Good Eats In Escondido

Several weeks ago Fran and I drove out to Escondido (22 minutes from my house, for those of you who think it's in another time zone) to preview our wanderers trip for October. We got an early peek at Grand Avenue, not as grand as it once was, but it's coming back, and a chance to check out a lunch location for our group. There are several new restaurants along the main street of old Escondido, and after talking to several locals, decided to try Entwined, a new eating establishment on Grand Avenue. We were pleasantly surprised, and decided to bring our group of 20 wanderers there for lunch in October. They, too, were pleasantly surprised. Entwined is warm and inviting. The chairs are comfortable and much of the original building has been maintained, like the ornate ceiling decorations. The restaurant has several nooks and crannies, for privacy, near the back of the room. Very cleverly designed. We had just finished a one hour tour of the architecture and history of Escondido and were hungry for a good meal. That's what we got. Entwined has a creative, contemporary menu, using several ingredients that are so popular today: bacon, sweet potatoes, goat cheese, burrata, cured meats. Prices are very reasonable, with all sandwiches, paninis, salads, and appetizers priced from $10-$12. My sandwich was the BLP, which stands for bacon, lettuce and pear. In addition, it had a delicious cranberry relish, and crispy sweet potato fries served with a curry ketchup.(addictive). Others at our table had the sweet potato burger, so big you couldn't get your mouth around it without taking it apart. One of the favorite dishes was an avocado/mango stack, with crab on top. It was beautiful and delicious, and very healthy. Another in our group ordered the cheese and meat platter, with nuts, apricots and figs. Someone else tried the gazpacho soup, another had the grilled turkey melt with fries. There is so much to choose from it is hard to decide. The presentation of the food is superb. Everything is a work of art. The food itself was exceptional, so good in fact, that I would drive the 25 or so miles to eat there. I have not tried dinner yet, but I would expect it to be equally good. It's hard to get 20 women to agree on much, but I think everyone at lunch today would agree that Entwined is a winner.

The Life Of A Diplomat

Ron and I finally went to see Argo. Two hours of great entertainment. I loved every minute of it. The movie started a conversation between the two of us that went late into the night, then continued early the next morning. Who chooses a career in diplomatic service? What is an ambassador and what do they do? Are ambassadors spies? Questions and more questions, so I thought I better do some research. An ambassador is the President's highest-ranking representative to a specific nation abroad. An effective ambassador has to be a strong leader, a good manager, a resilient negotiator and a respected representative of the the United States. A key role of an ambassador is to coordinate the activites not only of the Foreign Service Officers and staff, but also representatives of other U.S. agencies in the countries. Foreign Service Officers are professional, trained diplomats who represent the U.S.. They listen to and observe what is going on in the host country, analyze it, and report to the ambassador and Washington. The represent our country around the world and engage openly and transparently with representatives of foreign governments and civil society. Through this process, they collect information that shapes our policies and actions. This is what they've done for hundreds of years. Recently the U.S. has expanded the role of American diplomats in collecting intelligence overseas, ordering State Department personnel to gather the credit card and frequent-flier numbers, work schedules and other personal information of foreign dignitaries. According to an article in the New York Times by Mark Mazzetti, the U.S. regularly puts undercover intelligence officers in countries posing as diplomats, but a vast majority of diplomats are not spies. They do a lot of information gathering, profile building, and gathering of biographic and biogmetric on ranking diplomats in their host country. In other words, everyone seems to be watching everyone else. Certainly ambassadors and foreign service diplomats play a key role in many sensitive negotiations, but much of their time is spent learning the culture of the host country, entertaining dignitaries and developing friendly relations with the country to which they're assigned. I just wonder if this rescue could have been pulled off today, in this era of instant communication. I doubt it. How everyone kept this quiet at the time, and since it was declassified in 1997, is quite amazing. Even since its declassification, I had never heard of this mission. It never got any press until Argo was made. Now the world knows of the heroism of Tony Mendez and Ken Taylor, Canadian amabassador and his wife. They were selfless. Their mission was to save the six Americans despite the great risk to themselves. What I find most amazing is that all six Americans return to foreign service after this incident. Something in their makeup makes them seek adventure, at any price. I wish them all well.

