How To: Eat A Burrito

Mr. Lovely is from Back East. When he first came to California, he was a burrito virgin. Okay, sure, he may have had one of those things that are kind of wet and slimy and covered with red sauce and come with a side of rice and beans. Those are good, but in California, that is not the kind of burrito we are referring to when we talk about a burrito. There is a certain kind of burrito; it is bigger than your head.

And there is a certain way to eat this burrito. Don't be like Mr. Lovely and pull all the (2 layers!) of foil off, exposing the naked tortilla! Don't get pollo asada all over your hands!! Keep the re-fried beans from going all over your lap! Don't embarrass yourself!

I am here to keep that from happening to you. Hopefully we caught it in time.

How to eat a San Francisco Burrito like a local: 

(1) Start with the key players laid out. The burrito. The salt. The chips. The salsa. Napkins.

(2) Now, this is important. There are two layers of foil. Remove the outer layer only. Now, tear only the top portion of the inner foil layer off, leaving about half of the foil at the bottom to hold onto as you eat.

(3) As you eat the burrito, tear the foil down little by little, always leaving yourself a hand hold. Not only does this keep your hand from touching the burrito, but it keeps the juices from landing on your lap.

(4) More of the same. I also like to add salt and salsa little by little to each bite and scoop up that and any excess innards with chips as I move down the burrito.

(6) Even when you get to almost the very bottom, you still have clean hands!

(7) At the very bottom, once you have only a few bites left, remove the remaining foil. Quickly take the few bites, so as to not make a mess. OR eat all three bites as one bite, covering your mouth with aforementioned napkins. Or not. Nobody will judge.

And there you have it. Now you are ready for an experience of a lifetime! Now the only question is, what kind of burrito will you try first?

How do you eat YOUR burrito? Do you have a food that is specific to your area? What food eating rituals do you follow?

Around the Hood

This post is a little random, but here are a few things I have seen around the hood in the last few days.

-Maybe you can't see this very well, but when I went running last weekend, I saw this (it's a guy running away from me, on the wrong side of the road). As we determined, he should be running toward traffic. I wanted to say something to him! And this is the perfect road I am talking about, because you pretty much have to run IN the road, since there is no sidewalk and barely a shoulder to run on.

- Temescal Park, where you can swim! In fresh water. Although I bet it's mighty chilly right now! But people were there, swimming laps. It made me re-think the fact that I should probably be going swimming, at least once a week. It was so nice! I have the goggles and suit; I just need to work up the motivation!

- Another one of those "gosh darn them" moments. This car, parked on the sidewalk, where I had to run around it. There were plenty of parallel parking spots on the street. Right next to this driveway, in fact.

- As seen in Safeway. You probably can't read it very well (click on photo to zoom) but it says: "Warning, the red wine vinegars and balsamic vinegars on these shelves contain lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm." So why are they on the shelves? Anyway, no matter, I purchased the one on the right.

- As runners, we talk a lot of the taper, and "taper madness". Well, if you come on down to my hood, you can get "taper madness"...or "fade madness", "afro madness" or many other fun afflictions. Or a haircut. (I wonder if they do those little z's?)

- Gordon Biersch garlic fries and a ballgame. The only thing better is that and a beer (not shown).

What's going on in your neighborhood? Where is your closest place to swim outside? What do you indulge in when you go to the ball park?

Where I Live: San Francisco

While I don't actually live in the city right now (I am currently located just across the bay), I lived there for several years and I love being there, running there and eating there. Lately, I have seen many posts by friends, detailing why they love their particular home. I thought I would do the same.

First, a few suggestions for your reading pleasure:

- check out Lauren's post on Eugene, OR
- why Lisa loves Minneapolis
- the "I Love Boston Project" by Kelly
- Missris is learning to Give Pittsburgh a Chance

If you have a post about YOUR city, let me know and I will feature it on my next Where I Live post!

