Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Blue – Calvin Harris

San Francisco

Day 1

Philz Coffee -  Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee

Arinell Pizza- Cheese slice

Range-  Scallop crudo/salad, Roasted Chicken, Braised Beef

Bi-Rite Creamery – Roasted Banana and Salted Caramel Gellato

Laszlo – Chambord Cosmo and Hendricks Gimlet

Day 2

Philz Coffee-  Mint Mojito Ice Coffee and Turkish Delight

Tartine AM-  Morning Bun and Gougeres

Tartine PM – Loaf of bread fresh out of the oven with Brillat-Savarin cheese from Bi-Rite

Foreign Cinema- Apple Pop Tart, French Toast, and Grilled Duck salad

Out the Door – Fresh spring Rolls (9 bucks ! ! ! sorry couldn’t fight the thrifty scrooge in me)

Burma Superstar – Tea Leaf Salad and Rainbow salad

Day 3

Good Luck Dim Sum- turnip cake (HJ best) and various dim sum items

Ton Kiang -  Shrimp and Chive Dumplings. Owner was very welcoming and gregarious.

Roadside BBQ – Pulled pork sandwich. Texan staff showed great hospitality.

Schubert’s Bakery-  Swedish princess cake

San Tung – Dried fried chicken wings

Underdog’s taco shop – Nick’s Baja Fish Tacos and Makers Martini. Bartender (skinny white guy) took pride in his craft.

Katana-ya -  Chasu ramen (the leftover soup is still congealed in my fridge) and Extra spicy ramen

All that SF yummy = 3lbs more to love

Bah ! WHO pandemic warnings are for wussies ! We visited the El D.F. aka Mexico City in June so the pandemic was subsiding as was the air and hotel prices. We stayed at a hostel called Casa Comtesse in Condessa, a upper middle-class area of Mexico City. Upper-middle and any middle class is a sliver between the poor and ultra-rich. (Sometimes I forget that I the world majority is poor and brown). Overall we felt safe but the local police thought it best that we not walk around at 11pm and hailed us a cab one night. When I visit a foreign land I try to take in the people, food, and culture. I think HJ’s order is food, food,  and culture (between meals).  Here’s the rundown…

Comida:  Seafood at Contramar, tasting menu at Pujol (yes, pronounced Poo-hole), original al pastor tacos at Tizoncito, hot choco and churro at El Morro, and steak sandwich & salad at Sputino

Culture: Indigenous arts at the National Anthropology Museum, Contemporary Art Museum at U of DF and hiking around Teotihuacan.

People:  Like in all major urban cities, most folks were rushing around minding their own business. Subways are the best way to travel but also a great place to meet and hug some of the 21M DFers during rush hour.

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Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Rich Girls Poor Girls- Everybody Else

Some time ago I read and heard about Researcher Songpol Somsri of Thailand’s Horticultural Research Institute engineering an “odorless” Durian. “Blasphemy!” I yelled (well not out loud but in my mind I did). Today there was a NPR piece about onions being engineered to be “tearless.” I don’t get it. What’s wrong with food with some character? A durian by any other smell wouldn’t be a durian.

On a related note, Big brother was at again and trying to educate me about what Banana Republic was before it sold flat front chinos– Imperialistic Corporate America. Wait…has it changed that much.

OK, I am going to my have a teach-in at my corner carniceria.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: The First Five Times-Stars

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Polly Come Home-Robert Plant and Allison Krause

I ain’t big on the turkey so roasted up cornish hens with cinnamon, cumin, and quince. Quince is a fragrant and super tart apple-pear like fruit that is shaped like a tennis ball. Roasted it gives off umeboshi like flavoring. My first time using the fruit and found that it paired well with the spices and just needed a little sugar for balance. Wok cooked up a cream of sweet yam soup that had a good cinnamon kick to add the extra warmth needed for dining al fresco on a brisk fall night. It tasted even better the next day. Friends brought the wonderful carbs and greens which included potato balls (Khanh), candied yams with strawberries(Nina), seafood linguine(Ernie), chinese chick salad (Stee & Kim), waldorf salad(Jordan), turkey and cran stuffing(David), mash tators(Stee and Julie), and veggie apps (G and Minh). The booze of the night was Beaujolais noveau from Dupond and Duboeuf–both light and tasty to quaff as you gorge.

I am glad that I have times like these to combat the Grinch in me. Consumerism during the holidays it takes on a whole new nadir and has been straight bumming me out lately. The downside of economic knowledge and maybe knowledge of institutions in general, is the more you learn the more you see that the world is a machine trying to exploit you—damn all that Yunnus and NPR killing all the Xmas magic. So this holiday season do what Reverend Billy says, “Buy less, and give more.”

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Terrapin(Mr.Scruff Remix)-Bonobo

Tofu Fest 07 was bigger than ever. Some past years were lil better because of they had a big kids crafts area, live music, and more shaded rest areas. And it was HOT and I have sandal tan lines to prove it. Still the masses came which meant snaking lines for everything. Never stood in line so long for tofu. Had a kid in one hand most of the time and a tofu in the other so no pics of the grub. Best dishes were the tofu-hambug from Tokyo Table and tofu cheesecake from House Foods. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have any stuffed tofu mascot toys…you know for the kids.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Smoker Detector-Rilo Kiley

Attached Files:

• Tofu Festival 07

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: I’m Married-Tegan & Sara

One thing of note that I’ve enjoyed during my runs is all the smells I come across. If you know me, you know my nose. Dinner cooking, Jasmine flowers, wet grass, fast food grease, lingering perfumes, soapy shower steam, and the confluence of all those smells when you are running through dense apartment flanked streets.

Street art by Swoon, “I don’t buy that some absentee landlord neglecting the side of his factory is better than citizens participating in what happens to it. What if I can make something twice as powerful, so much tinier, and right at the ground where everyone is? What if I made something with my hands that became more important to people’s experience of the city?”

Dish of the Day: Comfort food classic, Chicken Fried Rice

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Twirling of the ceiling fan and Low Stars – Calling All Friends

Food and wine always tastes better when it’s all for a good cause and served by Asian celebrities. Best dish and drink of the night were surprisingly the standards: grilled salmon and asparagus hand rolls from Roy’s and an ice-cold, Tiger beer. And yes, I am man enough to say it, I have a man crush on Russell Wong.

Soundtrack of Mi Vida: Just-Mark Ronson ft. Phantom Planet