A Brief History of Blackface

Recently one of my children asked me about blackface. Had I told him about it when he was young and why hadn't he learned about it in school? Probably I had not told him about it, and he probably hadn't learned about it in school, either. Well, his question woke me up to the fact that I didn't really know that much about the history of blackface either. So, after a bit of research, here's some information on the history of blackface and racist black stereotypes. Blackface is much more than just an actor applying burnt cork makeup. It is a style of entertainment based on racist black stereotypes that began in minstrel shows and continues to this day. The stock characters of blackface minstrels have played a significant role in disseminating racist images and perceptions around the world. Many immigrant groups were stereotyped on the music hall stage in the 19th century, but the mocking caricatures of the blacks and the belief that blacks were racially and socially inferior to whites was fostered by both white and black performers in blackface. Blackface makeup was either a layer of burnt cork or cocoa butter or black grease paint. Early on, exaggerated red lips were painted around the mouth, like a clown. Later, the lips were painted white or unpainted. Costumes were either gaudy formal wear, swallowtail coats, striped trousers and top hats. The white man's characterizations of plantation slaves and free blacks during the minstrel era (1830-1890)took such a firm hold on the American imagination that audiences expected any person with dark skin, no matter what their background, to conform to one or more of the stereotypes: Jim Crow, Zip Coon (eventually merged into a single stereotype, "coon."), Mammy (better known as Aunt Jamima), Uncle Tom, Buck, and Pickaninny (bulging eyes, unkempt hair, red lips, and wide mouths into which they stuff huge slices of watermelon) were just some of the stereotypes. White audiences in the 19th century wouldn't accept black entertainers on stage unless they performed in blackface makeup. One of the first blacks to perform in blackface for white audiences was William Henry Lane, aka Master Juba, who invented tap dancing. He became so famous that he was finally allowed to perform without makeup. The American minstrel show was effectively dead by WW1, yet some of the old-timers continued to peddle blackface stereotypes later in vaudeville, films and television. The stereotypes that blackface peddled, continued to exist through the first half of the 20th century, in vaudeville, blackface on Broadway, silent movies, race movies, racist cartoons, and radio. The Amos and Andy characters were created by two white actors with blackface and vaudeville experience, and became an immediate success. Portraying blackface racist stereotypes on radio was a bit of a challenge because there were no visuals. The voices were even more exaggereated to help listeners distinguish between characters. In 1951, Amos 'n' Andy ranked 13 in the Nielsen ratings and in 1952 won an Emmy. The NAACP responded by initiating a boycott of its sponsor, Blatz beer. The Civil Rights Movement was underway, yet it took a dozen years to eliminate it from most network schedules. Although blacks have made tremendous strides in our society, many of the stereotypes from the 19th century exist to this day. The Cleveland Show is basically Family Guy in blackface with a lot of negative black stereotypes thrown in. Even Tyler Perry, the most prolific and successful black producer/director/actor, has a recurring mammy character, Mabel "Madea" Simmons in much of his work. Blackface helped create negative stereotypes that exist to this day.

Vintage Technologies

As I was driving to the Y this morning I heard a report on how offices are changing.  This report said that in the next few years telephones and fax machines would be obsolete.  I guess that means desk phones will be gone, and everything will be done on cell phones.  Because of scanning, fax machines will be gone too.  This story got me thinking about how many technologies that were once thought of as cutting edge, are now obsolete.  Here are a number of examples. 

