the internet at my house is down, down, down for a few days, so no posts or pics till that's fixed. but i went to the tuesday market and got some lovely pictures, so i'll get those up eventually.

i'm sneaky on the work computer now. but it's been blowing up a lot lately, so i'll get off. i have to go roll flatbreads anyway. and maybe i'll get some tortilla soup from tacubaya.....

yum.
i'm not exactly sure why, but i have this kind of sickness where i really always need to be first, like the first one to recognize that something is cool, or that something is trendy, or or its way out or something. it's this ugly, competitive thing, and i've got to say that having a blog doesn't exactly help.

cupcakes are cool now, so i feel like i need to stop liking them.

heck, food and food writing are cool now, so i feel like i need to stop liking them. but i kind of can't, since it's my job to like them. so, i decide to do the next best thing and be as simple as possible about all of it. i guess that's why the kind of food we make at work fits.--i'm all about distilling things down to their very essences, and not in the ferran adria el bulli sort of way.

i guess i even feel the same way about books, and writing and poetry. the essence is the thing. the quintessence. i kind of can't stand bells and whistles.

brazil cafe


brazil cafe, originally uploaded by ciaosamin.

after hearing about this place for what seems like months, i finally made it there for lunch yesterday to have a tri-tip sandwich. sadly, it was just alright--nothing too special about it. but, it's all about the atmosphere (literally, when the weather turns gray), and the guy has got it going.

ACK!

how scary would it be to wake up to this (click on chef d'oeuvres)? yesterday i awoke and checked the new york times, as i often do, and was nearly scared out of my skin when she was suddenly staring back at me. yikes! it's enough to know that she's always watching at work, but i can't even begin to imagine having here there all of the time. eek. who is nino mancari and what the heck was he thinking?
so about a month ago, i decided to start running again. and i set a goal for myself--to run bay to breakers in may.

i thought it would be a good idea to run a couple of shorter races before then (bay to breakers is 12k!) and searched for local runs. unfortunately, unlike san diego--a runner's mecca--where there are 5k races pretty much every weekend, here, there's nothing through the rainy season. so the first nearby race i could find was at the end of march, and i went ahead and signed up for it without giving it too much thought or even looking at the course map.

well, about a week ago i started to panic about this five-miler (around the time i realized that five miles on the elliptical trainer is not the same as 5 miles on thr road), and luckily, lasassy agreed to suffer through it with me. along the way, she convinced her bff and bf both to come do it with us, and it became a whole thing.

we made spaghetti and meatballs the night before and watched a terrible movie. in the morning, we tried to convince our gastrointestinal systems to work with us, and then we set off for sausalito.

we pretty much knew before we got there that we'd be the biggest amateurs there, but for me at least, it didn't set in until i spied all of the different gizmos and waterbottles the peeps all had. we were all freaked out about our 8k race, and there were people there who were EXCITED to run 50k. that's more than a marathon. WHAT were they thinking?

after a literally rocky (and uphilly) start, the run went along without a hitch. except maybe the part where lasassy's bff took a wrong turn and ended up on the 20k course instead of our wimpy 8k one. ha!

in the end, we snacked on gummi bears and goldfish and all was well.

until now, when i realize that i forgot to stretch my quads and my legs feel like concrete. i think i have to invest in some glucoSAMINe next time i go to the store. i'm an old lady now and i need to take care of my deteriorating body.

damn that super-saver shipping at amazon. i've been waiting for my new digicam (i finally sucked it up. the sale was too good to avoid) for over a week! even the camera bag got here before the actual camera. did.

the good news is that when it finally gets here, there will be all sorts of exciting photos to go along with my lame posts. yay!

A True Account of Talking to the Sun at Fire Island

The Sun woke me this morning loud
and clear, saying "Hey! I've been
trying to wake you up for fifteen
minutes. Don't be so rude, you are
only the second poet I've ever chosen
to speak to personally
so why
aren't you more attentive? If I could
burn you through the window I would
to wake you up. I can't hang around
here all day."
"Sorry, Sun, I stayed
up late last night talking to Hal."

