>Peruvian tiraditos, cebiches auténticos con "leche de tigre," Limón, San Francisco

Hot hot hot Friday night. It so happens that grocery trekker was looking for a place to eat in San Francisco's Mission District, and Limón seemed to be just about the only place with air conditioning.

"At long last, the original location of Limon returns this evening. It's been a long road back for the Peruvian joint—it's been nearly 15 months since it originally shut down in the wake of a fire. Since then, the disaster insurance has been a disaster and during the interim, owner Martin Castillo even opened up a more casual offshoot a few blocks away in Limon Rotisserie. But tonight, Limon reopens to the public. The interior has gotten a noticeable facelift, and the updated menu will mostly stay the course of its prior incarnation of modern Peruvian cuisine." SF.eater.com opening alert

What a perfect night to enjoy ceviches and tiraditos at a cool primo seat. The energetic staff seemed excited, and the atmosphere was absolutamente perfecto.

I tried their yuzu infused junmai sake. A tad too sweet, but it worked with their food. Too many goodies to choose from. Pescado, conchas, mixto, camarones, clasico, mosaico, causa, atun al tausi, anticuchos, lomo saltado, ensalada verde al maracuya, pulpo a la parilla. Sushi grade ono, sea urchin, camarones, hiramasa, oyster shooter. Legendary pargo rojo, quinotto de hongos, churrasco, chuleton Don Carlitos.

And of course, tiger's milk, (leche de tigre,) the juice produced from all that ceviche. Salud!

>ice serving bowls

Summer is almost over, but you still have time to try them a couple of times. Serving bowls made of ice. The advantage is obvious. No dishes afterwards.

photos: topblogposts.com iwizkr icepark.kr ohmynews.com daum.net 세렌디피티

>burger-flavored potato chips, Frankfurter chips, bossam kimchi chips...

Filed under:
PEOPLE EAT THIS STUFF?

Well, these potato chips do sound fascinating.

メガバーガー味 (Mega Burger flavor) "American taste" potato chips

Fans of bossam ("wrap" 보쌈) kimchi (김치) may (or may not) appreciate bossam kimchi flavored potato chips. ポッサムキムチ味 ポテトチップス

No shortage of selections:
-pizza potato chips ポテトチップス ピザ味
"Topped with a nice gooey blend of two cheeses, Cheddar and Emmentaler. You can definitely taste the cheese. All flavors of the ingredients (cheese, tomatoes, salami and spices) balance nicely for an authentic pizza taste."
-seaweed and salt chips ポテトチップス のりしお
-mentaiko (fish roe) chips ポテトチップス 明太子味
-ever popular "consommé" chips ポテトチップス コンソメ
-(white) shrimp flavored chips しろえびポテトチップス
-and of course, "juicy" Frankfurter potato chips. Yes, of course. ジューシーフランクフルト味 ポテトチップス

>the rabbit who lost his fur 因幡の白うさぎ

因幡の白うさぎ

因幡 = Inaba
白 (shiro) = white
うさぎ (usagi) = rabbit

Read the full story of this white rabbit (shiro-usagi) at instantwisdom.bravepages.com.
A similar version at geocities.co.jp. He is made into a book, "Inaba no Shiro-usagi. The Rabbit who lost his Fur. A favourite story from Japan," by Ralph Friedrich.

***
"Winston is always expecting rabbits to come out of empty hats," he said to Chips Channon.
-from Crete by Antony Beevor
***
RAREBIT, n. A Welsh rabbit, in the speech of the humorless, who point out that it is not a rabbit. To whom it may be solemnly explained that the comestible known as toad-in-a-hole is really not a toad, and that riz-de-veau a la financiere is not the smile of a calf prepared after the recipe of a she banker.
-The Devil's Dictionary, Ambrose Bierce
***
Or you might say, this sweet-bean-paste-filled manju is kawaiiiiii!!!! oishiiiiii!!!!
***
photo on the right by うたのっこ

>gomatamago, ごまたまご, fake egg sesame cake and pudding

goma ごま, 胡麻 (sesame) + tamago たまご, 卵 (egg) = goma tamago (sesame egg)

You find "hard-boiled eggs" on a plate on my table. They may not be all they are cracked up to be. There is a chance they happen to be gomatamago cake. White chocolate shell, sponge cake white, black sesame and bean paste yolk.

If you are into this egg thing, do go after fake egg cups filled with pudding, ごまたまごプリン。(gomatamago "purin"/"puring") Yum.

***
(For sesame seed lovers)
白ごま (しろごま, shirogoma) = white sesame
黒ごま (くろごま, kurogoma) = black sesame
金ごま (きんごま, kingoma) = golden sesame
オープンセサミ! = Open Sesame!

>meatball pasta, peas and green beans, day 2 at Quarter Meals Soup Kitchen

Yesterday was Day 2 at Quarter Meals, Trinity United Methodist Church. (Day 1 report here.)

I feel like I've already become a seasoned volunteer. No one tells me what to do, but I know to take plastic flowers out of the pantry, place one on each table. I see new faces in the kitchen. Spider, the manager, is tossing the salad ingredients into a large plastic bin, also the "serving bowl." Again, my job is to greet the diners with a smile, hand over platefuls of pasta and beans, a cup of water. Well, no one tells me to smile, but I figure smiles can't hurt.

There are fewer diners compared to Tuesday. I ask Spider why that is. "Money management." "?" "Well, when they get their check, they go buy food for themselves, when they should come and get free food here. Bad money management." I nod. "When do they get their check?" "Well, some get it on the 1st of the month, some a little later." I ask about the absence of women diners here. "They cook better food at the Women's Shelter on Dwight. They have no reasons to leave."

Not surprisingly, I recognize quite a few repeat visitors. Most are dressed the same as Tuesday. A kid I haven't seen before places his plate and water on his skateboard.

People line up for second helpings. A "first timer" gets priority. Some don't eat vegetables, some only eat vegetables. Dinner is over before you know it. I step out before 5 pm.
A beautiful sunny day in Berkeley.

>turkey rice with peas and carrots, chez Quarter Meals Soup Kitchen

A tall, bright-eyed pretty woman named Maria with a young Debra Winger vibe has found time to volunteer at this Berkeley soup kitchen for years. She's a firefighter serving at Oakland station 17. She handles her slotted spoon deftly, plops onto paper plates a generous scoop of fluffy rice with bits of meat in it, plus a scoop of peas and carrots. Today is my first day of volunteering. I am assigned the job of handing the plates to the steady stream of people coming in. Two college kids (?) serve at the salad/fruit/bread table. Surprising facts:

1) Almost all of the diners are men.
2) Yes, there are creatively carved ponchos and torn ski jackets with down sticking out, but many are actually dressed well. Some are dressed like office workers.
3) This soup kitchen starts serving around 4, wraps up by 5. (In my imagination, dinner is served around 7.)
4) Berkeley Food and Housing Project, which runs this "Quarter Meals" soup kitchen program at Trinity United Methodist Church on Bancroft, is short on money. They only serve hot meals Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and bagged lunches Thursdays and Fridays.
5) They don't cook the meals in their own kitchen. Food comes prepared from another soup kitchen. They used to cook here, when their kitchen hood worked.
6) A considerable number of the diners are vegetarians. Today's menu was; turkey rice, boiled peas & carrots, plain rice, salad, pears, bread.
Alas, I didn't get to sample the food. Looked good!



photos by Sharon Hahn Darlin