Heading Home to the Other Rock

In 24 hours I will be heading for the airport praying that I haven’t exceeded my allotted 50 pounds of stuff in my checked luggage. I can never resist buying the simple food items that I can’t seem to find back home. Items like the Pomegranate and Blood Orange Balsamic Glaze, Old Bay low sodium (no MSG) seasoning, a jar of Russian honey cram-packed with every nut conceivable (No use trying to read the label on that one), smoke flavored sea salt flakes, black and white sesame seeds for a mere pittance, powdered lemon grass (29 cents!), weird little dried anchovies that have a hint of honey—Shrimp crackers to puff up by frying...

Traveling and exploring the local markets and restaurants is like living the best of the Food Channel…and I experience a bit of my adventure every time I enter my pantry. Convinced this shopping experience is not exclusive to the East coast, I’ve decided to spend a week in San Francisco the end of the month…to delve into some unique and local Asian grocery stores, Mexican bodegas and Italian Markets. Surely I can find the same adventures on the west coast as I do in New York? If you are familiar with the City by the Bay and can recommend some of your favorite places, please let me know.

Of course, I think it’s really just a great excuse to spend some more time in a city. San Francisco always energizes me, so I am looking forward to this adventure…if you stay tuned you’ll find out just what I’ve discovered…and I’m guessing that it won’t be limited to things that can be bought – life is far too deep and complex to spend it on the surface. Sometimes I’m soaring with my head in the clouds; seeing the big picture, and sometimes I’m exploring the details of the depths, but I’m always interested in how life presents itself to me. . . 

Zan Z. Packard