Obviously, everyone knows about things like the Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz, but San Francisco has so much more to offer than that. There is great food (see previous SnackaPalooza posts), great weather for running and many things to do that aren't on the "Top 10 Touristy Things to Do" list. You want an insider's view? Here you go. Today we are going to talk about... The Castro.

Your map, sir. Thanks to Google.

The Castro is a neighborhood that looks similar to Texas, if it were upside down. (Kind of. Okay, maybe not.)  It is well known as being one of the first and largest gay neighborhoods in the US. It's center is basically 18th St. and Castro St, but the neighborhood spreads out pretty far. Yes, if you go there, you will see large men walking tiny dogs. But the Castro is so much more than that.

To get to the Castro, you can take the Muni train (K or L), which goes underground from downtown, where your hotel probably is. OR...you can take the F-Market, which goes above ground on Market Street and is a collection of old trams from different cities around the world. It cost $2 and is well worth it for the ride alone! But it also gets you to where you need to be!

The F-Market (source)

First, you should have breakfast at The Cove (#1). It's not on the regular menu, but they sometimes have a corned beef hash eggs Benedict, which is SO good!

Next, go see a movie at the Castro Theater (#2) (which is conveniently located right across the street from the Cove). They play a lot of Indie and older films, and it is a great old theater with velour seats and gilded chairs. It's worth paying the entry fee just to see inside the theater.

Want some expensive cheese? Pop into AG Ferrari (#3) for cheese, olives, and a nice bottle of wine. 

Need a coffee? Check out Philz (#4) on 18th, just a block and a half down from Castro Street.

Now, the important part. Walk up Castro street, away from Market street (it should be going UP in numbers) to 20th St. When I say up, I don't mean North; you actually want to walk south, but you will be walking UPhill. Take a left (east) and head UP the hill (again). That house on the left (#5) is one of my many dream houses. Once you get almost to the top, you will have to climb up a few stairs, which will reward you with a pretty sweet view of the city. You will head back down the other side of the hill, which will lead you straight to...

Sweet dreams were made of these (thanks to Google street view).

...Dolores Park (#6). On a nice day, this is full of people sunbathing, playing soccer and tennis, reading and just hanging out with friends. Plus, there is an awesome view of the city. If you are there on the right day (last I checked, it was the 2nd Thursday of each month) you can catch Movie Night, where an old movie is shown on a screen at the park. It's free; all you have to do is bring yourself and some wine and maybe a friend or two (and a blanket! You know what Mark Twain said!)

Who said it was the "foggy city"?

Have you ever been to the Castro? What's your favorite breakfast place in your city? Do you have a "dream house" somewhere?

Then and Now: February

Maybe because we had an extra day this year, February was a little long for me. It went by fast but it was a weird month motivation-wise, emotion-wise and mentally in general I guess. This is strange, because I had a month filled with family, friends and good food as well as adequate exercise. However, for some reason, I am feeling a little strange this month. Hopefully March will bring a change in seasons and attitude!

Here is my February recap, the Who, the What and the Where, where I compare what I was doing one year ago to what I am up to now.

WHO:

2011: 

Mr Lovely, 

A Vietnamese Butcher and 

a thousand people, chickens and items on motorcycles.

2012: 

K and A and A, 

The parentals and

the Broski.

(as well as many other friends and family who are not pictured).

WHAT:

2011: 

Squid on sticks, 

Dragonfruit and

Pho for breakfast. 

2012: 

Frjtz fries,

Turkish sampler,

Beet salad and

an apple crepe.

Miles Run: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 =111

Lucky number 111! This is good, because I would like to keep up a base of at least 100 miles a month, since I may sign up for a marathon at some point this year and I want be halfway ready at any time!

Races: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 = 3

Thank goodness for virtual races! They are a fun and inexpensive way to supplement your normal racing schedule!

Bay Breeze Half Marathon (Race #2 of 12 in 2012)

Run For Sherry Virtual Race

Grandma Lill's 95th Birthday Virtual Race

Books Read: 

2011 = 3 / 2012 = 5

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford: This book was about a Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during WWII. He has a Japanese friend, and when she gets sent to the concentration camps, he is devastated. Not only that, but he has to deal with his father's hatred of the Japanese.

