You could go nuts

One of the biggest surprises I encountered while working downtown was the inability to find a great doughnut shop.  Isn’t there a corporate law somewhere stating that doughnuts are mandatory for good employee morale and longevity?  Admittedly, I was certainly not one to turn down a slice of doberge cake […]

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Cheating ain’t fair

While I was in California visiting my crazy, beautiful family, I over-indulged on the local food knowing I wouldn’t get another chance at it for a while. I decided not to cheat this past week because my extravagant dining behavior cost me a weight gain of five pounds, but it […]

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Blowing my diet at The Fish Market

Since I have been visiting my family in California, my eating regimen has been a total bust.  Although I have been getting out and about more than usual, I have been balancing the new exercise with a healthy dose of local cuisine.  For example, the other day my mother offered […]

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A ladies’ lunch at Pho Saigon

It seems that more than allergies, large hips and early onset gray hair runs in my family, there’s also the love of pho!  Just the other day, my sister suggested lunch at a small Vietnamese restaurant in Foster City called Pho Saigon and much to my surprise, my mother and […]

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Plied with Persian food

Since I have been back in the Bay Area, my mother has been making all kinds of delicious Persian food, something I never get when I am at home in New Orleans.  I can always make it, but most recipes feed a small army!  Anyhow, I will enjoy it while […]

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Reliving the past at La Cumbre

Ever since I moved to New Orleans, I have needed for nothing in the realm of incredible cuisine. From gumbo to pho, the Crescent City has a lot to choose from, but there is one item it lacks: an delectable, yet affordable burrito. Whenever I come back to visit my […]

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Much needed serenity at the Japanese Tea Gardens

In the past month, I discovered that my father’s health was rapidly deteriorating. Through the years, he’s endured asthma, emphysema and two triple-bypass heart surgeries. After several frantic telephone calls and too many unanswered questions, I returned to my birth city of San Mateo to be with my family during […]

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Do you see a giraffe?

Whether it be due to divergent cultural influences, the sticky swamp air or too much cayenne pepper, you can expect the unexpected when you live in New Orleans.  I’ve had some of the most intense, most vividly colorful experiences of my entire life in this city, from getting hit on […]

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My horoscope says I’ll win the lottery…

Although I know it’s “stuff and nonsense” quoth my mom, reading astrology forecasts can often be a self-indulgent, egocentric form of entertainment that can lift your spirits, make you laugh and generally make you feel better about yourself.  Sometimes, I get the urge to see how many horoscopes I can […]

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A smooth ride on St. Charles Avenue

I’ve been grumbling a lot lately about the endless amount of road and sidewalk construction around the city.  Now, a trip that would normally take 20 minutes stretches out into almost an hour and the horrendous driving habits of locals has just gotten worse since construction began. I often find […]

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You sucked the head!

A large pot was set up in the back of the building, boiling furiously, enclosing the hungry in a warm scented vapor of garlic, onions, cayenne pepper and special mix of seasonings that I was not privy to at the time. The helpless crawfish were struggling fruitlessly in a huge […]

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