One of the  best examples is the typewriter.  When I graduated high school, my parents bought me a beautiful Smith Corona portable electric typewriter for college.  I was thrilled.  Today a college freshman will most likely take a laptop computer and an I Pad.  Nothing less.  Go try to buy a typewriter today.  That's not easy.  Here are a list of other items that we couldn't live without in the 1970's and 1980's and are now gathering dust in the garage.

8 m/m handheld camera, Betamax (1970's),  boombox (1970's), VHS (1980's) laser disc, cassette transistor, cassette tapes, reel to reel tape recorder, calculator watch, Wang calculators, walkman, discman, led watches, TV watch, wrist computer, and calculator watch.

How about the Apple Newton?  It was one of the worst marketing failures ever, yet it was a personal digital assistant, a precurser to the I Pad.  I guess they recovered from the failure of the Newton. 

A few other technologies that have gone by the wayside include massive mainframes.  I remember Ron's accounting office in the 1980's.  They had one huge room that was just for the computers.  Everything was so large and bulky.  The telex is another technology that is gone.  When I got into the travel business in the 1980's, we used telex to send messages to Europe.  This was time consuming, and frankly, you never knew if it would work or not.  Now, everything is instantaneous, done by e-mail.  What a difference. 

Of course we no longer have the phonograph or turntables either.  I guess there are a few old ones still out there, but most of them are gone.  A few years ago I gave my old record collection to my daughter-in-law Deborah.  She had an old phonograph and still loved to play records.  A blast from the past, but the sound is so much better on the current technology. 

These are just some of the many technologies that are gone.  One final one, and one of my favorites is the Polaroid camera.  In its day there was nothing more amazing.  Everyone wanted the instant gratification of seeing a picture develop before their very eyes.  Now, we have have digital phones and camera phones.  What can be more instant than that?  I was at Bull Taco for lunch yesterday, took a picture of the beautiful view, and within seconds had sent the picture to a dozen people I thought my enjoy it.  Times have really changed, and what we think is fantastic today, will fade.  I don't know what  will replace our current technologies, but I do know for sure that it will probably be something we haven't even imagined.

Bye Bye Hostess?

When I heard that Hostess was ceasing operation on November 20, I couldn't believe it. Hostess is an institution. What would our world be without Twinkies, Snowballs and Ding Dongs? One of my favorite all time snacks is Hostess Snowballs (the pink ones). I know they all taste the same, but I'm partial to pink. Light chocolate cake with a creamy white something inside, covered in a thin marshmellow, topped with shredded coconut. Delicious! It's all over a labor strike. Hostess said it will ask a bankruptcy judge for permission to liquidate if enough striking workers do not return to work soon.. This may be the end for the 82 year old company that has been in dispute with about 1/3 of its 18,000 employees, who are members of Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Miller's International Union. If enough striking workers do not return to work, the company would ask the bankruptcy court for permission to shut down and sell assets. Since this news first surfaced, multiple corporations have shown interest in taking over Hostess. It appears there may be an auction and some Hostess brands will be auctioned off. We'll have to see how it plays out. What would life be like without Hostess? Well, for one thing, Ron would no longer be able to buy their little chocolate doughnettes. He loves those things. They must be filled with tons of preservatives, because they last forever. And speaking of lasting forever, how long does a Twinkie last? I think indefinitely. A sponge with cream filling and lots of preservatives. I heard there's a run on Hostess products, that people are buying up all they can find. Good idea, because their shelf life is forever. You may even see them bought and sold on EBay. My guess is someone will come along and buy the company and we won't have to worry any longer about the possibility of life without Twinkies.

Where Were You On November 22, 1963?

