SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Natalie, Powell and Ellis

Tell us about your look: "I like baggy clothes. It's all about comfort."

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Posted by SFBG at 01:33 PM | Comments (0)

By Caitlin Donohue

Look how stoked these Berkeley kids are on their badass school garden program- now where is SF's?

As San Francisco public schools struggle to keep their salad bars stocked with a few local and organic options, Berkeley kids are benefiting from their town’s legendary reputation for sustainable grubbing.

Alice Waters, doyenne of natural food living and Californian cuisine, adopted Martin Luther King, Jr. middle school all the way back in 1994 and since then has helped to implement a school garden program that I dare say puts a lot of commercial produce growing operations to shame.

The Edible Schoolyard stands on an acre of ground adjacent to King school and plays host to such a variety of organic food that it could supply… well, an Alice Waters’ restaurant for one thing. They’ve got a cavalcade of trees bearing everything from olives to apples, a tea garden, oyster, shiitake and portabello mushrooms, amaranth, quinoa, egg laying fowl, berries and veggies of all stripes. They also have a cider press, a nifty composting system and even a rainwater catchment program set up that saves 200 gallons of water per inch of rain.

Students get the chance to learn all about creating a sustainable food system through a three year schedule of classes that teaches them everything from composting to cooking. The garden also offers community classes on similar subjects (next up: backyard mushroom cultivation!

Restaurantuer Alice Waters keeps Berkeley's King middle school kids up on their quinoa fix

Continue reading "Keeping up with the Waters': Berkeley's way ahead of SF on the school garden game" »

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Posted by SFBG at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)

By Rachel Sadon

Street-food vendor Murat Celebi-Ariner, owner of the Amuse Bouche cart and a beloved local figure in the Mission, was deported last week back to his native France, but you still have one last chance this Saturday to sample his wares and support his family.

The mini-muffin whiz was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Oct. 28 for overstaying the 90 day Visa Waiver Program. Though recently married to an American citizen, Murat failed to file for Adjustment of Status. After his detention, the couple filed for deferred action and belatedly applied for a green card, while locals united in support. However, their requests were denied and Celebi-Ariner flew back to France on Nov. 12.

His wife, Pelin, will be joining him and recently sent out an e-mail announcing a moving-out sale. She writes:

Dear Friends, Home is where the heart is. Thus, this home must change hands, along with everything in it. This Saturday from 10am to 2pm, stop in to browse our moving out sale and have some complimentary muffins and chai. We will even have Amuse Bouche memorabilia for sale ;)

3269 22nd St. #1
between Mission and Valencia

see you then,
Pelin

The popular proprietor was an early participant in the growing food cart scene and could be found around the neighborhood selling a variety of tarts, quiches, and pita pockets. For one dollar Murat would provide you with “the ultimate recession buster breakfast” – chai and a mini-muffin – alongside a sign with the sage advice to “make your mouth happy.”

Au revoir Murat… good luck charming the French with your tasty treats.

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Posted by Steven T. Jones at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Pat, Vallejo and Stockton

Tell us about your look: "I bought this coat at Bloomingdale's two years ago on sale."

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Posted by SFBG at 12:41 PM | Comments (0)

By Caitlin Donohue

Villagers of war-ravaged Laos bathing on the river Nam Ou. All photos by Ariel Soto

“I was in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, surrounded by incredibly friendly, honest and beautiful people and I found myself wanting to cry almost everyday,” wrote Guardian blog photographer Ariel Soto of her time spent in the small landlocked country of Laos (see her beautiful photo essay of the trip here.

Now, I’m also not saying you’re a bad person. Far from it, in fact. But in all honesty, what have you done for Laos lately? That was the question that a few young Laotian-Americans asked themselves and the result was the Jai Lao (“Lao Heart”) Foundation. The group provides supplies and financial support to both their homeland and Laotians living here in the US. Soto is helping to organize a Jai Lao Thanksgiving party that I promise you will be the most fun you’ve ever had while supporting your Laotian brothers and sisters.

A spread like this at 111 Minna and it's for a good cause? Total win-win.

Continue reading "Don't Laos out on upcoming Thanksgiving fundraiser" »

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Posted by SFBG at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)

Want to make one of the psychedelic concotions we mention in this week's dine column? You'll need Sandy Moriarty's recipe for 10x cannabutter below.

What you'll need:

1 lb. Grade AA butter
4 oz. green leaf cannabis trimmings
water
1 large stockpot

Instructions:

Place all the ingredients into the pot and fill with water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil; the boiling temperature should be 212-degrees.

