Things I Can't Wait to Do

At the risk of sounding ungrateful — I mean, I did just return from an incredible weekend in Tuscany to an apartment in London, with trips to Prague, Budapest, and Paris lined up for the next month — what was my point again? Oh right, here are the things I cannot wait to do when I return to SF.

1. See all my friends, preferably at a venue featuring karaoke
2. Hit up Thai House Express weekly, if not daily
3. Get a pedi (pedis cost roughly 50 GBP in London, and open-toed shoes are out of the question anyway)
4. Try out some Rock & Republic eye liner
5. Stock the fridge/freezer with: Molinari hot salami, Krinos tarama, Bellwether farms yogurt, wontons from Shanghai in Oakland Chinatown
6. Have an amazing night's sleep in our own bed
7. Set up my pole again
8. Restart my Netflix deliveries so I can catch up on Mad Men
9. Book my next trip out of the country :)

Book Addict

Moving to London for three months (during the bulky-clothing winter months, no less), forced me to set some serious packing priorities. Mistakes were made. I packed four pairs of shoes but no flip-flops (this needs to be remedied before my four day Italian excursion, since I have acute germaphobia and refuse to use any hotel shower — no matter how clean or fancy — in bare feet).

I also somehow thought I was going to survive the trip with only two books: No Logo and Middlesex. This was vastly misguided. I only managed to last a grand total of five days before I caved and bought How to Lose Friends and Alienate People and the new Bill Bryson. Those complete, I have now dropped all pretense of controlling myself and just went on a book-buying binge on Amazon.co.uk. By the time I move back to S.F., I'll need an entire suitcase for my new library.

Second Impressions

I try and keep an open mind at all times. Still, it came as a bit of a shock to me today when I found SF-level coffee and Shanghai-level Chinese food in London in the same day.

I should add that these are my holy grail items in any city I visit. I would have been perfectly satisfied with a good Italian restaurant and a nice cheese shop, but this was like going to the Salvation Army and finding a pristine designer purse: Jackpot!

The reason I'd truly given up hope is that our foodie friends — who certainly know both their coffee and their Chinese food — have been incredibly helpful and generous about showing us all of their favorite places. They took us to perfectly passable Szechuan at trendy Bar Shu, and pointed me to serviceable but bitter cappuccino at the highly touted Monmouth. So I'd pretty much given up on finding anything great in either of those departments during my stay here.

Today, they really delivered the goods though. I guess it's all the sweeter for being unexpected.

It is, of course, not entirely out of the question that two and a half weeks in London have simply lowered my standards immeasurably.

The London Diet

Day 7 of the London diet is on. That's the diet where you can't afford to eat, and when you do, the food isn't very good.

Turns out the rumors of the London food renaissance have been greatly exaggerated. I don't want to pass judgment too quickly, since I'm sure there are outstanding restaurants at the upper end. Still...paying $50 for an indifferent Indian meal for two is a bit disheartening.

So I've experienced a sensation that is entirely new to me. I find myself thinking: "Oh God, is it time to eat? Again?" Which is never a feeling I have in San Francisco, NY or L.A., where my thoughts are usually closer to: "Ooooh, where should we eat tonight?" or "Can I possibly cram any more food into my overstuffed belly?"

Since I am not the kind of person who can live without good food for three months (make that three days), I have started to cook nearly all of our meals. Luckily, the price of groceries here is roughly comparable to the U.S. It's kind of odd cooking over here. All of the measurements are different, and I went to four different grocery stores in an unsuccessful attempt to find slivered almonds. Slivered almonds anyone? If you're visiting me, that would be a great thing to bring.

Meanwhile, you can find various exotica like baby fennel and sliced venison at even your most bog standard chain supermarkets. It's like a foreign country here or something.

Now That's What I'm Talking About

Exactly a year ago to the day, I quit my solid job at Yahoo! to aim for something freer. I wanted to take risks and try a ton of things out, whether it be pole dancing classes or living on my own (for the first time ever!). In the last year, I've become addicted to the freelance lifestyle, starting with the fact that my daily commute consists of a half-awake stumble from my bed to the den.

Tomorrow, I head to London for three months (and get to keep my current writing gig), which is pretty much the best way I could have expected this year to end. I jumped into this whole freelance thing without fear, despite the fact that near the beginning, two whole months went by without a single gig. And the way things are headed in the economy, I'm sure that won't be the last time I wonder where my next paycheck is coming from. Still, the money has managed to work out roughly even, and the trade-off is incredible, unbelievable amounts of freedom.

It reminds me of the cheesy inspirational line: what would you do if you knew you could not fail?

I think leaving the country for three months with one of my favorite people is a pretty good start.

I Heart Shoes

This is what love looks like.

Omnivore's 100

I believe I've previously mentioned my penchant for trying new things. Especially when it comes to food. If I see something on a menu that I've never tasted before, my first instinct is always to order it.

So I enjoyed filling out the Omnivore's 100. I'm 80% of the way there! Though I think I'll save #75 for last.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (my mom made it; I think I should get extra points for that)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I've had cognac and I've tried a cigar, though not both at once. Still I'm counting it)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat's milk (Many, many items made from goat's milk, but never the actual milk)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (Let's just assume if it's alcoholic, I've had it)
46. Fugu (though only dried, and therefore not dangerous)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald's Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (whoops, scratch what I said about alcohol next to #45)
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Pole Dancing

It's nearly impossible to come of age in L.A. without finding yourself in a strip club at some time or another. In my case, I was about 20, hanging out with a friend at the Star Strip. When I walked in, my first thought was not about the fake breasts or semi-seedy clientele. No, what I thought was: omg, that looks freaking awesome. *That* being the gymnastic feats that were being performed on the center stage pole, as impressive as any acrobatics I'd ever seen.

I decided right then and there that I wanted to learn how to pole dance. But I put it off for years. Too expensive. Too impractical. Where on earth would one practice such a thing?

But last week, I bit the bullet and signed up for a four week series in North Beach. And the first class was a blast. From the moment I completed my first successful spin, I was completely hooked. When you get it right, you glide around the pole, propelled by your own momentum, revealing a hidden grace and strength. The experience was utterly addictive. And the lesson I learned was not that everyone should pole dance, but that everyone should do what it is they've always longed to do. Chances are, you'll love it.

Split Personality

I'm 99.9% sure I was the only person on the plane from JFK to SFO who was reading Cosmo and Naomi Klein. Also, on the previous flight, I watched the Diving Bell and the Butterfly, followed by Freaky Friday. Lilo used to be so adorable.

City Living

I find sameness to be boring, so I guess it's a blessing in disguise that these were my two primary thoughts during my 10-minute walk to lunch.

#1: Oh hey, they planted a vegetable garden in front of City Hall. How much do I love my city?

#2: Wow, Larkin Street seriously smells exactly like a toilet.

Speaking of hearting SF, the San Francisco Arts Commission has a really cool window installation site at 155 Grove, and there's always something interesting in it:
http://www.sfacgallery.org