Because I was being a cheapskate and because I just saw my family at the end of October, I decided to stay here for Thanksgiving. I was kind of nervous about finding someone's Thanksgiving feast to mooch off of and having anyone at all to hang out with, but everything worked out. The family friends I had stayed with in Sunset invited me to their dinner, fed me delicious Russian-inspired Thanksgiving food, and claimed to enjoy the persimmon tart I had baked for them.
In a nod to consumerism and a halfhearted attempt to burn off Thanksgiving dinner calories, I hit up the mall in the city center on Black Friday. I'm pretty proud of my purchases, which included a pumpernickel bagel, one item of clothing, and postage stamps.
Today, a couple of coworkers and I visited Sutro Baths - the ruins of a swimming pool built in the 1800's - and did a brief hike nearby. Later, in search of adventure and also some kimchi, I braved the Bay Bridge for the first time since that terrifying drive on my first day here and went to Oakland. Leaving the city at 2:30 was actually pretty bad planning because by the time we were done meandering around and waiting for me to decide whether I wanted pickled radish, it was nearly 5 and getting back to my car before we were officially in downtown Oakland at dark required some pretty brisk walking.
One of the things I've been enjoying the most about San Francisco is the number of novel or unfamiliar items in bakeries and other dessert-serving establishments. I've made it a goal to try these things as I encounter them and I'm going to keep track of them here. Today's find was a comically unappetizing black log at a bakery in Oakland's Chinatown. It turned out to be a gelatinous sesame seed paste roll, which was interesting to try but not something I would get again.
I support any decision that starts with "Because I am a cheapskate."
ReplyDeleteAnd I would stay away from most things in Chinese bakeries other than egg tarts. You can find meat floss in the most surprising places.