ScoutOUT! - Soy great!

(image courtesy of tofuwatch.com)

Hodo Soy Beanery

2923 Adeline Street
Oakland, CA 94608
(check website for tour times)

For the past couple of months I've been scoping out a modestly sized booth at the farmer's market selling tofu. I've noticed that this company, Hodo Soy, also sells fresh tofu in tubs at Whole Foods and Rainbow Grocery. But, for some reason, I never sampled the products or took a leap of faith and went home with a block of tofu. So, it wasn't until my tour at the Hodo Soy Beanery that I tasted and fell in love with their soy products.

Soy beans are not all created equal. The protein content varies by variety, thus making the products that are made out of soy beans vary in quality and flavor. Hodo Soy uses a nutritionally dense, mature bean that's grown organically in the Midwest. Once this bean makes it out west to Oakland's Hodo Soy Beanery, it takes on many forms such as soy milk, yuba (tofu skin), and soft/medium/firm tofu - and even more flavors (tea-infused, braised tofu - um yeah!)

The Hodo Soy Beanery makes tofu making an art. As you look into the Beanery there are yuba skins slowly drippin soy milk into steaming trays - something that reminds me of papermaking and printmaking (weird?) - and employees hand pressing tofu by the slab (again, printmaking?). It's really beautiful. But, tofu isn't meant to be as easy on the eyes as it is the mouth - which luckily Hodo Soy has down pat. Spicy yuba strips, smoked tofu strips, tangy tofu salads, warm creamy soy milk and more were all on the sampling menu during the tour at the Beanery. I was so happy to have never tried Hodo Soy's product prior to the Beanery visit because tasting the spectrum (and by tasting I mean, eating...portions were very generous) of textures and flavors was priceless (the tour did cost $10...but definitely worth it in tofu!).

(image courtesy of dessertfirst.typepad.com)

Alex and I went home with a bottle of fresh soy milk (only ingredients are soy beans and water), spicy yuba strips, and braised tofu - along with a new found appreciation and love for the soy bean and Hodo Soy's artisanal tofu products.

That's books for ya! - The China Study

I love reading. Back in New York, my daily hour and a half commute from Brooklyn into the East Village and back was bearable, even enjoyable, only because I always had a book in hand. Without my little book friend, I most likely would have rolled my eyes, yelled, and pushed more often than I already did. Reading on the subway was surprisingly the most relaxing part of my day.

Now that I live in the “city” (of San Francisco), I don’t have very long commutes anywhere (not to mention, having no office to go to, my commute to work is...non-existent). And while it’s pretty sweet to be able to walk any place you want to go, I do miss those daily book dates on-board. But, lives change and routines change with it, and books (and my sanity for that matter) shouldn’t suffer because of it.

To go along with my “ScoutOUT!” bits, I’m starting another feature called “That’s books for ya!”. This new addition will share the wordy adventures of my reads (which are almost always non-fiction), crazy discoveries (aka…wtf! protein causes cancer!!) and most likely wrap up with a review of some sort.

Here to kick off the first "That's book for ya!" is my current read - The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted, by T. Colin Campbell PhD.


With only 50 pages read, I can say the learnings thus far revealed are INSANE in the membrane – literally. Campbell, along with students and colleagues, conducted much research that strongly (like 100 to 0) suggests having too much protein (especially from animals…so things like cheese, milk, or chicken strips) really isn’t a good idea at all. Well, why not??? Because it’ll probably give you cancer, that's why.

Like fertilizer for weeds, protein (when over done and animal derived) feeds the multiplying cancer cells, boosting growth and allowing the cells to thrive into tumors. Not cool. What a misleading name…pro-tein. Ha. Campbell goes on to share that a low protein diet (mostly from plant proteins) can actually reverse cancer cell growth. That’s right…less protein (from animals) prevents AND reverses cancer. Like I said, insane in the membrane. Just another reason I’m hella happy that I've never been a fan of chicken strips and that I'm a mostly-vegetarian (although reading this book has gotten me rethinking all that cheese, butter, and cream I’m so fond of…).

More shocks to come, I’m sure…

scoutOUT! - Scrap

Scrap
801 Toland, San Francisco
(enter the warehouse on Newcomb Ave, between Toland and Selby)
Monday through Saturday, from 9am to 5pm.

If Urban Ore fixes your home, Scrap colorizes, texturizes, and wacks-out your home. Tucked away on a side street in the middle of an industrial neighborhood, Scrap is like a crafters wonderland. Prices are few and far between - so the deals are only realised once you are about to pay - that is unless you find some fun scraps of fabric, paper, electric parts or something else in front of the sign that says "from here to door is free!" I love free, but with all that other, better scrap lurking behind the sign, free sometimes isn't for me.

