Down the Up Staircase
Was R.B. [Morris] actually at Patrick Sullivan's? We don't know. My wife and I showed up at around 9:15 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 17 (advertised showtime 9:30. WRONG!) we were herded upstairs to violate fire codes with a mob of other sour faced people who could not get pre-sold tickets (because there were none).
We stood around jammed into the booths of many people who were trying to eat between getting multiple sleeves and coat tails dragged through their stew. The servers were hawking drinks and shoving entrees through the mob of hair and sweat. It was pretty nasty.
Needless to say we didn't wait around for R.B.'s 11:30 showtime...ridiculous.
Patrick Sullivan's should not schedule entertainment for the sole purpose of infringing on everyone who happens into their establishment..
Don't get me wrong, I like the place, but I certainly won't be trying to see any entertainment offered at the place, and I hope I don't have the misfortune of eating there when someone is scheduled to perform.
R.B... find another place to play—and we are there.
Lestwealllose,
Steve Hancock
Knoxville
Where Do We Contribute?
Thank you for your feature on Gordon Bonnyman, Jr. [cover story, Jan. 25]. He sounds like a remarkable person. I have been fortunate to work with his sister, Anne. The article said that Mr. Bonnyman was instrumental in founding the Tennessee Justice Center. Does the center accept private donations, and is there an address you can direct your readers to in order to contribute to this cause?
Theresa Pepin
Knoxville
Ed.—The address is Tennessee Justice Center, 916 Stahlman Building, 211 Union St., Nashville, TN 37201.
Grow Your Own
Barry Henderson's story [Feb. 8 Metro Pulse] on the Knoxville area's billion-dollar grocery industry was both informative and troubling.
You would think that with so many different superstores to choose from, even the most finicky, diet-conscious, or medically restricted customers could find what they want at a decent price. You might also think that the ghost of Elvis haunts the Sunsphere, but in both cases, you'd be wrong.
It's very frustrating to learn that Knoxville has 4.75 square feet of grocery space per person, but I still have a hard time finding the most simple food items at an affordable price. Don't believe me? Try to find a loaf of 100% whole wheat bread that doesn't contain any partially hydrogenated oils or any Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Any luck? OK, now try to find a loaf of bread that meets these conditions and costs under four dollars!
There is not a major chain grocery in the entire Tennessee Valley that doesn't sell some bio-engineered food. It wouldn't be so bad if they would label these products (like they do in Europe) so everyone could make an informed choice. There are only a handful of health food stores and co-ops that make more than a token effort to provide organic, non-GMO food and naturally raised meat, and out of necessity they mostly charge prices that are out of reach of many working families.
A representative of the Tennessee Grocers Association is quoted in the article saying that "The public is acutely interested in food safety and nutritional issues..." however, none of the shoppers quoted in the article reflect these concerns. Perhaps people around here are really not interested in food quality issues, or maybe those of us who are just didn't shop on the day the surveys were conducted.
I don't consider myself a food nazi or health nut; I just want to buy food that has a higher nutritional value than earwax and is free of bio-engineered chicken genes. Without breaking the bank. Is this really too much to ask?
Maybe so. Maybe I should move with the times and just be happy that I can get hand-made sashimi at Kroger and save 30 cents on a 2-liter with my "Most Valuable Special Bonus Value Plus Card" (that keeps a record of every purchase I make to sell to junk mail companies). Or maybe I'll have to start my own farm. I wonder if my landlord would mind if I turn my living room into a grain silo....
Rebeca Meyer
Knoxville
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