Monday, April 23, 2007

Who can't polish off a keg? We can't.

Yesterday, Kara and I held a fundraiser for the SF AIDS Foundation. It was not the most effective fundraiser in the history of the universe, which was mostly my fault. I must have missed class on the day that "making money" tips were handed out. I think those tips would have gone something like this:

Don't buy fancy foodstuffs and libations if you're not throwing a fancy party, where people will be inclined to donate hundreds of dollars. This seems self-evident, but not for me. I insisted upon offering a selection of fine foods - thai barbecue chicken, kefta kebabs, and baked tofu, among other things. I think they were all delicious, and I got to try my hand at some new recipes, but really...necessary? Same thing goes for the variety of beverages. Also not necessary.

Don't buy a keg if you are not absolutely, positively sure that many, many people will come to the party. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - cool and refreshing. A keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - catalyst for an excellent afternoon gathering. A keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale + not as many people as you expected - melty keg on the stairwell all week. Oops.

Well, it looks like I've only come up with two rules so far. But they are important ones, of which I will probably never take heed.

The bottom line is...we made lots of money for the AIDS Foundation (our expenses standing in as our donations) and had a great afternoon drinking white sangria and eating meatballs. Rephrase: I had a great afternoon drinking white sangria and eating meatballs. I hope everyone else had fun, too.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Perks.

Yesterday, I joined a posh gym. They have scented shampoo in the showers and Q-Tips on the bathroom counters. Also, TVs on most of the cardio machines and small towels near the weight machines. One of the perks that comes with the joining of this posh gym is two personal training sessions, the first of which establishes your "fitness profile." I met my trainer yesterday, and he declared that he could make me stronger than any of the other girls (his word) training for the marathon.

I fear, however, that he is going to make me change my diet. Last night, for dinner, boyfriend cooked (heated up a frozen pizza and made a salad). Not just any frozen pizza, mind you, but one from Trader Joe's, their margherita pizza. They are delicious, I think, but not exactly diet food. So what will I have to do for lazy dinners? Make plain chicken breasts? Blech. We shall see. I am meeting with the Minister of Doom after work tonight.

In response to the possible diet change, I stopped at a favorite lunch place after the gym. Oasis Grill makes delicious gyros, falafel sandwiches, and something called the Mediterranean Melt. This involves chicken and mushrooms and gooey cheese wrapped up in a lavosh with vegetables. All these sandwiches are best spicy, which the guys behind the counter know. After you order, they ask, "Spicy?" Say yes, if you know what's best for you.

Please, buff trainer man, don't take away my Mediterranean Melt.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

1.5 days worth of food

I'm turning into a junk food addict. We just had a diner lunch, courtesy of St. Francis Fountain. And McDonald's on Thursday night (don't tell anyone). I think I'll skip the McDo description and move on to the wonderful find we made a few weeks ago.

St. Francis is my idea of a perfect 1950s soda fountain, right on 24th St. Apparently, it's the oldest ice cream parlor in the city. My "club" sandwich had avocado on it instead of bacon, because not everything needs bacon (although my boyfriend would beg to differ). They use shredded iceberg on their sandwiches in lieu of the big watery chunks. How delightful. I ordered egg salad on the side, which may seem like an odd choice until you try their egg salad. It has lots of relish in it and a little red onion, along with the regular stuff; seems simple, but it's so good.

Surprisingly, this one meal has been holding me all day. That's bizarre for a Saturday, because it's a long run day. I'm training for the San Francisco marathon with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program, and this morning we ran 14 miles. Such a lengthy run generally leads to me eating a full meal every two hours. But not today, on the longest run ever. Strange.

Okay, now I'm hungry. Everything's back to normal.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

the red pearl

Last night, at the Elbo Room, I had a Pearl Pomegranate Lemonade. Sounds delicious. I like Pearl Pomegranate vodka (more than I like ordinary vodka, which is not very much). I like lemonade. I think that I would like pomegranate lemonade, if I had it. But this drink...not so much. Too sweet. And I'm pretty sure it was all vodka. Which led to a Jaeger shot, somehow. Eww.

All of the above led to one of my favorite things, which is the I-stayed-out-too-late-and-need-something-heartier-to-eat-than-a-bagel breakfast. A bacon, egg and cheese sandwich from Specialty's bakery, to be precise. With an iced latte. The kind of indulgent breakfast I can only justify after a night out. So happy now, and full of many, many crispy pieces of bacon. They must be from a special supplier of non-organic, unhealthy meat products, because they are unnaturally thin and crispy. But they are delicious.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

How I plan my day.

As anyone who has ever visited me can attest, I plan my day around where I will eat. I live in San Francisco, where it is easy to eat good food all of the time, and so I have come to expect that I can have a wonderful meal every time I sit down at a table. But sometimes, wonderful meals happen on a couch, not at a table.

On Monday night, my boyfriend was nice enough to break our no-eating-out-so-that-we-can-lose-weight-and-save-money rule to pick up Manora's on the way home. Manora's makes wonderful comfort food (specifically their pad thai or red curry shrimp). Sweet, tangy, salty, savory: like the Girls Next Door (a comfort TV show). We were lucky enough to discover it while living in SOMA, and although we are farther away now, we still make the pilgrimage about once a month.