

Smoked Beef Tongue from Paul Kahan Feast 2015

FEAST brings in some of Oregon's most innovative and inspiring chefs AND stars from around the world. When heading into an event research which chefs and artisans will be represented. I find this helpful to strategize which booths I'll go to first and get me excited for FEAST. Be sure to give the chefs a follow on Instagram -- they usually share sneak peeks and previews of the dishes that will be served. I especially love following them on Instagram Stories and predicting what they are making.

Come back next week for the 10 bites I'm most excited to try at FEAST 2017.

Know why you FEAST.

FEAST is amazing, but the reason WHY we Feast is even more important: ending childhood hunger. FEAST donates a portion of the proceeds to Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon. Specific initiatives with Oregon Fruit Products provide children with lunches and summer meals. In addition to a portion of ticket sales supporting this organization, you'll have the opportunity to meet the PHFO team at FEAST events -- donate and sign up to volunteer!