Immediately when you enter Scrap you think, damn, I need to start making stuff! With barrels full of wine corks, boxes loaded with tiny glass bottles, and yards and yards of scrappy fabrics organized in a rainbow of color, who wouldn't wanna be holed up in their house sewing, hot gluing, and scraping away? mmm...

Alex, is that person who doesn't feel that way. Recently we've been visiting some paper and art stores and he gets bored. He's definitely not a craft-man. All the paper is the same to him (even when it's totally not!) and he gets no pleasure in staring at 10 different glues. So, when i told him i wanted him to accompany me to the craft depot, Scrap, rockets didn't go off. And 10 minutes after of arrival, he said, "okay, ready?!" But obviously I wasn't, since I had just walked past the freebies into the retail space. So, bored, he went exploring...

Who ended up with the most stuff? Alex! He ended up finding random book pages that had been ripped out and stashed away in some drawer. Two that he bought were intructional photographs on how to clean an oil spill with hay. Others were patents for things like self-air conditioning rocking chair and chewing gum lockets, german poems and songs, russian drawings of crazy big radishes, and two stones (total $5...i think the lady who checked alex out was into the number 5, cause it probably would have been less had my cashier handled the transaction).

I ended up being more inspired than goods-aquired, but I didn't leave empty handed: 1 adhesize roll of faux wood, 2 childrens books with awesome illustrations, an old san francisco map that's rich in subdued colors, and some fabric that will seam-up to be stuffed (total of $2). And I didn't feel guilty with my Scrap purchase (as I often do at craft stores that offer new goods) because all the items in Scrap, are well, scrap! So if it weren't for this organization, who is kepy afloat from my and other's purchases, then all that scrap would just become a big ol'pile of crap.

intro pictures from other scrap-seekers

picture memories over time

pictured: central swedish woods
(left picture...where's alex?)

there's a feeling a roll of film gives you that digital will never replace. it's a feeling of lost time and memories fermenting - getting more beautiful with age. the preciousness (don't waste that film!) and the waiting are far more rewarding than the clutter, disposability, and flatness of digital.

so here i share my bit old memories with you. memories that are revealing themselves with just the right amount of space in between - when the longing for the fresh, damp smell of the swedish woods arrives.

pictured: bits of regensburg, germany // alex in woods near appelfabriken

pictured: urnatur's magical forest

pictured: die grune ecke farm life, pt 1

pictured: die grune ecke farm life, pt 2

scoutOUT! - Urban Ore

Urban Ore
900 Murray St. Berkeley, CA 94710
Mon-Sat 8:30am-7pm; Sun 10am-7pm

Thrift Stores are great. Garage sales are amazing. Flea Markets can be pretty fun. Urban Ore is...

...a garage sale on steroids
there's something about milling around, searching for the perfect household item that belonged to someone else that's just grand. not only is the thing you are searching for usually unknown to you at the time, but the thing when you eventually find it is going to have a story, a history, and probably be better made (pre-70's usually means quality). it's what makes thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, and now salvage warehouses (aka urban ore) one of my favorite pastimes. and urban ore knows how to bring it on. this place is BIG. they have chairs, furniture, cooking wares, records, books, clothes, bath tubs, doors, door knobs, door hinges, door stops, windows, lights, etc. that you could easily spend a whole day looking for absolutely nothing - and be happy. the mission of urban ore is to salvage stuff before it's sent to the landfill. makes sense and i like it. i love urban ore.

...vintage shopping on the cheap
so this place has its fair share of 'vintage' items that are still a bit too pricey for my pocket, but nonetheless are cheaper than the places on valencia (hispterville) street. so if you're looking for some old ass dinning room set from the 50's this is your place. you might have to clean the cobwebs and fix a wobbly leg - but that's what'll make it yours.

...dumpster diving without the burger king wrappers
while i've never dived in the dumpster, i've always thought romantically of the practice. free stuff is cool, especially when you don't have to steal it (well technically you are stealing i guess...silly laws) and you're helping out the environment too. urban ore's outside area is a bit like dumpster diving. there are broken bits of glass everywhere, rotting chairs thrown about, and more doors and toilet bowls than you could ever imagine. it's amazing. unlike the 'vintage' goods on the inside of the warehouse, the outside area seems to house the cheaper items that haven't been priced yet. for instance take our first visit to urban ore. we found 4 awesome school chairs that definitely needed some tlc, but had a good set of bones. each priced at $3. good deal, we bought one (we're idiots and didn't buy the other 3...i'm still sad about this). next visit to urban ore - the $3 chairs were obviously sold, but some almost identical, a little cleaner sister versions of the chairs were now stored in the inside area - price: $45! ridic. yeah, still cheaper than vintage shops or even ikea (wooden chairs are pricey!), but nothing like that $3 beauty we found. i like the outside area. i like cheap goods that need help and make beautiful.

