Epicurus

Hello Claire!  We came back home with lots of samples in our bags, of course, and something interesting happened yesterday.  The food that just seemed so-so, average at the Fair was absolutely delicious the next day!  I think there was just too much at the Fair, so it all blurred together, whereas at home we try each one by itself and it was outstanding.  I think this is interesting information about our brains and our physical system -- we reach satiety fairly quickly and can't appreciate what we're having.  The simplest food when we're hungry (like my oatmeal in the morning) is more delicious than the most elegant meal when we've already had enough.  That probably applies to many things.  The ancient Epicureans (followers of Epicurus) believed that pleasure was the goal of life, and were paradoxically known for their abstemiousness.  They were thin, ate the simplest food and learned to appreciate the simplest things like air and exercise.  It will take a while to get through all the samples we have!  Take care, Sidney

Fancy Food Fair

Hello Claire! It was very fun, but boy did I feel sick at the end. I enjoyed talking with the business people about their products. I had always wondered why the cinnamon I use says "Saigon Cinnamon," and a purveyor of spices explained that this was the most aromatic, most expensive of cinnamons, grown in Vietnam. We wondered why Costco sells it so cheaply, and couldn't find an explanation. For me the best thing I tasted was Double Rainbow's Coffee Blast ice cream, which is available at of all places, the Trader Joes where I shop every day! That's a good thing, and I often pick it up and turn it around to look at the calories, then wistfully put it back. Maybe I should buy it and treat myself to a spoonful a day.
There were some interesting flavors of ice cream, like avocado and scambled egg with bacon. I had heard of these in restaurant reviews in the New York Times, and it was fun to check them out for myself. They really are good!
There were a surprising number of men wearing kipot in the fair -- I would have thought that the laws of kashrut would prevent orthodox Jews from making the food business their occupation, but apparently quite a few do.
Judging from my recollections ice cream, or frozen foods in general, are my favorite. That's a good thing to realize about myself.
What were your discoveries? Thanks for the tickets, and see you soon.

We had the most unbelievably wonderful day yesterday.   Rivka had a sleepover at her friend Lyla's house, and Noah, Carolyn and I made a fine bike ride down to the Zoo and our favorite cafe, Java Beach.  I had gotten up around 4 a.m. and read 30 pages of my current book, Moya Stol Dlinnaya Doroga by Henri Troyat.  (In the evening I read another 20 to finish with a highly respectable 50 pages for the day.)
Then Lyla's family joined us for a short hike to Kirby cove, an amazing beach that looks out on the Golden Gate Bridge and the city.  We saw jellyfish, sea anemones, mussels, barnacles, and several large rock crabs that people were fishing for.  There was very fun rope swing on the beach that the children and I enjoyed very much.  The air had an amazing clarity -- it seemed one could see every detail of the houses in the city.  It was warm too -- we all took off our jackets.  Afterwards we went for the first time to Gaspare's Pizza, an old S.F. favorite out on the avenues that Lyla's family enjoys.  An active, beautiful day -- to breath the air was like drinking wine.  Carolyn had never been to Kirby Cove, and I'm sure we'll return to it.