"When I woke up Mayakovsky he was
a lot more prompt" the Sun said
petulantly. "Most people are up
already waiting to see if I'm going
to put in an appearance."
I tried
to apologize "I missed you yesterday."
"That's better" he said. "I didn't
know you'd come out." "You may be
wondering why I've come so close?"
"Yes" I said beginning to feel hot
and wondering if maybe he wasn't burning me
anyway.
"Frankly I wanted to tell you
I like your poetry. I see a lot
on my rounds and you're okay. You may
not be the greatest thing on earth, but
you're different. Now, I've heard some
say you're crazy, they being excessively
calm themselves to my mind, and other
crazy poets think that you're a boring
reactionary. Not me.
Just keep on
like I do and pay no attention. You'll
find that some people always will complain
about the atmosphere, either too hot
or too cold too bright or too dark, days
too short or too long.
If you don't appear
at all one day they think you're lazy
or dead. Just keep right on, I like it.

And don't worry about your lineage
poetic or natural. The Sun shines on
the jungle, you know, on the tundra
the sea, the ghetto. Wherever you were
I knew it and saw you moving. I was waiting
for you to get to work.

And now that you
are making your own days, so to
speak,
even if no one reads you but me
you won't be depressed. Not
everyone can look up, even at me. It
hurts their eyes."
"Oh Sun, I'm so grateful to you!"

"Thanks and remember I'm watching. It's
easier for me to speak to you out
here. I don't have to slide down
between buildings to get your ear.
I know you love Manhattan, but
you ought to look up more often.
And
always embrace things, people earth
sky stars, as I do, freely and with
the appropriate sense of space. That
is your inclination, known in the heavens
and you should follow it to hell, if
necessary, which I doubt.
Maybe we'll
speak again in Africa, of which I too
am specially fond. Go back to sleep now
Frank, and I may leave a tiny poem
in that brain of yours as my farewell."

"Sun, don't go!" I was awake
at last. "No, go I must, they're calling
me."
"Who are they?"
Rising he said "Some
day you'll know. They're calling to you
too." Darkly he rose, and then I slept.

--Frank O'Hara

shout outs!

ciao sacia e giacomo! come state? la nostra amica melissa mi ha ordinato a salutarvi. poi, volevo ringraziarti, sacia, per i tuoi complimenti troppi belli per questo "blog." spero che la vita legale non sia troppo stancante per te. e spero di conoscervi tutti due abbastanza presto!

and congrats to DR and CS who don't have to move because of a wonderful new job here in the bay area!

la primavera fiorentina

as spring nears, and with it, spring break, i've been getting more and more requests from people who read my posts over at the food section for some recommendations on where to go and what to eat in florence. so, in lieu of responding to each of them one by one, i am going to make a list, or series of lists, depending on how ambitious i get with this project, and post it here. please check back, because i'll update as i go along. also, if all you really want to know about is food, then please, please go buy emily wise miller's book, the food lover's guide to florence, because it is, quite simply, the most well-researched, up to date, all-encompassing book on the food in florence. and well-written, too. it's completely worth it.


trattoria zibibbo
via di terzollina, 3/R
50129 firenze
tel. 055 433 383

take the 14c bus from the center to the last stop at the piazetta di careggi. walk up the hill 35 steps and you'll see zibibbo on the right. i spent nearly two years here, and in my humble opinion, benedetta vitali serves the best food in tuscany. her ragu', pigeons, squid ragu' and arancini are unbeatable. in fact, the arancini may be the best thing i have ever eaten, period. the food might not be cheap, but it's worth every penny.