...what being lucky is all about
the best thing about thrift stores and garage sales is that when you find something awesome, you feel awesomely lucky. you don't usually feel that way when you're shelling out benjies at the flea market or vintage shop. urban ore's outside and sometimes inside areas give you that rush. on our last venture into the unknown we stumbled upon an awesome wooden bench. thing cost $15 and now we have a place to eat in the kitchen. every time i sit down i get that - damn, i'm lucky - kind of feeling. life needs more of that.

image via - you guessed it - google!
(i'm always too excited about the places i find to remember to take pictures in between all the discoveries...call me lame or lazy)

scoutOUT! - ARCH

ARCH
99 Missouri
San Francisco, CA 94107
Weekdays 9am-6pm; Sat 12pm-5pm

On my quest to find some bookbinding materials, i stumbled upon an old friend - ARCH (i had been here once when my brother used to live in sf and we were on a hunt for speciality papers). part artshop, part gift shop, this place puts Pearl to shame. I wouldn't say it can compete with the myriad of paper, book, and art stores collectively in new york, but for one place that's just a 15 minute bus ride away, it's pretty darn great.

They have a nice selection of papers and paper-type things - like cork that's paper thin (bought this!) and glow in the dark sheets (bought this too!) for ya know, making glowy things glow. and they have a 'bulk' paper section with tiny envelops, stickers, single specialty sheet, and more. if you're into making tiny worlds - they have a pretty good selection of model building supplies. and of course there's also your everyday essentials like paint, pencils, drafting odds and ends, etc. the gift part is 1/4 of the store and might be a good addition if you are looking for something to tie to the outside of a present or to go to an open house with. nothing remarkable, but clever enough to not wrap.

i went away with a large piece of davey board, some pvc glue, and everything else i bought but didn't need. ARCH, nice to be reacquainted, you are definitely a place i'll be frequently often.

picture again courtesy of google

READ! LIBRARY! CARDS!

San Francisco Library Cards
"READ" & "My Library"

I just wanted to share the awesome new library cards alex and i received today. oh library-browsing-time, how i've missed you so.

scoutOUT! - Rainbow Grocery

Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom Street
San Francisco CA, 94103
9am-9pm, every day

for years i heard people rave about Rainbow, so i guess it's no surprise that the place is like the best thing ever. but unlike places that are the best thing ever in new york - you actually feel like you have the space to browse. there wasn't even a line when we checked out! aaah, again, 1 million is way better than 8.

but the real bonus of Rainbow is the incredible bulk sections. now, i'm not just talking about granola bulk or fruit bulk. oh no. this is bulky bulk.

first you have the spices. sure, they are a bit pricey (we went to another spice bulk store down the street called San Francisco Herb Co. that was much cheaper) but the selection and the set up is what makes it exciting and home-like (it very much has the feel of Flower Power in ny...which i discovered way too late in my ny life to truly appreciate).

next you have the grains. lots and lots of grains. grains i wouldn't even know what to do with. and rice...lots and lots of nice varieties of rice. unlike the spices, the grains are a good deal.

but the real highlights of the bulk are the following sections (keep in mind like half the store - and it aint small - is just for bulk):
- shoyu, oils, vinegars, agave and nut butters
- shampoo, lotion, and detergent (i've been waiting to find a place where i could fill up my dr. bronner's bottles with soap - yay!)
- fresh tofu, raw sauerkraut, and pickles!
- pasta! - fresh and dried

of course there are the standard bulk items like yogurt covered whatever, legumes, granola, and what not. but it's still way better than the bulk at Whole Foods (or Sahadi's for that matter).

and while the bulk items (which i'm sure i'm forgetting half of) are the best thing about Rainbow, the selection of vegetarian geared options is amazing (there goes my savings). there are more fake meats (some are even grain-based if processed gluten makes you feel uneasy) and vegan-this-and-that type items than i've ever seen at any market. until today, i had no idea Tofurky made a pizza. or that you could buy a mini "ham" made from grains. or how scarily real fake bacon from taiwan looks (we bought it!)

on top of having everything i've ever wanted, Rainbow is an cooperative owned business. so, instead of supporting the generic grocers, your money is going to a local place and local people. Rainbow's got it right and alex and i are so excited it's just a short bike ride away!

picture via google

scoutOUT!

one thing about leaving a city you've lived in for 7 years is that you are leaving behind 7 years of hard earned 'local' knowledge. like sahadi's in brooklyn - that place was my go-to store for bulk spices. or that baking supply store in chelsea - i loved that place cause it had everything...even those lobster shaped chocolate molds that should be a staple in everyone's kitchen. and i can't forget those precious food finds like toby's, mama's, or city sub...mmmmm, city sub. after 7 years, i pretty much knew where to go for everything i needed.

