For those expected a poised attempt on my part to tackle the beloved artform, I’m sorry to disappoint.
I thought I would share the fun and festive attempt by others this Thanksgiving to please the poetically inclined reader. The Tribune help a Thanksgiving Haiku Contest earlier this month.
Here are the winners. The winners are from San Ramon, Walnut Creek, El Cerrito and Concord.
Which for some reason has me wondering how many people on campus have swine flu. This article explains that they don’t have numbers because they stopped testing people for it. But prior to the summer, 98% of people with flu symptoms tested positive for H1N1, the Swine Flu. Also, since they stopped testing, roughly 10 to 20 people were showing up daily with flu symptoms.
What do you do for the swine flu? The same thing you do for any other flu. Sleep and take lots of fluids.
Goodnight.
The weather is hot but in a few weeks we will be feeling the chill of fall. Luckily, it will never get too cold for an outdoor farmer’s market. El Cerrito Plaza’s Farmer’s market convenes twice a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays and it’s great because it’s a block away from the El Cerrito Bart station.
There is also the Gourmet Ghetto Farmer’s market that meets on Thursdays and works for people who prefer the bus. I would say for Berkeley students and visiting family, these two are the most convenient.
I can sit here and enumerate every farmer’s market that I can think of or I can send you here where you can find a spreadsheet created by another blogger. Aw the world of blogging is so giving.You can thank the creator of that spreadsheet by going to his blog and showing him some love.
I live in Albany, just North-West of Berkeley, near the University Village where Berkeley houses their student families. Albany has a small hill near the shore. On the north side of this hill is a creak that marks the line between the border between Albany and El Cerrito. This creak is also the line between Alameda County and Contra Costa County.
On this hill in Albany is a park aptly named, Albany Hill Park. In this park is the most fantastic rope swing. The rope is tied to a Eucaliptus tree and the length of the rope is easily 30 feet. At the bottom of the rope is a plank with a hole in the middle through which the rope was pulled and then tied underneath. I caution that the rope seems to have once broken and the fate of the swing rider at the time of breakage is unknown (to me). The rope swing is a must try-a true bonding experience to share with a loved one.
It may be surprising that Berkeley doesn’t have a reputable place for Asian Food, especially not Chinese. Sure, you are thinking that Durant’s Asian Ghetto and the North Campus spot on Hearst should suffice. But let’s face it, these restaurants emphasize cheap eats, not quality food. It’s sort of an odd discovery but I am realizing that the highest density of good, “authentic” Chinese food is in El Cerrito, just north of Berkeley. I will go so far as to say that Chinatown in downtown oakland, doesn’t offer a greater variety. Why? Because Oakland chinatown is more of a grocery shopping hub. There are some restaurants but only a few that are even Chinese! And within those there are a whole range of restaurant types, like bbq vs dimsum, vs hongkong dining, etc. So you only get one or two of each. Plus there are Vietnamese and other Asian restaurants taking up prime real estate.
El Cerrito being a hub for Chinese food seems odd but then you consider the condo developments on Pierce Street and the 99 Ranch shopping center in the Pacific East Plaza and it all makes sense. First on the list is a familly favorite, Yummy’s on San Pablo. Whenever my dad comes to town, for some reason we go to Yummy’s. He’s not even a huge fan of Chinese food and he won’t eat it unless it’s top quality. But we go and sit and he talks about how inexpensive and consistent the food is every single time. Next on the list is Chef’s Chinese Restaurant in El Cerrito Plaza. I have had three independent recommendations to try this place out. It’s right next to Trader Joe’s and people rave about this place. Finally, I want to mention Daimo at the Pacific East Plaza on Peirce Street. I have to say that this place is crawling with people every time I pass by. It gets good reviews too but the clincher for me are all the asian folks who eat there. That’s got to be the best sign for determining authenticity.
Folks, if you haven’t heard, the Perseid meteor shower is on, right now! Lucky for us, we have the Sierras to escape into when we so happen to need to run from the city lights and view the sky in all it’s glory.
For Berkeleyites, a quick drive up past the stadium to the reservoir is enough to give you the best, literally the best, view. Why? The San Pablo reservoir has no street lights and it is surrounded by Tilden and other National Parks.
Guess where I’m going tonight.
These past few days have been foggier and chillier than some Novembers around here. It reminds me that living in the Bay Area is an odd juggling of moods and a constant safeguarding of ones health.. If you are a four seasons person, you know you will gain 10 lbs in the winter because you are cozying up at home and eating a lot of comfort food. You also know that as the sun diminishes, your mood may be a bit glum and that spring will take care of minor doldrums when it comes.
In the Bay, it is quite unsettling how the weather effects your mood. After two weeks of sun, you may experience severe allergies (at any given time of the year) as one or another plant variety is triggered to pollinate. Then two days later you may realize that your head has cleared up from the allergies but the sun has been obscured by deep blankets of fog affecting your joints and making it really really hard to get out of bed. You wonder if you are sick or if you are still allergic. Two days later, the sun is out and it’s impossible not to overexert yourself as you frolic with friends for hours on end, which may trigger a cold, which may trigger lethargy and a resistence to exercise, which may trigger a sluggish immune system, which may lead to bronchitis. Or you find yourself under dressed for the micro-climate ten blocks away at your friend’s barbeque and the next day you are beset with chills.
For Cal Students this means there are even more excuses not to stay focused as these minor emotional and physical set backs are unpredictable.