benedetta was the heart and soul of florence's famed cibreo, which she started with her then-husband fabio picchi. now, zibibbo is all soul. the tuscans come from near and far to taste her mashed potatoes. i also love the red wooden floors and the wall of photos. you can also take cooking courses, for a day, weekend or week, from benedetta and her staff. the kitchen may be tiny, but you'd be amazed to see how much goes on in there. don't get frustrated if the website is not up to date or if she doesn't email you back. just call her and be persistent and you'll get through to the real, warm benedetta. she's warm, inviting, gentle and kind.


ristorante da delfina
59015 artimino (firenze)
via della chiesa, 1
tel. 055 87 18 074

a rustic hunting lodge/restaurant in artimino, outside florence, with handmade pastas, beautiful spit-roasted and grilled meats, and perhaps the world's best ribollita. delfina is the owner carlo cione's mother, 90-some odd years old and still thriving. sunday lunch is especially nice. closed sunday for dinner and monday. from florence, take the slow train to signa and take a taxi from the station to artimino. don't bother with driving--you'll get lost. if you don't speak italian, ask for primo as your waiter. he's wonderful, and ask how his baby boy is doing.

dario cecchini
via xx luglio, 11r
panzano in chianti

dario is the closest thing i have to family in italy. he is one of the most special people i've ever met, and honestly, i don't think that everyone can appreciate him for what he really is. he is one of the most generous, honorable, and sensitive people i have ever known, but at the same time humorous, well-read, and knowledgable. now, read those last two sentences again, knowing that dario is a butcher. enough has been said about him in articles, so just google him and you'll find out pretty much everything you need to know about dario.

tenuta di capezzana
via capezzana, 100
59015 carmignano
055 870 6005

capezzana oil is, in my opinion, the finest olive oil in all the land. you can arrange a visit, to see the winery, the olive oil press, and the vin santo room. oh, the amazing vin santo room. if capezzana isn't actually open to the public, faith and jennifer set up courses in the castello a few times a year. i went there once when they were making pizza in the lovely wood-burning oven behind the kitchen, right at the time of the olive harvest.

trattoria marione
50123 firenze
via della spada, 27/r
tel. 055 214 756
closed sunday

apparently, there was an article on some florence eateries in the new york times several years ago, and marione was the most affordable. so, it's been slammed ever since by american tourists. but, it's still decent. the ribollita is pretty good. a friend lives next door, so she's a regular there. it's one of the least chintzy places to eat in the center of florence, which, i think, is saying a lot. and, you won't get ripped off.


all'ancora secca
via di ginori, 21/r
50123 firenze
tel. 055 216 423

ancora secca is the only place i've found that still marbles its own paper, binds its own books, dyes its own leather, and makes things to order. i have the most lovely orange leather photo album i had them make for me. and another marbled one i spied every time i walked past the store for nearly a year, and then just broke down and bought. its actually pretty affordable, considering the work that goes into each journal and album. this is, hands down, the finest paper store in florence.


ottica foto mb
via ghibellina, 131/r
tel. 055 219 380

if you need some film or batteries for your digital camera, or if you want to get some photos developed (from film--i'm not sure if they develop digipics), this is the place to go. definitely, foto mb is the best photo developing service in the center. they do both glossy and matte, and they have those cute white borders everyone seems to want on their pictures. photos usually take two days, which isn't bad, considering you're in italy.

bar hemingway
piazza piattellina 9/r
50124 firenze
055 284 781

bar hemingway is a chocolate lover's dream. the hot chocolate with peperoncino is amazing. the place is cute, and trendy, a little san francisco, a little paris. with lounge chairs and couches. the regulars can get a little pushy, though, so stand your ground. it's a night spot, and doesn't really come alive until 11 or midnight, so if you want to miss the crowds, go early.



caffe coquinarius
via delle oche, 15/r
50122 firenze
tel. 055 230 2153
closed sunday

this little enoteca has the most delicious pear and cheese tortelli i've ever had the pleasure of tasting. the sad truth is that they don't make them in house, but who cares, when they're this good. it's a good place to grab something to eat in the awkward siesta hours when everything else is closed.


