Organics: Not Just for the Bourgies! And: I Love Yoshi's.
It's not often that I pick up a real, paper newspaper - I'm more of an NPR in my car kind of gal - but I had a little extra time this morning. I stopped at an old favorite cafe, indulged in a greasy egg and cheese bagel sandwich with coffee, and perused this morning's SF Chronicle. On the front page, next to a colorful photograph of Bay to Breakers revelers in an oversized bathtub (oh why was I doing an O'Neill tribute reading in Danville??), was the headline that caught my eye: "Water supply tainted by nitrates." Here's the link to the article on SF Gate. Well, surprise surprise, looks like nitrates used in agricultural fertilizers and in the manure of farm animals are ending up in our water supply. And you know who is most directly affected? Our friends in rural California. The article visits one family in the Central Valley whose private well contained "nearly three times the federal health limit for nitrates." Though it seems to be a matter of time before the nitrates seep into our deeper underground aquifers which supply water to, um, me.
Then on page A7, this headline: "New study links kids' attention deficit to pesticides." WTF?? Are we all hitting the collective crack pipe? This study linked ADD with exposure to a common type of pesticide called organophosphates, which are found in abundance on common fruits and vegetables. But check it: "A 2008 Emory University study found that in children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables, urine levels of pesticide compounds dropped to undetectable or close to undetectable levels."
I've had this conversation many times with lefty friends who don't realize that organic food is more than a privilege of the "haves." It touches on so many things, from our personal health to the health of farmworkers, rural communities, the cleanliness of our water and air, all the way up to government subsidies of agriculture and huge multinational corporate interests (read: Monsanto). Yes, organic food is more expensive. I admit I have weeks where that extra 50 cents for an organic avocado might break my whole budget. And those weeks I go for conventional options. (Though if you are weighing buying organic with your budget, I at least urge you to consider organic when it comes to the "Dirty Dozen," these are 12 fruits and veggies that the Environmental Working Group has identified as having the highest pesticide residues). But when I get my tax refund or my agent finally pays me for that commercial I booked 5 months ago, you can bet I'll be looking for that little 9 on my produce.
In lighter news, I had the best time at Yoshi's in San Francisco last night. I had only been to the Oakland sushi restaurant/jazz club, which I love, but found the SF location to have an open, airy, and still sexy vibe. They host "Songwriter Sundays" which is kind of an "unplugged" concert series for singer-songwriter types. I went to see a friend who was performing, and ended up falling in love with the cozy/sexy lounge area and fantastic food and drink. Here's the lounge menu.
I ended up sharing a lovely Chenin Blanc - Viognier.
I also had a tofu/wakame salad, gorgeous sashimi platter, rock 'n' roll (love me some eel), and edamame of course. We ended the evening with a bottle of Hitachino Nest, which has to be the cutest beer on the planet:
All three music acts were great. I particularly enjoyed Brad Brooks who sang, played guitar and keyboard, and was backed up with female vocals and a cello.
I will definitely be going back to Songwriter Sundays!
Then on page A7, this headline: "New study links kids' attention deficit to pesticides." WTF?? Are we all hitting the collective crack pipe? This study linked ADD with exposure to a common type of pesticide called organophosphates, which are found in abundance on common fruits and vegetables. But check it: "A 2008 Emory University study found that in children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables, urine levels of pesticide compounds dropped to undetectable or close to undetectable levels."
I've had this conversation many times with lefty friends who don't realize that organic food is more than a privilege of the "haves." It touches on so many things, from our personal health to the health of farmworkers, rural communities, the cleanliness of our water and air, all the way up to government subsidies of agriculture and huge multinational corporate interests (read: Monsanto). Yes, organic food is more expensive. I admit I have weeks where that extra 50 cents for an organic avocado might break my whole budget. And those weeks I go for conventional options. (Though if you are weighing buying organic with your budget, I at least urge you to consider organic when it comes to the "Dirty Dozen," these are 12 fruits and veggies that the Environmental Working Group has identified as having the highest pesticide residues). But when I get my tax refund or my agent finally pays me for that commercial I booked 5 months ago, you can bet I'll be looking for that little 9 on my produce.
In lighter news, I had the best time at Yoshi's in San Francisco last night. I had only been to the Oakland sushi restaurant/jazz club, which I love, but found the SF location to have an open, airy, and still sexy vibe. They host "Songwriter Sundays" which is kind of an "unplugged" concert series for singer-songwriter types. I went to see a friend who was performing, and ended up falling in love with the cozy/sexy lounge area and fantastic food and drink. Here's the lounge menu.
I ended up sharing a lovely Chenin Blanc - Viognier.
I also had a tofu/wakame salad, gorgeous sashimi platter, rock 'n' roll (love me some eel), and edamame of course. We ended the evening with a bottle of Hitachino Nest, which has to be the cutest beer on the planet:
All three music acts were great. I particularly enjoyed Brad Brooks who sang, played guitar and keyboard, and was backed up with female vocals and a cello.
I will definitely be going back to Songwriter Sundays!
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