and now, i must start all over. i'm hoping this time around will be easier and faster - partly because i'm older and more aware of what it is i need/like and partly because i like exploring and discovering new more than i used to (especially with alex). and third-partly because i spent more time visiting san francisco than i ever spent visiting new york. so i have a few precious gems under my belt already.

anyhow, i've decided it'd be good for me (and maybe you) to keep a digital record of our san francisco finds - whether it be an awesome sandwich shop, a great grocery store, or a shop that sells awesome balloons. these things are important and i don't want to forget them or keep them to myself. so go ahead and get ready to look forward to the new series of posts titled scoutOUT!

image via designsponge

post tour

pictured: variations on alex driving

NY >> NJ >> PA > OH > IN >> IL > IA >> NE > CO > UT > NV > CALIFORNIA...

after nearly a week of driving, alex and i have settled into our new little apartment and boy does it feel good to be home!

pictured: our tiny penske behind a big boy (for some reason i always felt we were the same size as those massive freight trucks, that is until we were at rest stops) // massive trucks can cause massive danger - hence the scary looking 'runaway truck' ramps on mountainside highways

it's amazing, practically nothing went wrong the whole trip. no tires popped, no burning breaks, no sliding trucks. i must say, that penske rode like a beaut (at least from the passenger's chair). the only small blip in the whole ordeal was that somewhere between iowa, colorado, and reno, my credit card number got jacked and someone was having a gas station spending spree on my credit. luckily, amex notified me promptly and we got that all squared away.

pictured: rock crazy...just look at those things!

having now been across the country via train and now truck, there's really nothing like the grand USofA. Each state offers a new surprise in terrain. there's green water, muddy water, clear water, hot water, and super salty water. then there's mountains that are soft, rough, red, grey, green, and dinosaur-esque. it's craziness united.

pictured: glen springs, colorado

and after nebraska, and eastern colorado (that shit looks worse than nebraska) the west is indeed wild. it's amazing to think pioneers trekked by foot, horse, and buggy through such massive, lumpy land and made it across to the other side. it's also mind boggling to imagine the planning and physical labor it took to run telephone and electricity lines - not to mention build roads - through all those streams, canyons, deserts, and salt flats. big dreams used to happen i guess. wtf "the present"?

pictured: colorado western

pictured: nevada is emptiness and scariness all wrapped into one flat-topped shaped state

pictured: utah's salt flats (it's all salt...)

on the other side of natural and man-made wow, is a little place called reno. having now somehow been to vegas 4 times (this seriously makes me sad) i knew what to expect in the self proclaimed biggest little city - old people wasting away money as they smoke and drink their lives away. yep. that's it. depressing. i just don't get the appeal. why spend money on a vacation like that? no thanks. i'll take my RV to nebraska before i do that. one positive of our reno night was the awesome spa bath tub...nothing like soaking away the grime of gambling and greasy food (yeah, alright, we gambled... alex lost $4 and i $3)...

pictured: a night in reno

notes from the road

okay, let's start with the bad stuff.

pictured: CAFO in colorado (zoom in for details) // it was that bad

like i said, iowa was really stinky - poo kind of stinky. and you know that poo smell wasn't coming from waste water treatment centers. it was most likely coming from a CAFO - concentrated animal feeding operation. if you eat animals, then you are helping support these poo-generating facilities that are bad for animals, the environment, and people - yourself included. they are nasty nasty operations - and iowa is smart - they keep them off the road, away from sight. but a smell so wretchid is hard to cover up. colorado on the other hand didn't smell nearly as bad, but had their operations right on the road. we pasted at least four CAFO's on our way to denver. and i'll bet two poodles that those are some of the nicest and cleanest CAFO's around. just imagine what's hidden beyond the grasses and gravel. yick. yuck. gross.

alright, now for the awesome stuff.

if you ever watched peewee herman's big adventure, you probably always fantasized about driving in the west and stopping at dinosaur shaped attractions or hotels shapped like teepees - i know i have. while we haven't spotted either of those two attractions, we have come across some interesting gems. like that picture below. who doesn't love sticking their head in a hole and becoming a whole nother person? we do!

pictured: fort cody, nebraska free museum

or standing next to crazy statues? we do!

pictured: alex meets buffalo bill // nebraska has awesome exit signs // me and some indian lady (if i were a lego, dressed like a native american, i'd probably look like her, no?)

and nothing is better than taking a quick pit stop and finding yourself nest to the most awesomest signs ever. i can't believe these exist! oh america, you are so very special.

pictured: "fresh donuts", "major brand" gas station, "no semis, don't even think about it!"

after 11 hours of driving, we made it from iowa > nebraska > colorado. after a place like nebraska and eastern colorado it was so nice to be greeted by mountains - no matter how hazy they were.