Tisha -  Robert Specht: This is a true story about a young teacher in the 1920s who gets sent to a small town in Alaska to teach. She learns quickly that the divide between the whites and Indians is deep, but somehow manages to not bend to the white men's prejudices. Her struggle is moving and her courage is inspiring.

You can see the other books HERE.

WHERE: 

2011: 

Cambodia, 

Vietnam and 

Thailand 

 

2012:

San Francisco, 

Home

What I see by looking back is that I am spending way more time with family and friends this year, which is great. I have also traveled this February, but only within the State, whereas last year I traveled much further. But no matter what year it is, the food is always good!

Do you like squid? Are you loving this February more or less than last February?

Snack Time!

Every chance we get, we take a trip to the city for a food bonanza. We love to go to all our favorite restaurants and order a couple items at each one. We all share the couple items, which allows us to go to three or four different places in one trip. We love it because it gives us the chance to eat several different things in one go. We decided this time to try a new place each time we go.

You can see our previous SnackaPaloozas HERE. This time we started in my favorite San Francisco neighborhood, The Mission, which is where I used to live. It was originally the Latino area of the city, but has recently become more of a mish mosh of cultures. 

The first stop was Balompie, where we ordered three types of pupusas. 

A pupusa is like a really thick tortilla with filling inside.

My favorite: bean and cheese! Yum.

If you have never had a pupusa, I suggest you get one immediately. They are great. 

Next, we took a walk down Sycamore Street, where they allow street artists to do their thing, which results in some really fun stuff.

Then we went to Frjtz, a Belgian place with many beers, crepes, waffles and fries. 

I was disappointed because they changed their fries from skinny ones to steak fries. 

But the crepes are delicious! 

And the bathroom mirror was amusing. 

We try to get a little exercise between restaurants; this way we can eat more.
So we walked to the Bi-Rite Creamery.
There is usually a really long line, so we said that if the line was short, we would check it out. 
The line was short, so we got an ice cream.
Toasted Coconut.

 

No trip to the Mission would be complete without a walk to Dolores Park, where you have an excellent view of downtown and the Mission Dolores. 

 

Last but not least, A La Turca, one of our favorites, which has some of the best hummus ever, as well as super great Pides, which is a cheese, meat and bread pocket.

We totally stuffed ourselves with great food! Afterward, we could barely move. So it was a success! 

Have you ever had a pupusa? Do you prefer skinny or fat fries? What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

The Very Hard Leg

I mentioned a while back that not only was I planning on doing the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge this year, but I also have another couple of races on the horizon. One of them, I am very excited to say, is The Relay, which is a two day, 199 mile relay run from Calistoga, California to Santa Cruz, California. The very coolest part is that the race is run over the Golden Gate Bridge at midnight on Saturday. 

Here’s some info from the website: CALIFORNIA'S LONGEST PARTY - YOU'RE INVITED! Gather your friends (12-member teams). Decorate your vans. Dress your best (costumes optional). Run (or walk). "It's the most fun 24 feet can have in the best place on earth." From Napa Valley to the Pacific Ocean, 12-member teams run 36 legs (3 legs per runner, 3-8 miles each) through 36 cities and across the Golden Gate Bridge at midnight in support of Organs 'R' Us ("ORU") and 100,000 Americans waiting for organ donors. Contact info.

This run has a special meaning for us, since our team, Jonnycat’s Dirty Dozen, is running for our close friend Jon, who is currently on the donor list for both a kidney and a pancreas. There are twelve runners, who each run three legs each, each ranging from 3 – 8.1 miles and ranging in total from 12.9 to 18.5 miles. You can see on the chart below what I am talking about. As you can see, they rate the legs (on the right column labeled “difficulty”) by harder (#1) to easier (#12). You can also see that the “more data” section below states that legs 34 and 35 are the hardest. 