November 22, 1963 was probably one of the most memorable days in my life, and even now, 50 years later, I remember it clearly. I was working at the Federal Building in West Los Angeles at the time, while going to school. It was a boring job, having something to do with home loans, as I recall. I worked from 8-12 everyday. There was a buzz around the office around 11:30am, people were saying that Kennedy had been shot. I hurried to finish my work and ran out of the building, waiting to be picked up by my mom. "Is it true, is it true?" I shouted to her as I jumped in the car. "Yes, it's true, but we have no other details yet," she said. With that I started to cry. John F. Kennedy was the first president that I felt was my president. There was just something about him that gave me confidence everything would be all right. It didn't hurt that he was handsome, charming and brilliant, and I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to kill him. Boy, was I naive. A few other days are imbedded in my memory and here they are: Death of Princess Diana: I was in Tijuana, on my way back from Puerto Nuevo. Puerto Nuevo is a small town near Ensenada, that has dozens of lobster restaurants, one better than the next. We had gone there for dinner with our horse trainer, two jockeys, and some other friends. We were getting ready to cross the border when we heard the terrible news. I will never forget that night. First American to walk on the moon: Ron and I had just recently met, and we were having lunch at Hamburger Hamlet in Westwood. To be quite honest, we were so engrossed in each other that we didn't realize what a really big deal it was. The day the challenger exploded on liftoff: I was teaching 3rd grade in North Hollywood, California, and we were watching the liftoff as a class. At first the kids did not understand what had happened, and I squirm in my seat remembering how difficult that event was to explain to 8 year olds. 9-11: I was in bed, and got an early morning call from David, our son the stockbroker. I figured he was calling to tell me about the stockmarket, but he was yelling, "Turn on the TV." I could not believe my eyes. I'm sure many of you who were old enough remember in detail the attack on Pearl Harbor, the bombing of Hiroshima, and other momentous occasions know where you were and what you were doing. It's amazing how our brains do not let us forget. So Thanksgiving is just two days away, and it's a good time to reflect and think of all we are thankful for. Life has its ups and downs for all of us, but when you think about the big picture, most of us have a pretty fantastic life. Here we are in the greatest nation on earth. Let's enjoy our family and friends, and hope for peace and prosperity for America.

It's Ron's Birthday

Happy Birthday Ron. Today (actually the 17th) is a very big birthday....70! On Saturday we celebrated by having a family party here at home. We were thrilled that all the children, grandchildren, daughter-in-laws (and daughter in law to be), and mom, were all here. It was the first time Ron had ever held Elsa, and he actually got to spend some time getting to know his oldest grandchild, Lennon. This was what he wanted for his birthday, and our family came through. Thank you all. Ron has been home 16 months. Each month he seems stronger and happier than the month before. He is healthy (and working hard to stay that way), happy, and optimistic about his future, our future. I know that sounds odd, that at 70 years of age he should be thinking about his future, but it's really been like starting his financial life over again. Most people are happily in retirement, know what their future financial life will be at age 70, but not Ron. He is trying hard to get a business started, and has some other financial opportunities that look promising. As he says, he wants to do something that's more challenging than sitting on a stool at Costco, talking to people. His opportunity may be right around the corner. Our son David is engaged to be married (June 1), and our other two children are happily married with two children each. My mom is healthy and happy, living on her own in Los Angeles, and for this we are delighted. There's nothing that makes a parent happier than to seeing their children happy in a relationship, and to see their older parents thriving. The other reason Ron is so happy about making it in good health to 70, is his family history. His mom died of liver cancer at age 67. His dad died of pancreatic cancer at 73. Not a good family history, but Ron is doing what he can to beat the odds. Genetics are not in his favor, so he must do everything else he can to maintain good health. Here's to a happy, healthy birthday Ron. You've been through a lot, we've been through a lot, but our positive outlook leads us to believe the best is yet to come. I believe.

Lasagna Cupcakes

Cupcakes are all the rage, but I bet you never thought about lasagna cupcakes.  This is a quick and easy recipe, and a way to control your portions.  I don't know about you, but my problem with lasagna, and casseroles in general, is portion control.  I always either cut a piece that's much bigger than I should be eating, or after the meal, while cleaning up, go "even up" the pieces left in the casserole.  This recipe will prevent all that from happening.  It will give you a nice, small portion, and it will give you lots of extras to freeze for those emergency dinners.  Here's what you do.