pictured: denver at sunset

from one state to another

pictured: us and our penske

new york >> new jersey >> pennsylvania >> ohio >> illinois >> iowa...

it appears that heading west is easy. just follow i-80 for-basically-ever and be prepared to pay tolls. lots and lots of tolls (highest being $15, the lowest being $.60). we've made it across a total of 6 states so far and we have about 5 more to go. america is big. america is diverse. and america is full of large marge trucks.

pictured: world's largest truck stop in iowa of of i-80

i always knew america was considered a truckin' kinda country. but never have i experienced such massive truck-ness. there are trucks everywhere! more trucks than cars are crossing this huge country of ours and it's really kind of insane. in those trucks are packages we ordered from amazon, chickens we'll buy at the grocer, pesticides we'll spray in our gardens, poptarts we'll feed our children, and cars that will get us to our jobs. seeing the great amount of trucks on the road has only heightened my awareness of the amounts of fuel and gas that is being wasted to transport goods that we most likely don't need or could most likely get from some place other than the other side of the country/world. and being in our small penske truck, driving from state to state, we are part of that culture that's unfortunately american. i wish i didn't have so much stuff. that i could rid myself of the urge to buy. i'm going to seriously work on it.

pictured: name that state...(iowa, pennsylvania, ohio)

another note taken from the road in full force is the industrial agricultural industry we eat off. corn, corn and even more corn is the predominately featured crop from the road - with a mix in of wheat here and there. it creates and eerie landscape that's golden hued, man made, and dusty. yet, there's also a contrast. alongside the rows and rows of corn and wheat are patches of lush greenery. greenery that a few happy cows seem to be indulging on and greenery that appears to be diverse. it's amazing really, because i always assumed the midwest was just like the great plains. plain n' dusty (where there are crops, the areas are just that). but it's these tiny strips of green land that show/prove what the untiled land is capable of...the richness of the soil - that is quickly being stripped of its nutrients so we can feed more cows than humans. ohio, illinois, and iowa could very well be as beautiful as pennsylvania. but they aren't because they're full up to their ears in corn. what have we done america?!

between the trucks and corn there's lots and lots of open road that take you from state to state. lots of time to think and wonder...

i wonder if truckers think and wonder. and if they do, if they wonder the same things i do. like where that really wretched stink of some serious poo was coming from during a stretch of iowa that lasted way too long. i wonder. they must wonder.

 

pictured: me next to some serious truck

(i really wish i knew a trucker, because i am now baffled by this seemingly popular profession/lifestyle)

small changes that are never too late

pictured: where alex and i used to (sorta) battle cars there is a nice new green bike lane (image pulled from google, but my brain took the exact same picture so...)

there are a few things that have change in new york that are really great.

1. there are way more "green" bike lanes - meaning they are at least semi-separate from the auto road. way cool.

2. there are mini public areas utilizing old street areas - for example at union square there are now some tables and a pedestrian walking area.

3. there's a simplified subway map. i have my issues with it (like how they took away the green in the parks and replaced it with desert yellow, yuck) but it's much clearer than before.

4. there are some new buses and bus-only lanes. that's pretty good, since the buses were like slugs, maybe even slower.

a lot can change in 5 months, so it seems. maybe lots always changed, but i just never noticed. it's nice to notice the change, and appreciate it.

sea change

it's weird to visit places of the past. when i visit florida my mind, heart, and body are confused. they feel comfortable, safe, and warm (literally), but they also feel really glad they got out alive at just the right time. and when i now visit, it's not a place i can picture myself in. i don't belong, i'm just a visitor.

new york is the new florida. i was really worried upon our arrival that i might feel a great deal of nostalgia for this place - and possibly maybe, wish we weren't moving across the country. luckily, i don't.

new york is a great place. the streets are small and easy to cross with their one-way traffic flow. and the neighborhoods are long - you can walk down 5th avenue in brooklyn and continually be walking by restaurants and shops for miles. prospect park is still my favorite park - even with its tornado-downed trees and branches littering any soft grass. and the subway really is the best form of transportation anywhere.

but there's been a sea change. there are things i knew existed as part of living in the city - things that i either embraced, ignored, or made excuses for. and now, since i no longer live here, i can see these things more clearly.

