We’re suckers for costumes.

Photo of the photo by Joanne

Photo by Marshall Astor

Yesterday, we had a going away lunch for Kurt, who will be leaving Scribd for greener pastures. He brought us to his favorite small restaurant in San Francisco — Roadside Cafe — which specializes in South Carolina style barbecue. While chowing down on some ribs and pulled pork, we discussed the finer points of souther cuisine. It really made me realize how alien southern food is around Northern California. Trust me, it’s tough finding a good BBQ place in the city.

This reminded me of a passage in Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma where he discusses the lack of food culture in America. Okay, that’s an extreme thing to say: of course, we do have some strong culinary rituals, like the Thanksgiving turkey, southern barbecue, and Louisiana creole food. But, all of this still pales in comparison to the fanatic food cultures in other countries, like Spain or France. Let’s face it, the general public in San Francisco doesn’t nearly think about their food heritage as much as people in San Sebastian, Spain.

Pollan goes on to explain that we’re a nation of people who eat many of their meals in cars. This is the antithesis of European cuisine, where the food is ingrained into everyone’s life. It’s no wonder that American’s are suckers for food fads, like the low-carb diet and health shakes.

Many times, I’m envious of these older countries that have such a rich culinary heritage.

On the flip side, I’m also glad that we’re young and diverse nation, allowing us to explore more gustatory options. I just hope that someday in the distant future, our ancestors don’t find themselves closely guarding the culture of Frito-Lay chips and Cheetos.

I’m going to start blogging about some of the new music I’m discovering each week. Recently, I’ve been stuck in a rut with my music, and haven’t been seeking much new stuff out. Perhaps this will get me motivated to keep looking. Because, there’s always a new track worth loving.

ISAN

First this week is ISAN, an analogue electronic band on the morr music label. They’re a British duo that collaborates via the web on their music. Most of their stuff is pretty calming and minimalistic. Great for those long drives.

ISAN - Look and Yes [m4a]

Do Make Say Think

Do Make Say Think is a Toronto band that is focused on instrumental and improvisation music. They combine jazz, distorted guitar, bass guitar, and other instruments that end up with a very lush atmosphere.

Do Make Say Think - Soul and Onward [mp3]

This past Sunday I was bringing up the rear at Bay to Breakers, shooting as many wacky people as possible. There were a few close calls with the SLR being knocked around, but overall, the crowd was just chilling. Highlights include a moving giant aquarium with fish dressed people inside, a whole crowd of baroque aristocrats, and of course, the salmon “swimming” upstream.

Joanne and I ended up walking about halfway and grabbing lunch in the Haight. At the end, I realized that we could have snapped much better pictures if we had started standing at the midpoint of the race and just shot people as they approached us. Keeping up with the crowd while shooting pictures can be quite a challenge. All in all, it was a great day for shooting, and bay to breakers never shy away from a photo op.

Okay, I’ve been blog tagged by Lawrence Coburn, and have officially broken my hiatus from blogging on my personal blog. At least for now.

1. I used to be in a breakdancing/martial arts troupe in college. Here’s a short video to prove it.
2. When I was about 15, I ran a BBS using a second phone line from my house. Originally, it was called Proximity, but, this was soon changed to the much cooler Fifth Dimension.
3. During high school, I spent a summer helping the Oklahoma library department index websites for all the counties in Oklahoma. What fun that was…
4. I once had three milkshakes spilled on me at a diner, and I sensed it was going to happen even before the waitress came out. “Shakes are on me…”
5. I used to be a blogger at Slashfood.

Okay, now I shall tag Brian Solis, Walter Schlender, and Greg Narain.