Use wonton wrappers instead of noodles.  Take a drinking glass, and cut the wontons into rounds (as you would a biscuit).  Fit one into the bottom of each muffin pan.  Then, using your favorite lasagna recipe, layer each muffin container.  I use a basic marinara sauce to which I add ground beef.  Layer ricotta cheese, sauce, shredded mozzarella, then repeat with a wonton, ricotta, sauce and cheese.  Fill each container all the way to the top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  The lasagna should be bubbly and crispy.  I like a little crispiness on the edges, and you'll have this on each lasagna cupcake. 

Top with a sprig of basel.  With a nice mixed green salad and some sliced, grilled garlic toast, you have a simple, yet gourmet meal.  Take the remaining cupcakes and freeze them.  I freeze them in zip lock bags, two to a bag.  Then, when I have nothing planned for dinner, I just remove them from the freezer and reheat, either in the oven or microwave.  They're just as good weeks later.  Enjoy.

Long Live The Apple Pan

My mom recently sent me a review of the Apple Pan in Los Angeles, written by one of my favorite new websites, Tasting Table.  They review restaurants from major cities, showcase up and coming chefs, and give the reader lots of recipes.  I especially liked the review of the Apple Pan, because this was one of my favorite spots to eat while I was growing up.

The Apple Pan is on Pico Blvd. in West Los Angeles, right across from the Westside Pavillion.  (there was no westside pavillion when I first started eating there).  It opened in 1947 and is famous for its burgers and apple pie, served with vanilla ice cream.  It consists of a U shaped counter, with food preparation taking place in front of you on the other side of the counter.  It's closed on Mondays, but just about any other day of the week, day or night, it's busy.  If you want a seat and they're all taken, just stand behind someone until they leave.  No hostess to take names, just stand there and wait. 

The Apple Pan is also the model for the very successful burger chain, Johnny Rockets.   Founder Ronn Teitlebaum claimed he used the menu, presentation and counter seating/grilling area as the model for his chain.  The menu at the Apple Pan is small.  2 kinds of burgers, tuna or egg salad, and that's about it.  They serve their burgers with special relish, wrapped in paper.  Cokes are served in the can, and they give you a little metal holder with a paper cup, if you must drink from a cup.  I must mention the pie, since I've had many.  Their apple pie is to die for.  My sister and I used to buy a pie and practically eat the whole thing.  When you get a full pie to go, they give you a styrofoam cup filled with a thick apple juice to pour over the warm pie.  The other pie I absolutely love is their banana cream pie, loaded with tons of fresh whipped cream and lots of bananas.  Delicious.

Many young men and women out on a date used to go to the Apple Pan in the 50's and 60's because they were open until 1am on the weekends.  However, all dates did not end well there.  I know of one man who disliked his date so much that he left the counter on the pretense of using the bathroom, went in the bathroom and climbed out the window.  He never saw his poor date again. 

Oh, those were the days.  In the 1990's, commercial property developers wanted to buy the Apple Pan property and develop it, along with adjacent properties into a big center.  The Apple Pan owners refused to budge, and the result is a large building right next to the little restaurant.  They simply refused to sell, and I'm sure they were offered a pretty penny for the property.  So the restaurant still stands where it has for 65 years, and everyone who lives on the west side in LA has been there.  They're right down the street from 20th Century Fox, so you may even see some stars if you go there.  No matter what, you'll have a great meal at a modest price, and probably get to talk to some interesting people while you're at it.