- 8 million is really a noticeably larger amount than 1 million
- because there's so many people, you just are damned to have more assholes and idiots - and these people have made unemployed me angry on multiple occasions (they made employed me angry, but i figured maybe it was cause i was in a rush...but nope, they just suck as human beings)
- the subway stations are really, really disgusting. painting the ceiling of a water ridden station is never a good idea new york.
- even though it is supposed to be fall here, it feels like summer. humidity sucks in florida and in new york.
- i love my friends here, love them. but there's been a big change. for the most part (like 10 to 1) they all work in my old industry. and because i escaped that industry (hopefully for life) i have made a choice that in a way is against their choice. and that's weird.

it's a funny feeling, this new york i love you, but want to divorce you kinda feeling. there's memories that can't be forgotten because they are too great. there's special things that will never be replaced by others. and there's people that i will continue to know, but are really an outcome from and old life. it's time for us to go our separate ways. sure, we will probably run into each other now and then, on holiday or something. maybe we'll even fall back in love some day. but for now, it's farewell dear old new city.

pictured: the aftermath of a brooklyn tornado in prospect park - alex // me

renewal...update!

pictured: the magical place of Musee Mecanique

days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months.

it's now been nearly two months since we said our farewells to the now-lovely-in-our-minds wwoofing experience.

while i miss the piggy noses and work routine of physically doing something, the days of today are filled with exciting new adventures - the migration towards the west has started and next week is the long haul, for real.

san francisco is the only city that i ever really imagined living in (okay, besides that early high school obsession with boston). hills and hills of beautifully crafted houses, yummy eateries, people with a californian glow of happiness, and natural wonders (complementing man made wonders) are all practically in your backyard. i knew i loved san francisco from the second time i visited (the first one was when i was 5 or something and i remember absolutely nothing from that). don't get me wrong, i love brooklyn too, but san francisco is a place you can grow old in.

pictured: outside our new home

the teeny tiny adventures

we found ourselves an apartment. it's teeny tiny (think ship cabin) but it has built-in furniture that adds charm and makes it feel san franciscan. and it's cheap - even cheaper than our brooklyn home. and it's in an amazingly wonderful location - nestled between the castro and the mission.

after confirming that we actually would be offered this tiny home of potential, i started on an obsessed rampage thinking of ways to maximize space. smaller can be better...after all, didn't i say in one of my first posts that i wanted to find myself a teeny, tiny house? got one!

there are plans for building structures - part tree house, part box house - and there are plans for using refuse wood rather than new (both for aesthetic and environmental purposes) as well as finding paint that's free of toxic fume. there's lots and lots to learn and think about, which is probably why i can't worry about the fact that i'm practically unemployed and not sure what my calling is. i like this new life.

pictured: nasturtiums // buena vista park (where the foraging walk took place)

walk on the wild side

getting comfortable in your new surrounding is probably the hardest part of moving. that's why this weekend alex and i went on a wild (urban) foraging tour - learning to identify and enjoy the many plant species growing in sf parks and backyards. the best of the best in our opinion, turns out to be nasturtiums - a common addition to salad mixes in the west, and a common weed almost everywhere. unfamiliar to us, we were delighted by their fresh looks and spicy, tasty flavor. the whole plant is edible from the roots to the leaves to the flowers to the oh so delicious pods. other highlights on the walk included wild fennel and wild radish. i can't wait to be in our teeny tiny home with our not so teeny kitchen (kitchen is half the space) and start cooking again!

pictured: alex on top of a rock by the coast (if the fog weren't so heavy you'd see the bridge right behind him) // map time // the bridge to nowhere

of course other walking adventures have taken place. there was the fog heavy adventure by the coast and across the golden gate bridge - which is hella scary (esp. after watching a documentary about how more than a handful of people jump from there yearly). there was the return to the sutro baths and the wonder of what had once been. and there was a walk on ocean beach filled with survival of the fittest, discovery channel stuff - a seagull waits, a crab gets caught on sand and is exposed as a wave retreats...the bird goes for the crab, the crab fights back... a crab gets eaten alive...oh ocean beach you are soooo much better than coney island, maybe the closing of playland was actually a good idea.

We're going home...

the hotness that is hungary

pictured: budapest looks better at night // nice map // clouds that looked like a painting (more so in real life)

now at the end of our 3-month euro-stint, we've just arrived in berlin after a few days baking in the budapest heat.

before arriving, i purposely did little research and held back from looking at pictures of budapest. beautiful, romantic, amazing - that's what people said it was like. so i wanted to be surprised. and i was.

there are lots and lots of really nice old building throughout budapest. but you can't put an ugly girl in a really nice dress and expect one to make up for the other (the dress is the architecture, the ugly girl is the commercialness, grime, and vibe of the city). overall, budapest sorta felt like what i imagine poland to be and what i imagine new york was like in 1970. poland because there appears to be no sensibility to contemporary design, fashion, or interiors - everything feels a little generic and cheap (which it kind of is). even restaurants that look nice end up just looking like channelside (in tampa) mall restaurants - and that's not what you expect from one of the prettiest cities in the world. new york in 1970 because the subways look and feel like that time period, and there's a bit of dirt on every wall. oh, and the people lack emotion - saying little and smiling never.