la dantesca
via panzani, 4

i used to live just upstairs of this pizzeria, and it was months before i realized that they have a wood burning oven. it looks pretty touristy, and in all truth, it pretty much is, but you just can't beat a delicious wood-fired pizza, ready in about five minutes, for about five euros--tourists or not.

vestri
pugi
caffe italiano (da enzo)
via isola delle stinche, 11-13/r
50122 firenze
tel. 055 289 368
bizzari
via della condotta, 32/r
055 214 966
quelle tre
officina profumo--farmaceutica di santa maria novella
via della scala, 16
055 288 657
gilda bistrot
piazza lorenzo ghiberti, 40-41/r
tel. 055 234 3885
alright, so i've been doing some cool stuff lately:

last week, j-do took me to dinner (courtesy of her company) at tamarine, a fancypants asian-fusion restaurant in menlo park. the food was pretty good, and it was totally the type of place i would never be able to go to on my own. and even though i live in berkeley, being in menlo park and seeing a completely different kind of university life in action made me suddenly want to be in school again. i started thinking about how wonderful it might be to go to stanford. mostly, though, it was just good seeing my friend, and having a great time with her. thank you so much, j-do.

on friday, lasassy and i got together to make a present for j-do's birthday. i went over to her house and we pretty much spilled every art and craft thing we own on the floor and proceeded to make pages for a book we bound for our friend. presents, like prada lip balm, a brooch, and gold and tourquoise earrings, were parts of the pages. it was a really great thing, i think, and j-do seemed to love it. we also baked her a matching tourquoise cake with gold rolos on it.

saturday, after spending hours fruitlessly looking for my white ipod headphones, i met lasassy and we made our way to the bambuddha lounge, where we met everyone for the birthday dinner. it was fun, but ridiculously expensive, and the food didn't compare to where we'd eaten on monday. the best part was when they brought out the lame cake we made--this trendy restaurant bringing out a lopsided, tourquoise cake!

later, we made our way to voda, on belden place, and eventually home.

on saturday, lasassy and i met MARGARET ELIZABETH SASS and took her to the thai temple. for once, we didn't get too much food, just some soup, pad thai, curry and mango with sticky rice. it was a beautiful day, and all of berkeley seemed to be there.

after we dropped off maggie, we made out way to the most excellent della fattoria in petaluma. we get their amazing rosemary-lemon and campagna breads at the restaurant, and i'd met ed and kathleen before. they recently opened up the sweetest cafe, so we went to visit. unfortunately, we were still totally full from our brunch at thai temple, and couldn't eat a thing. but they sent us off with some wonderful semolina pullman bread, a banana bread, and a tiny chocolate decadence cake. it was all delicious (i'm assuming the chocolate cake was delicious, because i didn't try any of it).

after a stop at the outlets (lasassy, you totally should have gotten the marc jacobs shirt. it was so cute!) and target, we made it back home and started work on our tuna melts. they were pretty much the best tuna melts i've ever had. read about how to make them here.

after that, i've pretty much been back to work. oh, i had philly cheesesteaks over at bakesale betty's house the other night, and she taped american idol for me. but when i got home, it was just 2 straight hours of the home shopping network on the tape! oh well, i watched the elimination show last night and even though i was bummed about nikko smith not making it into the top 12, i have to say that i am pretty content with the finalists that were chosen. my favorites: mario vazquez, anwar robinson and nadia turner.

bits of spring poetry

The first morning of spring:
I feel like
someone else.

--matsuo basho


As my eyes search the prarie
I feel the summer in the spring.

--anonymous, Chippewa Indian


Cherry blossoms
Are quiet
Unlike frogs
Leaping to every
Raindrop

--zaro weil


yes is a pleasant country:
if's wintry
(my lovely)
let's open the year

both is the very weather
(not either)
my treasure,
when violets appear

love is a deeper season
than reason;
my sweet one
(and april's where we're)

--e.e. cummings