The Girl and the Fig

I simply adore figs. Borderline obsessive about them actually. They remind me of childhood and late summer, my favorite time of year. Growing up we would pick them right off the tree in my mom's backyard, and eat them. When fresh and ripe, those little suckers are supple, sweet and wonderful. The inside of a fresh fig is so succulent, and a gorgeous while and pink color, and loaded with tiny edible seeds. They are good with proscuitto, chicken, in tarts, with goat or blue (or halloumi) cheese, drizzled with honey or pepper, but seriously, they are best just right off the tree, unmodified, uncooked, just as they are.

Figs are a Mediterranean staple. In California where I'm from, figs are also abundant and cheap, almost to the point where during their peak season in late summer, they are too plentiful to be sold - you can just pick them anywhere. Here in Utah, since we have to import them, and since they are delicate and don't travel well, they are expensive, teeny and unripe. Sometimes I give in and buy them when they look decent at Whole Foods, but usually, I can't even eat them, they are so unflavorful compared to what I'm used to. The only thing that keeps me going during fig season are my yearly trips back to the Bay, where I load up and try to bring as many back with me as I can. Fig season is so important to me, right up with with Christmas and Chinese New Year, that I haven't missed one since moving away. This year, my good friend Shelly gave me some canned and bottled fig delicacies that she made in her home kitchen with figs from her tree: Fig balsamic reduction, fig wine sauce, fig jam and fig syrup. That stuff won't last long.

If your only interaction with the fig is from those silly little Newton things, then you really haven't had a fig. Go right now, don't wait, and try a fresh one, wherever you are, even if it means traveling thousands of miles.

SF Girl in SF

I am visiting the Bay Area this weekend. I had been jumping out of my skin excited to get back to San Fran, and I am so happy to be here. Unfortunately, I might have accidentally packed the Utah desert heat in my suitcase and brought it with me. The normally cool temperatures here usually hover around 65-70 degrees, but this weekend it has been in the high 90's! Yikes! But unlike Utah, where most homes are equipped with air conditioning, people here are lucky to have a fan! While driving with my mother yesterday, I begged her to turn on the AC in the car. She didn't know how! Double yikes!

It is still good to be home no matter the weather. I am having so much fun catching up with family and friends. Two nights ago I took a late night walk North Beach with some friends, grabbing a beer at a bar, still managing to get up at 6am for a 3 mile run along the Embarcadero from the Ferry Building, under the Bay Bridge, to the ballpark and back. My cousins took me to Santana Row last night where we did not wait in the mile long line for a yogurt at Pinkberry. Maybe next time.



I had to smile this morning when I walked down to the coffee shop near my parent's house. In addition to normal breakfast pastries for sale- muffins, scones, oatmeal, there was also a plate of char siu bao. THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

Dog Years

I've heard that if you take a dog's age and multiply it by 7, that is what their age is in human years. Floyd is 2.5, so that would make him about 17 human years old. Does this remind you of you at 17?

Note to PETA: He's not really smoking anything, it's just a rolled up piece of paper he was playing with.

Some Vacation Photos

Golden Bears

All this bear talk has reminded me that one of my favorite times of the year is upon us: college football season! Yes, it's true, I think college football is so exciting. My favorite team is, of course, the California Golden Bears. While Cal has always been known more for its academics & activism, I did hear that Cal's preseason ranking is #15 and our running back, Jahvid Best is widely thought to be a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy. Is this the year we beat USC? Do I see a New Year filled with roses? All I know is, I LOVE Pasadena in January.

Rocky Mountain Adventure

If you have noticed a lack of posts lately, it's because I've had a whirlwind two weeks. Two weekends ago John and I visited his mom's side of the family on the Jersey Shore. The trip was very brief yet enjoyable, but unfortunately can be summed up by two words: humidity and mosquitoes. As many of you know, I am a tried and true weather wimp. Anything higher or lower than a non-humid 70 is a bit much for me. Luckily too, for the mosquitoes on the East Coast, I showed up and unwillingly volunteered myself to become a blood donation station. Calamine lotion became my newest best friend.

They day after returning, my friend and cohort, Bree and I left for Montana on a business trip. The highlight of that trip was definitely our dinner at the Olive Garden. Soup, salad and breadsticks, YUM!

Once again, upon returning from Montana, John and I were officially on vacation. We left for Estes Park, CO the next morning, Floyd in tow. Our destination was the Maxey family cabin in Rocky Mountain National Park. What a lovely vacation complete with lots of hiking, fishing, rock climbing and family bonding. A cute black bear was nice enough to pay us a visit one morning, letting himself into the cabin and walking right into the living room. Here is a picture of a bear similar to our visitor.

Sleepover at Tupelo's

Whenever we go out of town and can't bring Floyd, we are lucky to have Kristin, Kyle and their furry child, Tupelo, also Floyd's girlfriend, to watch him. I don't think he even notices we're gone. This weekend we are headed for the Jersey Shore with John's family. Here's Floyd all packed for his weekend sleepover.