and when your city's subway maps are sponsered by mcdonalds (with icons to show you where the nearest one is - even though there's one on practically every block) - you are far, far from being beautiful, romantic, or amazing.

but as i said, there are lots of nice buildings. some are even so nice, that they are what places like vegas and disney copy - which unfortunately makes it kind feel kind of cheesy. but they are nice.

there's the castle district that kind of feels like a big sand castle.

and there are bath houses...which on a hot hot day, are amazing. the one we went to had 18 pools filled with the local spring water - rich in minerals. most of the pools are warm to hot, which after spending some time in the cold pool, are surprisingly enjoyable on a warm summer's day. but the cold pool felt great - they should make pool suits you wear when it's so hot. every 10 minutes the pool's jets would rotate between creating 40 or so jet/bubble clouds (which are intended for one person to stand on for 10 minutes for a nice massage) and a whirl pool shaped like a snail in the center of the pool (which is just sort of weird, since it was pretty small and rather fast). we were happy here.

something else that's pretty nice about budapest is how cheap it is. it's not taiwan cheap - but it's pretty close. most meals are generously portioned, and a three course meal with a drink at an everyday spot typically costs $10. not bad. one place we are at was a bio/vegetarian restaurant (there's not much bio/organic stuff here) and to our surprise had an interesting menu with some hungarian specialties - which were pretty yummy - and presented their food in a rather fancy manner. other things didn't seem so special, but it may just be the facade that threw us off (since the veg place didn't look nearly as good as it was).

and of course after surviving 2 days of extreme heat and no air conditioning (not even in restaurants or shopping areas - usually my releif when i was in ny) the last day was cool and windy. it really made the place look better, and we began to think our image of budapest was skewed by its hotness. but then our eyes caught site of the cheesey malls and mothers who were wearing skin tight shorts way too short and heals way too high (for shorts so short).

maybe it'll change in 30 years, like new york did. all it needs is a hungarian rudy giuliani. or something.

escape to regensburg

the really great thing - possibly the only good, to great, thing - about being at the animal farm is that it's within biking distance to the quaint, old-style town of regensburg. apparently it's also quite the tourist destination, since it's one of the only cities that wasn't destroyed by bombs during the war.

and a really great thing about germany is the well-kept, smooth, off road bike paths that can be found both in the city as well as the country. it makes riding very safe and enjoyable - even when there are very large bavarian hills to climb. and it makes bike culture something that's no just for the young hipsters of the world, but also an activity for families and so my amazement - the elderly. and when you see a grandma biking up a hill, you think you can do it too, but soon realise that she's probably been doing this her whole life and is much better at it than you will ever be. funny enough, it's a really good feeling, and makes me hope that america jumps on the real, larger than 3 inches, bike path bandwagon.

arriving in regensburg was a real treat. the city is right on the edge of the lovely danube river that runs throughout europe (again, bike path!...you can ride all the way to prague). and instead of hanging out at malls or lurking around gas stations, the youth here enjoys their free time sitting on the city's wall, feet dangling over rushing water. of course the youth here can also enjoy a beer or two - outside. so i'm sure that's also a bonus.

pictured: catholics are insane – the outside of the church // the ridiculously amazing inside // a grave // a skeleton wearing clothes (?!)

there's lots of really old buildings (like 2000 years old, old) to see and plenty of cafes and restaurants to relax at. which is exactly what we did. and it was luxurious. usually not a huge fan of buildings, i continue to be amazed at the intricacy of design and obvious effort - not to mention devote faith (most are churches) that must have gone into their being. why are we so lazy and skill-less these days?

pictured: famous cathedral

there also happened to be a wine festival (with beer too, of course) while we were in town. it was a traditional set up with colored lights dangling around the wooden kiosks that sell food and drinks served on reusable plates that you give a deposit for, fresh flowers on each table, and good ol'bavarian men dressed in their stately garb playing music that Walt Disney obviously stole (along with the bavarian castle design) for his wonderland. and it was here that i discovered a summer german treat (drink) that i really think needs to be brought to the states - Radler.

 

pictured: festival time // radler (left, bottom) and other goodies // typical

Radler makes a beer light, making it more enjoyable in hot weather and for asians who can't drink much. it's a simple recipe - sprite (or 7up, or fanta) mixed with beer (light or dark). it's really refreshing and my new favorite beer. yum.

pictured: starch-based (instead of gelatin) gummies are the best // street stuff // mushroom cafe in the park (that's for you val!) //why's over packaging so fun? ice cream treat with plastic hat and handle that turns into a whistle!

bavaria is really nice, i think mountains make everywhere nicer. and regensburg is a real winner. but it's time to move on to the hotness that is hungary.