Now, I am going to give you three guesses as to which runner I am. Nope, it’s not number 1, the easiest runner. Nope, it’s not number 6, the cool runner that gets to run across the Golden Gate Bridge. Did you say that I should probably try one of the harder runners? That’s what I thought you said. Well, I guess you are right. Why don’t I pick number…11?

Actually, I “picked” number 4. I know. What a copout right? Right smack dab in the middle of the difficulty scale. But, I will tell you why I picked that one. I picked it because it was the second highest amount of miles. And I can run a lot of miles. But my friend who is organizing this emailed me a week after I sent her the email saying which leg I wanted and begged me, pleaded with me, told me I was very strong and brave and good looking asked me to switch to number 11. I said yes right away. Then I looked at what I had gotten myself into. This is what it looks like.

It “looks like” a 500 foot elevation gain over 6.2 miles! So it’s a difficult 10k race, which I will run after running two other “races” that day (6.9 miles and 3.7 miles) and probably getting little sleep.  Phew! I am going to be a mess! I guess I should be glad I am not number 10!

I’m actually very excited about this race, even though I am joking around about it right now.  I am, as always, nervous, even more nervous than normal, because I wouldn’t only be letting myself down if I do badly; I will be letting my team down! I am looking forward to a few things. One, Dean Karnazes has won the Ultra portion of this race (yes you can run it by yourself. Maybe next year) several times and will be hosting the Friday night pre-race dinner in Napa County. Two, it’s on my home turf. I have relatives north of the city who will be able to watch as I run leg 11. I have friends south of the city who can watch 23 or 35! The weather is going to be great; the scenery is going to be awesome; I will meet 11 new people! Plus, I get to sleep in a van with five (smelly) other people (down by the river).  How can you beat that?

Have you ever run a relay race? Have you ever been to Napa County? Have you ever walked across the Golden Gate Bridge?

Winter Break

I've kind of been absent this week. Not only have I been busy, but I have also been in "no internet land". This makes for good stories, but nowhere to put them! So next week you will hear everything! Until then however, Grab a Beer (inspired by Kim) and check out a quick version of WIDLW!

Last weekend was spent with my friends from the East Bay. We stayed in, made dinner and celebrated the New Year by watching the ball drop in New York. At 9 o'clock. Just kidding! We actually made it to midnight this time! But I did go to bed at 12:01.

 

The next day we went to The City and had a snackapalooza! One of the items on the menu: Dungeness Crab! Yummy!

Then it was Road Trip time! First stop: Yosemite!

Next up: Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur!

Monterey, CA

Monterey, CA

17 Mile Drive

Carmel, CA

Hwy 1

After that, we drove north on Highway 1 and went to Santa Cruz, where the waves were HUGE! 

 

Then we took a nice hike in the Marin Headlands at Point Reyes. 

Last but not least, but with no photo, we had our extended family "Christmas" last night, where we ate, drank and were merry until late into the night! It was so good to see family and eat turkey again (I can never get enough! Hello turkey pie!) 

Were you busy this week? Are you back to work yet? To school? Did you take any time to relax after the hectic holidays!?

California Love

Today, as you are reading this, I am probably doing this:

Source: runcim.org via Kyria on Pinterest

Actually, if I am lucky, I am doing this instead:

Source: google.com via Kyria on Pinterest

But most likely, I am doing THIS:

Source: google.com via Kyria on Pinterest

Until the race is over and I get my butt in gear to write a recap, I will leave you with a few photos of What I Did Last Week (inspired by Kim) and a few words from Dr. Dre and TuPac: California...knows how to party! 

I went to San Francisco and....

Ate chicken feet (along with a butt-load of other dim sum!)

Walked along the Marina.

Went running here. 

Danced with this guy. Yow.

Dreamed about buying one of these.

Enjoyed this view.

Went to Ocean Beach.

And the Palace of Fine Arts.

All in all, it was a great week! I ate a lot, walked a lot, visited a lot of friends and got to be in my favorite city!

How was your week? Have you ever been to San Francisco? If so, what is your favorite thing to do in the city?