Christmas 2011-3

Christmas 2011-3
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Chocolate Mouse, instead of chocolate mousse. Get it!

Christmas 2011-7

Christmas 2011-7
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Some of the exceptionally fattening foods at my mother's house on Christmas Day.

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-101

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-101
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Li Po's, a bar in Chinatown.

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-104

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-104
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

The Buddha Bar

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-115

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-115
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Chinatown Bakery

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-165

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-165
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Fruit and vegetable stand on Haight Street

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-168

San Francisco Nov 26 2011-168
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Haight Street Restaurant

Maker Faire 2011-12

Maker Faire 2011-12
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Besides selling the "World's Largest Waffle Cone," they also wanted you to know that they are Christian and therefore better than everyone else.

Maker Faire 2011-19

Maker Faire 2011-19
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Not sure it was the "World's Largest Waffle Cone" but I do like how the size is a selling point.

Maker Faire 2011-18

Maker Faire 2011-18
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

And here she is with the sausage.

Maker Faire 2011-20

Maker Faire 2011-20
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

My daughter got a foot-long sausage from this stand and said it was actually very good, despite the name.

Almost Home-Cooked Food

04-26-2011-6
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack
These are Hawaiian meatballs prepared by "Dinner My Way," a chain business that specializes in "Take and Bake" foods. It's a lot like Papa Murphys, but instead of pizza, they offer a changing menu each month. Besides the meatballs, this month's menu also includes chicken and artichoke calzones and Chicken Picatta.

The idea behind the business is simple - they chop all the vegatables and meats, mix the sauces for you with all the ingredients, and even package it so you can freeze the meals and cook them later. When you want to make them, they offer simple directions, allowing you to cook it at home. All the ingredients are fresh, so it gives the illusion that you are eating "healthy, home-cooked" food. They even provide calorie and nutrition information for each dish. You also have the choice of choosing all the ingredients yourself. They hand you a recipe and point you to stations with the ingredients for that recipe just waiting. There, you can modify the recipe depending on your tastes (for example, you can leave out onions if you don't like them or put in more tomatoes).

Their target audience is homes where both adults are working and they have children. This is an excuse to not buy burgers and pizza all the time, thus helping give "well-balanced" meals.

I've seen other variations of this lately. My local grocery store now offers full take-and-bake meals. Walk in and get stuffed chicken with potatoes, mixed vegetables and gravy on the side - enough for four people.

I suspect we will see this idea grow. I'm not entirely sold on whether it really is a "healthy alternative" to fast food. It still seems there are some fast-food qualities there, but it does have to be better than McD's any day, right?

Ken Albala Cooking Demonstration-57

Ken Albala Cooking Demonstration-57
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Food historian Ken Albala, University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, demonstrated how to make pasta from raw wheat (including how to grind it into flour) as well as how to make pasta sauce using only tomatoes, olive oil and locally-grown spices. This was part of Sustainability month. The food was delicious and certainly reminded everyone in the audience on how plastic most of our "pre-prepared food" tastes these days.

03-17-2011-13

University of the Pacific's food truck. They served German bratwurst smothered in German-style cabbage that was dyed bright green for St. Patrick's Day. This is actually more appropriate than most realize. St. Patrick's Day didn't become a huge national holiday until the Irish immigrants came to America, taking over mostly German neighborhoods in New York and Chicago. There, they adopted lots of German food, including corned beef and cabbage, and folded it into their religious holidays. Hence why corned beef and cabbage - a purely German dish - is often attributed to the Irish on St. Patrick's Day.
03-17-2011-13
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Celtic Faire 2011-222

Celtic Faire 2011-222
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack

Celtic Faire 2011-223

Celtic Faire 2011-223
Originally uploaded by Inkyhack