My suggestion is, oh I have said this many times, layer your clothes so you are never caught under dressed. Know that fog makes it harder to get out of bed so brace yourself to make that added effort so you don’t miss that very important lecture or breakfast before that dreaded midterm. Frolic on sunny days but be aware that you will have to pamper yourself a little that night with some hot tea or warm soup and antioxident rich foods (like blueberry burgers-I know, crazy). If you tend to be allergic, know that there is not one allergy season but about 6-7, depending on what folliage you are allergic to and prepare. And finally, keep tabs on the weather in advance. After a few years, you will start to get the hang of it.
Aside from the Ghetto there is more delicious food to be had. Solano Avenue is a cluster of shops and restaurants that traverses two cities, Berkeley and Albany. If you take Shattuck north from the Gourmet Ghetto and go through a tunnel, Shattuck Avenue turns into Solano Avenue, changing to Henry Street and then to Sutter Street for a short spell on the way. I am going to discuss Fonda only because, although I have tried a fair number of the restaurants on Solano, only Fonda has left a lasting impression.
Why Fonda? Well, it is a bit of a people watching spot with many well clad young and old visitors, a lovely, artistic interior decor and food that is startlingly delicious. Most of the restaurants on Solano are good, even great but Fonda offers memorable flavors, nothing is traditional.
It’s also a bit of a cocktail spot since the menu is Tapas. It’s not exactly a kid friendly place, which is a great way of subtley letting your newly college bound kid that you don’t think of him as a kid anymore.
It’s hard to pinpoint the best restaurants in the Gourmet Ghetto. The Ghetto literally grew around Alice Water’s Chez Panisse. If you google her, you will find a million references. She and her culinary cohort had a tremendous effect on the culinary evolution of the entire bay area toward rustic bread making, small batch micro-brewed beer and cuisine from fresh organic ingredients. Alice Waters is also the founder of Slow Food Nation.
In a sense, visiting and eating from the prix fix dinner menu or taking a less expensive taste of their cafe menu can be seen as a lesson in Post Modern History in the making, reverting back to the goodness of local and organic farming.
With that said, I urge parents to take a slow stroll around the area, have a slice of Cheese Board pizza, and later, after you take your 18 year old back to the hotel with a movie, go have a cocktail at Cesar’s (established by Alice Water’s ex, rumours say).
There is also the more recently established gourmet food court, Epicurious Garden. I have to say, I have not heard one negative review from friends, nor have I had a bad experience there.
For brunch you may want to take a look at Guerrilla Cafe. They serve french press coffee and more well made organic fare.
Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong in the Ghetto.
As promised, here is the low down on Berkeley restaurants. I personally think this is not something to be spelled out all in one post but briefly, there are about 100 restaurants around the campus-check that, 150 maybe. About 60 will feed you a huge meal for about $6. Most are edible and have some flavor.
Once you step off of the campus area, it will be hard to find a meal for $6 unless your going for a burrito, no extras. Aside from that fact, there are many places to get good food around town and it’s a great excuse to visit a new neighborhood. Out-of-towners, don’t forget to wear layers. If you don’t know what that mean’s because you come from a place with consistent weather, I assure you, despite my hatred for carrying any extraneous items, I have learned to wear several items of clothing that I intend to peel off and carry around with me for a while. Good thing for the ladies that it is now fashionable to wear purses the size of overnight bags.
So for today, I will give you the names of three hidden treasures which I am slightly loath to share as they are already pretty crowded (yes, yes, they are then not that hidden but it’s new to you). The first is Gioia’s Pizza on Hopkins. I am a New York City transplant and if you want amazing, genuine New York style pizza with a twist (the gourmet toppings) go to Gioia’s. Some people may be a little dismayed that I am not highlighting the Cheese Board (I am mentioning it though) because it is awesome, not NY Style pizza but yum; but I feel like the Cheese Board needs to be categorized as Gourmet Ghetto (are you taking notes?) and can be discussed in a later post. Also, the Board is far from being a hidden treasure. It’s kind of synonymous with North Berkeley and I’ll give you a little tour next time.
The second place I want to mention is Bakesale Betties in Temescal. There claim to fame is their chicken fried sandwich. I have a special fondness for this place because they took up a corner store that in prior years held businesses that just kept closing down. That to me is heartbreaking and it makes the neighborhood look bad. After they opened shop, there is so much more character to that ever-densely-trafficked part of town. And they give away free cookies all the time. Please don’t go there with expectations and a droopy face when they don’t hand you a free cookie. It is a gift not a right to get a free Bakesale Betty cookie that just melts in your mouth and makes you happy for possibly 48 hours.
And finally, to close out the triad, let’s talk about Vik’s Chaat Corner. Ok, when you get to Vik’s you will see that, no, Vik’s is no secret. But you need to understand that Vik’s fame grew slowly and just through word of mouth. I first went to Vik’s a decade ago when they occupied half the space they do now and had just a metal, roll-down gate for a front door. It was pretty secret back then, never more than 3 or 4 people seated in the dining area. Now they have customers busting out of their seams and they still deliver consistent amazing food. It’s so affordable that you don’t mind the cafeteria style dining, especially since half of Berkeley is sitting there with you, making it impossible not to run into people you know. Anyway, I think most people take about 2 years before someone lets them in on Vik’s and you wouldn’t go there intuitively because it’s on the edge of town. Walk a few blocks north and you can do a little walk through Berkeley’s 4th Street shopping area. It’s kind of like Berkeley’s version of 5th Avenue, (although, the last time I was in NYC, it looked like Fifth Avenue swallowed the entire city and left nothing to the commoners, for shame) .
Next time, Gourmet Ghetto, Lake Merritt and Solano Avenue Dining. This will be more of a tour for the parents because, though there are plenty of affordable eats in those areas, the restaurants worth talking about do not fit into a college students budget.
My Cal Student