Wwoof awards – the good, the bad

Now that our wwoofing experience has come to a welcomed end, alex and I have decided to put together a little award list that spans many different categories. this is due to the fact that no farm wins overall as the "hands down best" because there were really great (and bad) things about each and every one.

Overall, Sweden was the best country for us to wwoof in because: the people speak English well, like speaking English, are very kind and warm hearted, and think of their wwoofers as wwoofers – not field workers (aka, they teach you). but, it’s not to say we didn't learn and see a lot in germany…it just wasn’t as smooth of a journey. Anyway, the contrast of the two countries was really great and wwoofing is an experience I truly believe every person should be forced to partake in (if only for a few weeks).

and now, for the "good/best" awards...
Drum roll please…

Most educational: urnatur

Best food: urnatur / rosenhills

Most fun / silliest: rosenhills

Best dessert: appelfabriken

Most organized: appelfabriken

Best accommodations: urnatur

Best bathroom / shower: die grune ecke

Best access to urban life: rosenhills (stockholm by bus - 45min) / die grune ecke (regensburg by bike-1hr)

Prettiest / best landscape: urnatur

Best harvest: biohof barenfang

Best job: urnatur – traditional fence building

Least amount of bugs: solgarden

Best swimming: biohof barenfang

Best beach: solgarden (for aesthetic purposes only - that water was damn cold!)

Most farm-like: die grune ecke

and now for the not so great...

least educational: solgarden - pleasurable/chore work, but not educational (sorry!)

Most awkward: die grune ecke

Worst accommodations: tie between rosenhills caravan (because of the massive hornet we shared the place with) and barenfang’s bug room (bugs + mold + leaking ceiling = unhappy people)

Worst bathroom: biohof barenfang - mosquito infested outhouse, no real shower

Worst job: biohof barenfang – gigantic weed-tree pruning in 96 degree weather

Most mosquitos: rosenhills / barenfang

Most flies: die grune ecke - and they ate your flesh

Most wasps/hornets: biohof barenfang

Least fun free time on the farm: die grune ecke

Least farm-like: solgarden - most like a house-garden

A whole new level of wwoofing

pictured: sheep time!

today felt like a million days in one. I guess working before breakfast then taking a long break in the middle of the day before working in the evening will do that to you. it may also feel that way because we did a lot.

goats are smart. Sheep are stupid (so we were told, and so far it’s proven true). Which means that the sheep stay where you put them, and the goats - who do as they please - jump about into other animals’ areas. And so that’s how the day started – putting the goats back where they belong…and separating the lambs from the sheep before it was milking time.

Today franz (host) did the milking alone and alex and i fed, cleaned, fed, cleaned, fed, cleaned.

pictured: giving cow milk to a lamb (weird) // me putting lambs in their place (so soft!)

The feeding for the sheep and goats starts by wheeling over the green food - a healthy diet of cut grasses and flowers. This happens three times a day – along with a corn pellet and sliced-bread snack. As I wheeled over all this food (there’s A LOT of it) I couldn’t help but think it’s a big waste of time – seeing as all that green food comes from the field just down the way….but apparently it’s too hot for the animals to be outside in the day and I guess it’s not practical to herd them back and forth for milking twice a day. Anyway it appears they like the convenience food – as they gobble it up really fast. But even after all that grass and a corn snack they are still left looking oh so hungry – so I snuck them a few extra pitchforks full of grass. of course after that, they still looked hungry. Oh well. Sheep are stupid (but so cute!)

As far as cleaning goes - there was a little doody-duty to be had. Okay, lots of doody - sheep, pig, and cow shit to be exact. Cow shit is by far the biggest and wettest. But surprisingly the least stinky (although it feels as if you are sniffing ammonia the whole time…it’s probably just the methane burning the hairs in your nostril.) It was nice to see that the animals are given clean living quarters (unlike the hen house experience back at rosenhill.) I even kind of liked (I know…) scrapping the cow shit off the burning hot cement. It felt a lot like baking a pizza.

pictured: poo time! alex scrapping poo into one big poo pile // cow poo patties - cool!

The more enjoyable things (even more so than the poo-pizza play time) of the day included: teasing the piglets – and touching their noses, holding the new born lambs for bottle feeding, and eating german delights like Bavarian pretzels with sweet mustard (really the best thing ever) and fresh cooked cherries with thick-cut pancakes. Yum.

pictured: piglets being lazy // me teasing the little guys

And as I think about the day I realize that it’s the first time on our wwoof journey that I truly feel like a farmer. Before I just felt like a gardener. But animals put you on a whole new level…because when you no longer care about the flies covering your clothes (which are the kind that bite…not sting, or bite like a mosquito, but bite your skin off) or the poop smeared on your legs – you know you’ve made it to “farmer” level.

pictured: true farmer

pictured: bavaria by night