Is it spring where you live yet? Spring-ish signs are emerging in NorCal – daffodils are blooming and magnolia trees are managing to hold onto their blooms despite the historic snow event and cold weather that happened in the Bay Area last week. Just before the snow and rain, I took an epic, 16-mile hike to Marin County’s Alamere Falls (pictured above), one of only four tidefalls (or waterfalls that empty into an ocean) in the United States and 31 worldwide. The hike, through coastal redwood forest and verdant meadows ready to pop with flowers, was as exhilarating as it was exhausting, a new year’s goal and a reminder to #gooutside to find your zen. I earned my carbs that day, and I earned my paycheck – there will be copy!
1. What’s Hot
If you live on Planet Earth, you have likely read something in the past few weeks about artificial intelligence (AI)-generated writing tools such as ChatGPT, and many people have been asking me about these tools. When my family started asking me about AI – what I thought about it and whether I thought AI would replace my work – I decided to write about it.
No, I’ve never written about AI before, but thought my personal perspective might be useful and, hopefully, interesting. Years ago, I had a line in my email signature that said “human writer” but I don’t think anyone got it then. Maybe now, they will. Thanks for reading (and commenting, if so inclined).
2. A Personal Definition for Soul Food
What is your definition of soul food? The culinary world agrees that soul food is a term encompassing the foodways and traditions of southern African Americans, influenced as much by West Africa as the foods native to the region. More personally, I’d like to look at soul food through a different lens, as food that nourishes and restores the emotional and spiritual side of you. Because food has that power, too.
When the weather is frightful or the world has you down, a wonderful meal – however you define that – can restore a positive frame of mind and revive a flagging spirit. Such was the case for me on a recent visit to Mendocino. Dinner at The Bewildered Pig restored my faith in restaurants as an incubator of wellbeing and good will. As someone who writes about restaurants and food, I found the meal from chef Janelle Weaver downright restorative for the spirit in many ways – a table for the evening, attentive but understated service, thoughtful attention to the room’s decor and comfort, etc. Along with my oldest son, Lukas, I had the good fortune to have one of the restaurant’s cats, Wesson, join us on a pillow on the bench next to our table. It all felt wonderful. And Lukas was a trooper, enjoying nine courses over four hours.
We had a similar kind of wonderful service experience at the Boonville Hotel restaurant. The menu, from chef Perry Hoffman, was only four courses (Lukas audibly sighed with relief! — ha ha) but each one was so good, it went by in a blink. I could live in the curry broth chef made for the mussels and seafood. Divine. The cat, though, had to stay outside.
3. Where to Eat
I’ve been on something of a roll, creating neighborhood guides (focused on eating and drinking, of course) for SFGATE. Here’s one I wrote about Pacific Heights and another one about The Marina. More coming soon…
4. This Month’s Favorites
Aside from the work I do creating copy for brands, I also sample many food products. Prospector Popcorn, which supports differently abled adults who help make a range of gourmet, flavored popcorns, made my hit list with their Sweet and Spicy and Belgian Chocolate Toffee flavors. Irresistible. I was also re-introduced to slivovitz, a.k.a. rakija or raki. I enjoyed it straight up and used it to create a California Gold Rush cocktail. Lastly, I reviewed Auro, the relaunched restaurant at the Four Seasons Napa Valley where chef Rogelio Garcia’s food is a wow.
Hasta la pasta,
Christina