Boil the mixture for 3 to 4 hours. At this point, the trichomes will melt off the leaf material and cling to the lipids in the butter. Cook this mixture until the liquid is evaporated. The cooked down cannabis leaves should resemble spinach, while the butter is a beautiful amber color with a nutty-taste. There should be no excess liquid.

Now, separate the mixture by pouring it through a strainer over another pot. The “spinach” mixture should collect in the strainer while the amber liquid drains into the pot. Press the green leaves until all the moisture has been drained. Next, put the leaf mixture into cheesecloth and wring it out over the pot of liquid.

Refrigerate the amber liquid overnight. The butter will rise to the top and become firm again. Scoop the butter from the top, and voila! – your cannabutter is ready to use in any of your favorite recipes as a butter or oil substitute. Keep the remaining amber liquid to cook with, as it will contain residual THC. Use it in sauces or to boil noodles – the sky’s the limit.

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Posted by Molly Freedenberg at 12:22 PM | Comments (4)

SFBG photog Ariel Soto scoops SF street fashion. See the previous Look of the Day here.

Today's Look: Renee, Stockton and Green

Tell us about your look: "My style is very individual. It's Paris/Boho."

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Posted by SFBG at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

Editors note: Bay Guardian Executive Editor Tim Redmond has a bad 30-year addiction to mystery/crime/thriller books. He's decided that he might as well put this terrible habit to productive use by writing about these sometimes awful, sometimes entertaining and -- on rare occasion -- significant works of mass-market literature. Read his last installment here.

Nine Dragons
Michael Connelly
Little, Brow;, 374 pages, $27.99)

By Tim Redmond

Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly's fictional detective, is the best continuing-series character in the genre (well, there's Spenser, but he's a special case). Bosch lives in L.A., where he's a cop. He's a little bit tortured -- what can you say about a guy named Bosch whose dad thought it would be funny to name him Hieronymous? -- but not so bent that it takes over the storyline.

And there's always a good storyline. Connelly, a former newspaper reporter, knows how to work the real world into top-fight fiction, and his books give you a great feel both for the seedy side of Los Angeles and the world of a police detective. He doesn't glorify cops -- they come with plenty of warts, and some of them are sleazebags and some are thugs and some are crooks. And he doesn't make violence seem anything but ugly, pathetic and painful.

Nine Dragons takes on a scene that Connelly doesn't know that well -- Chinese gangs and the Hong Kong underworld -- but instead of pretending to be an expert, he works his learning curve into his hero's head. Bosch, after all these years, has never quite recovered from his time as a tunnel rat in Vietnam, and is painfully nervous that his attitude toward Asians remains colored by that experience. From the first chapter, he's having trouble with his partner, Detective Chu, someone he desperately needs but can't entirely trust.

Continue reading "Trash Lit: 'Nine Dragons' is trustworthy" »

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Posted by SFBG at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)

By Cheryl Eddy

Twilight perfume: smells like money.

OF COURSE YOU DO!
There are plenty of logical forces at work here (Nordstrom, where many teenage girls happen to shop, is unleashing an entire New Moon-inspired clothing line.) But this vampire business is too hugely profitable to obey the laws of logic. Without further ado, I present the top three most inane tie-ins for The Twilight Saga: New Moon. (Know more? Do tell in the comments!!)

1) Burger King's New Moon campaign offers up such delights as the "Fan Pack," which, with the purchase of a "six-pack BK Burger Shots Value Meal" offers "collectible cards featuring stunning imagery from the film." They'll also be putting out a limited-edition New Moon version of their (famous?) cardboard crown. So what if vampires don't...eat?

2) The Volvo commercial. So cringeworthy. Please enjoy at your own risk.

3) Twilight Barbies. (With realistic vacant-face Bella and sparkly-skin Edward!)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens Fri/20, like, everywhere.

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Posted by SFBG at 03:02 PM | Comments (2)

By Caitlin Donohue

I make it a point to spend quailty time with my bike- you know, the daily commute/traffic battles, satisfying slogs up to Alamo Square Park, maybe an ill-advised wobble back from happy hour every now and then. But no matter how much qt they get with their parents, kids still need social time with their peer group.

Andrew Taylor, host of the SF BIke Expo's dirt jump competition, gets high on the prettest darn bike I've ever seen

So because I love her, I’m making a play date for my bike with the San Francisco Bike Expo. The day-long event will be jam packed with kids that ride their bikes even more than I do- there’s a BMX stunt competition and a mountain bike dirt jump contest that seeks to replicate the pants-wetting good times of Evil Knievel’s Cow Palace appearance nearly 40 years ago. Plus, there will be a track stand show down, which is awesome if you’ve never seen a guy on a fixed gear stop for a traffic light (possible).

Continue reading "Shock and style roll out at the SF Bike Expo" »

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Posted by SFBG at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)