We All Dream

When I was a student at Berkley I had a neighbor who was working on his doctoral thesis in psychology. He was studying some aspect of dreams. After 50 years, I don't remember what. Anyway, I was one of his guinea pigs. I agreed to keep paper and pencil next to my bed and write down every dream I had as soon as I awoke, for a period of about 2 months. What I found out quickly was that I had multiple dreams every night, I could remember them in detail if I wrote them down immediately upon waking, and the more I wrote about my dreams, the more I remembered about them. When I first started recording my dreams it was usually one dream per night, but in just a few weeks I was remembering 2 or 3 dreams a night, and in minute detail. It's a matter of training your mind to remember. Dreams have always been a mystery to scientists and lay people alike, but we are learning more and more about their purpose and what they mean. Below are some interesting facts you may not know about dreams. 1. During a typical lifetime, we spend more than six years dreaming. 2. Negative emotions, like anger and fear, are most common. 3. Average person has 4-7 dreams per night. 4. If you're snoring, you're not dreaming. 5. Eating cheese before bed may help you sleep. 6. We forget 90% of our dream within 10 minutes of awakening. 7. When lucid dreaming, you can control the dream and do anything-even fly. 8. Pioneer research means that scientists may soon be able to record our dreams. The subconscious mind is fascinating, and I love the idea of being able to record dreams. It may reveal information to help treat patients with mental disorders. Or, it may let average people what they're dreaming about all night. Fascinating stuff.

To Drill Or Not To Drill, That Is The Question

The question of whether to drill for oil in the Artic has been an ongoing political controversy since 1977.  The area under discussion is situated between the Beaufort Sea to the north, Brooks Range to the south, and Prudhoe Bay to the west.  This area was created by an act of congress in 1980.  The controversy over whether or not to drill refers to a particular area of the ANWR region.  No one is attempting to drill willy nilly in the artic.  Much of the debate over whether to drill in the 1002 area of ANWR rests on the amount of recoverable oil as it relates to the world markets, weighted against the potential harm of oil exploration on wildlife, water, and the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou.

Prior to Alaska's statehood, virtually all of the 375,000,000 acres of Alaska Territory was federal land and wilderness.  The act of statehood gave Alaska the right to select 103,000,000 acres for use as an economic and tax base.  To complicate matters, Alaska natives protested a Federal oil and gas lease sale of lands on an area that the Natives claimed.  Long story short, this has been a political football for the last 40 years.  The big question is whether drilling in ANWR will have any significant effect on the US becoming energy self sufficient, and how would this oil effect the world market.  The fact is, they don't really know.  What they do know is that the amount of oil they're talking about is is less than 1% of the world market, so there would be little economic impact. 

On and off for the past 40 years, presidents have been trying to do exploratory drilling.  During the 1980's a bill permitting drilling was expected to come up for a vote, when the Exxon Valdez oil spill delayed and ultimately derailed the process.  In 2008 President George W. Bush pressed Congress to reverse the ban on offshore drilling in the ANWR in addition to approving the extration of oil from shale on federal lands.  (fracking).  Despite his previous stance on the issue, President Bush cited the growing energy crisis as a major factor for reversing the executive order issued by his father in 1990, which banned coastal oil exploration and oil and gas leasing on most of the outer continental shelf. 

What it really comes down to, is whether you're on the side of conserving our precious land and wildlife, or if you want to drill for more oil to possibly improve our energy independance, at the risk of disrupting land and wildlife.  There are so many other alternatives to achieve energy independance today, I would hate to see massive drilling in ANWR.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that the 1002 area has a "greater degree of ecological diversity than any other similar sized area of Alaska's north slope."  Alaskans are all for the drilling.  After all, they participate in the oil profits.  Residents receive annual dividends from a permanent fund funded partially by oil-lease revenues.  In 2000, the dividend came to $1,964 per resident.

Anyone who has every seen the magnifigance of a herd of caribou racing across open land knows what I'm talking about.  We must be able to protect our parks, wildlife and open space.  We are innovative and creative and can find other ways reduce our energy dependance. 

