V is for Valerie Phillips.

"Classy confections — Artisans know beans about chocolate" Ah ah ah. Oooh, that Valerie Phillips has done it again! She just has a word with ways, no wait that's Bush... she just knows how to stir up a tasty and tempting title.
The article is about 2 chocolatiers in Utah, some of the best in the country. They are so great they win national awards. I first read about them in a different section of the paper, naturally. I would love to go on a chocolate hunt and find out for myself why they are so divine, especially since my former favorite Scharffen Berger (now a Hershey company) is just not right any more. However, for the last while chocolate gives me a serious head & stomach ache. Boo hoo hoo. I would have loved the article even more! had it not been so tepid, short and full of cliches.
A friend recently asked what Valerie Phillips looks like. She is the food editor for a large-ish daily paper ... I think it is fair that I publish hers, if not a bit mean spirited.

A question here might be, "What would Rona do?" She wouldn't flinch: publish it. David Letterman's criteria for making fun of someone is that if it is something the person has done to him/herself it is fair game. If the situation is involuntary, don't use it. Clinton's "zipper problem" = fair game. The stupid things Paris Hilton's says? Fair. Hmmmm. Now that I am thinking about it... he might not publish VP's mug shot. She can't help that she likes green bean casserole, with fried canned onions on top ... but then again, she could have cooked up a garnished portrait with more flair, style and icing.

The other articles are about old-fashioned puddings (about 800 calories a bite) and chicken pot pies on the fast with frozen puff pastry tops. How elegant, upscale and quick!

I read all this and wonder, "Who chooses this stuff?" Oh yeah. Madame Phillips, Food Editor.