A Moveable Feast
Party Cart dishes up ever-changing menus of fresh, seasonal, “subversively healthy” cuisine.
By Shirley West
The lead of this story doesn’t grab at the reader very well but I continued reading because I like food. I wanted to know what was so special about this “creative take on urban comfort food.” I like the description of the cart, right down to the hand made cloth napkins, giving the reader a real picture of what the cart is like and how it feels to eat there. The author lists off several of the dishes offered at the cart, giving the reader an idea of how the food is different from the norm. She also talks about the different “guest chefs,” the local foods, and the cart owners getting to know the people, creating a real community atmosphere that makes the reader want to go there and to be part of the mission. The author obviously spent a lot of time at the cart and talked to customers and friends to get some background information which gives the story a lot of strength. She could have done without her additional ending, though. She should have left it at “So far, it’s been a good ride. ‘We’ve been surprised pretty much since day one about how many cool people we’ve met,’ Norton says. ‘We really didn’t think of that; that we’d make friends.'” But then she adds the word Party at the very end making it weird.
Living with pain
A Springfield woman endures a debilitating facial condition
By Randi Bjornstad
I’m still having trouble deciding if this isn’t a profile. I’m going to say it’s not. I think it’s a short feature on a certain type of health issue with Jenny LeCompte as the central figure suffering from this disorder. The description of LeCompte’s pain is fantastically done in the lead. It gives an incredible idea of what this woman has to go through on a daily basis. I felt like the use of the French term was unnecessary. If our doctors call it trigeminal neuralgia, then call it trigeminal neuralgia. Although, saying that many call it the “suicide disease” really gives an idea of how bad it can get.
It’s obvious the writer did plenty of research and has specific details on the topic. The middle of the article gets a little dry in the discussion of the disorder on a medical basis. But then the anecdotes about her surgeries and the elation she felt when the first one worked and then the crushing blow when the pain came back again, they really put emotion into the story.
The ending was good, but sad. The reader finishes the story with the knowledge that the subject isn’t going to get better. But it ends with a quote from the subject that she just needs to keep on pushing forward. It’s inspiring.
I like in “Moveable” how you pick up on the community spirit of the cart, and how the writer makes readers want to be part of it. And yes, the description and anecdotes of that woman’s facial agony are searing and memorable.