The Dispatch Monthly Mailbag with Victoria Holmes

It’s our associate audio and video producer’s turn to answer your questions.

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(Photo via Victoria Holmes)

Dear Dispatch readers,

Thank you to everyone who participated in February’s Monthly Mailbag with Morning Dispatch reporter, Mary Trimble. To read about her childhood overseas, movie and music taste, and fantasy football advice, be sure to click here.

This month, associate audio and video producer Victoria Holmes has raised her hand to take on all of your questions.

Victoria joined The Dispatch in December 2022 after working as a TV news reporter, and she helps produce all of our podcast and video content, including Dispatch Live. She’s also played a big role in developing our YouTube presence.

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  1. Santanu.Roy

    Do you listen to WFMU radio, the station of the nation, the fun 91 ? It's the best !!!

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    Mark Grapentine

    What was the whiplash like going from local TV reporting to an in-depth outlet like The Dispatch?

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    ARS

    I hope people got a chance to read your first column for the Dispatch that tells a little bit about yourself: https://thedispatch.com/article/reflections-on-hispanic-heritage-month/ One very important question from someone who has spent their entire adult life in the DC and Houston areas: I saw your tweet about the difficulty of finding a Diet Dr. Pepper in DC (much more available in H-Town by the way). While regular Dr. Pepper is the best, I've found I like Dr. Pepper Zero much better than the Diet. What's your preference?

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    Kurt

    Per the chicken sandwich thing... China has embraced the chicken sandwich to a degree that's remarkable, with hundreds/thousands of new "hoping to expand" type storefronts featuring chicken sandwich variations that are all being called "burgers". Anything in a bun is a called a burger...actually, any thing resembling a sandwich, i.e., something between two slices of bread, is called a "burger". On busy thoroughfares, there can be half a dozen chicken 'burger" joints in a single block.

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  5. John Boland

    Please, who is your favorite Saint and why? And do tell about the best coffee spots in DC. Do you have a favorite coffee shop in Virginia, NOVA or farther in?

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    Danny M

    Need the coffee recs for DC. I live in Virginia, but my girlfriend lives up by U St NW so we head to The Wydown on 14th, Coffee Bar on S St, and the chains like Bluestone Lane & Compass. Also, curious if your experiences in Spain have given you a stance on the dairy milk vs milk substitutes debate.

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    SD

    Curious about your take on beaches. I grew up in Boston, so love me an Atlantic Ocean beach, but now that I have two kids in Chicago, I think that city's beaches might be the best. Completely different feel, but I love the fact that you can be at the beach with a downtown filled with skyscrapers as your backdrop

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      Kurt

      Inside 'The Playpen" boating area, that little corner beach closest to Navy Pier....access to the swim lanes, but somehow quiet.

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  8. Mpkp1989

    Have you ever walked the Camino de Santiago? If so, what are some tips?

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    Vp

    Long before it became controversial, Chick-fil-a was known for treating its workers better than the typical fast food chain--paying somewhat better, offering educational benefits, investing in training--and having less turnover as a result. (It wasn't pure kindness, in other words.) But my detailed knowledge of this is decades old. When you worked there, was this still the case?

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  10. Richard Kennedy

    Ok. First things first and most important. Coco. Describe, explain. Is the name a tribute to one of the great women of the 20th c.? Many here love dogs and indulge your other boss accordingly.
    On Spanish wine, why must there be red v white? Tell me of good Spanish white, but my question is more about other Spanish wines. I discovered Cava as a waiter almost 50 years ago and never looked back. However, does not Sherry itself get its Anglicized name from a region in Spain?
    I’m sure everyone will ask, but what Chic-fil-A hacks?
    Finally, is there bandwidth for articles and news letters read? Is it possible? For a modest fee, I might be recruited.

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    1. Howmanydiscs

      Victoria: You handed me a microphone at the DC Dispatch event a while back and recorded my two-drinks-in ramblings for the first episode of "The Skiff." I mentioned my friend Rich Kennedy and said we were fellow evangelicals, but Rich later reminded me that he'd moved on from evangelicalism, umm, decades ago! My apologies to Rich, to you, and to the listeners I misinformed! If I ever get the chance to record a soundbyte at a future Dispatch event in DC, I'll try to do better. Also: Which of the Dispatch's podcasts is your favorite? Don't duck the question: You have to choose one!

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      1. Richard Kennedy

        I’m childless, but isn’t that almost like asking a parent about their favorite child?

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        1. Howmanydiscs

          I, a father of four (plus a foster kid), almost used that analogy myself. I kind of wanted her to choose "The Remnant," but doesn't Jonah always thank another producer for working on his podcast? I'm confused. Between this place and the Bulwark, I listen to WAY TOO MANY podcasts.

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          1. Richard Kennedy

            There should be a way to record laughs. Maybe Jonah is giving credit like a tip to the Maitre D’ on the way out.

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    2. Whiskeyman

      Im going to piggyback your wine questions with a couple more and a couple comments.

      I also find red vs white a weird way to frame a wine debate. Neither is superior IMO. Sherry is from Jerez. Not sure about the etymology of Sherry though.

      Do you like Fino and/or Amontillado Sherry and if you do, why do you think it is hardly consumed in America?

      Spanish whites-can you agree that Albariño is the best of all Spanish whites and if not can will you explain why you’re wrong😀?

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      1. Richard Kennedy

        What Burke say. I am not up to speed on Sherry, I was wondering if she had anything to contribute. I find Albariños that I’ve had a little too subtle, or diluted(?), but at my price point, I do enjoy Spanish reds and roses. I have had maybe one disappointing Cava. Ask the folks paid to wander the wine aisles at good shops and grocers. They’ll tell you. Cava is the more dash than cash way to go with sparkling wine! Priced like bulk process, made traditional method.Again, I want to know what she thinks if she’s tried them. If there is ever a meet and greet anywhere near Detroit, I plan to question Steve on Cava as well.

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        David Burke

        Sherry is the bastardized anglicization of Jerez.

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        1. Whiskeyman

          Makes sense. Thanks for answering

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            David Burke

            Look for Bodegas Yuste.

            Specifically, their Aurora line which encompasses Manzanilla, Amontillado, Oloroso, and Pedro Ximenez. Aurora was the Matriarch of the estate. She took over when her husband died and she was a very young bride. As luck would have it, she proved a very talented winemaker and astute governor of the bodega. She ran the enterprise from the end of the 19th century into the the mid 20th. The wine in the solera still has her imprint. The artwork on the bottles are portraits of her through the years.

            Ambrosia.

            Absolute ambrosia.

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            David Burke

            My pleasure, Whiskey

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