My Little Red Sportscar

foodwinesex. Its funny to note the metaphors used in describing interpersonal relationships. I was recently chatting with two women, both veterans of the SF dating scene, and they were describing me as a "new listing". Real Estate. Thankfully I wasn't described as a "fixer-upper". Another metaphor was the "little red wagon" which is the transport device for a woman's "issues" or "baggage". I'm not without my own issues of course but what I see out there sometimes requires a 747 jumbo jet to move.

This is the shit I was trying to jettison from my thoughts as I drove over to the SF Ferry Building. I was also touching on the night before. While driving home I was listening to Energy 92.7 FM and the DJ was talking about a show that night at Ruby Skye. As it turned out, Pete Tong was spinning and tickets were long sold out but if you're one of the first ten callers...well, I was indeed one of the first ten and a pair of tickets would be waiting at will call. At this point I gave ChP a call only to find her at the airport. It was an ice-breaker of sorts since we hadn't spoken in a week. She was heading out of town for a friend's party down in Palm Desert for the weekend. I'm in her doghouse. We had an arguement and it was pretty much my fault...actually entirely my fault. It's gonna take some supplicating to get back into her good graces - something I definitely want. Sometimes I'm a fuckup. Obviously ChP wasn't going dancing tonight so I called another friend, a gal who is a great dancer. Just friends with no chance for anything more. Perfect. We danced our asses off and went home. No alcohol...just water. Good exercise, lots of fun, no hangover. Nice.

Saturday morning was crisp and clear...another perfect autumn San Francisco morning. I know as far as top-down driving I'm living on borrowed time. Last year the rainy season started early and went long into the year. Brutal. So far the weather has held out nicely and I'm supplicating the weather gods by giving thanks. On my way over, I gave K a call. This was our thing. Every Saturday morning we'd go over to the Ferry Building for breakfast and people watching. Today was perfect for both. K was homesick. She missed the baby gallettes we had every Saturday. She wanted a few days off from school and longed to sleep in her own bed...just for a few nights. She'll be home for five days for Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to catching up with her and hearing all about her new boyfriend Steven.

As usual, the Farmer's market was packed but everyone is still shaking off sleep and moving slowly. I sidled up to the Hog Island Oyster Company counter and ordered a small plate of oysters (Sweetwaters, Atlantics, and Kumamotos). A dash of hot sauce and voilà, breakfast. Damn they were good. Wandered over to a pastry vendor and got my baby gallettes and almond bars. The line was too long, as always, at Peets so I headed into Delica rf-1, the Japanese delicatessen. Beef sushi (Meyer Ranch natural, hormone-free beef, topped with baby arugula, minced shallots, and julienne radish, wrapped with Nori seaweed), Kobe-style deep-fried Potato Croquettes (delicately fried Russet and Yukon gold potato and sautéed onion croquette, and wasabi garlic potato salad (garlic potato salad with wasabi mayonnaise, edamame, snap peas, and romaine hearts). Staples for any well-stocked San Francisco kitchen.

As is my ritual, I headed over the Whole Foods on 4th Street to do my weekly grocery shopping. The usual...fresh pineapple, St. Benoit yogurt, organic milk, salads, etc. From here its on to the Jug Shop on Russian Hill to pick up a few bottles of wine for the week. (Looks like I'll be drinking the wine alone for the next few days.) Some days, slow sunny days, afford me the time to appreciate and luxuriate in the small pleasures of life in SF. How lucky am I to have all this stuff at my reach? Something to keep in mind this week of Thanksgiving.

I do miss ChP.

g.

Comments

[LizS]

Yes, Tomales Bay oysters are indeed purely fantastic. But the next time you're at a raw bar and you have the opportunity to add a few non-natives to your oyster plate, I *highly* recommend the Malpeque from P.E.I., just for contrast:

http://www.burleigh.pe.ca/succtreat.html

You won't be disappointed...

[GNP]

Definitely important to enjoy the small pleasures. I don't do that nearly as much as I should.