Vintana Classes Up North County

There really aren't any restaurants in North County that you feel you have to dress up for, but now that Vintana is open in Escondido, you'll want to put on something special.  We went there for the first time in early October with Laurie and George.  We were celebrating their anniversary, and we did so in style.  The restaurant is stylish, comfortable and very good.  Laurie said it reminded her of Las Vegas, with colored fountains in front, and  from our third story  window seat, it was really a spectacular sight.

Vintana is part of the growing number of Cohn restaurants in San Diego, which include The Prado, 333, Indigo and several others.  This one is overseen daily by Debra Scott, executive chef, and she is out and about, schmoozing with customers throughout the night.  She is very charming.  The decor of the restaurant (which is absolutely enormous) is very comfortable, contemporary, with beautiful light fixtures, comfortable leather chairs, and a killer bar.  In addition, there is a covered outdoor cocktail area, with fire pits everywhere.  What a great place for a wedding or special event.

Upon arrival, the valet takes your car, and tells you it will be waiting for you up top when you finish your meal.  We walked through the showroom, (of course they want you to buy a car while you're there), then took the elevator to the third floor, where the hostess directed us to our

table.  Service was impeccable, from start to finish.  Our waiter, Stephan, was helpful in explaining the menu and making suggestions.  We were all very pleased with our food.

Upon sitting down, we are served a basket of warm popovers (remember Kirby's?) with flavored butter.  It's hard to eat just one, but I knew a big meal was coming, so I controlled myself.  Only George had a starter.  He had the Vintana wedge, which he said was delicious.  Instead of fresh tomatoes, it was served with tomato confit.  Other starters that I would try if I could eat more include Darrens Belly Roll (crispy rare yellowtail+asparagus nori mango-dynamite dipping sauce), Chef Deborahs Roasted Nut Crusted Brie (with jalapeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled ciabatta), and Tempura Crab Cakes (pork belly+blackberry-baby arugula salad perserved lemon+dijonnaise).  Several soups and salads are also on the menu. 

The entrees run the gamut from chicken to fish, to pork to beef.  Several vegetarian entrees are also available, like roasted garlic and crispy mushroom gnocchi and a daily vegetarian selection.  I had a pork tenderloin cut porterhouse style, with a sweet potato mash, brussel sprouts and a thick ratatioulle.  The pork was glazed with a sugar ginger topping that crackled when you cut it and melted in your mouth.  It was excellent.  Ron had a wonderful ribeye steak served with an heirloom tomato salad.  George opted for the prime rib, served with baked potato and broccoli.  Several fish options are available, like rainbow trout oscar (served with crab, asparagus and bernaise), and ancho-sesame Bbq hamachi (served rare with roasted pineapple salsa, chile black beans, and fried plaintain.  I thought the menu was inventive and creative, but enough of the traditional dishes that everyone can find something to eat. 

Since we were celebrating an anniversary, we were served a complimentary bread pudding, with ice cream and whipped cream.  The bread pudding was made with the popover dough, and I found it a bit heavy, but that didn't keep me from tasting it.  We also ordered the mud pie.  OMG.  This was special because it had little bits of brittle, nice and sweet, which complimented the coffee ice cream. 

All in all it was a memorable evening, and we will be back.  It's not cheap, but if you have a Passport Card, it keeps the price down.  Most entrees are between $28-$38, and starters are $8-$10.  Lunch prices are of course much less, and the menu is quite different.  This is a great special occasion restaurant, and Escondido is not so far away.  It took us less than 25 minutes to get there.  Get out and try something new. 

Oatmeal Smoothies

Get your day off to a healthy, low calorie start, with the smoothie below listed below.  It's about 200 calories, and you  won't need anything to eat for hours.  It is really filling.  This recipe should make 4 servings,  so when you figure out the calories per serving, it's not very much.  Enjoy.


 … Oatmeal Smoothies Ingredients: 1 cup ice. 1/2 cup frozen raspberries or strawberries. 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt.  (greek yogurt if you prefer)1 banana. 1/2 cup old-fashioned, uncooked, rolled oats. 1 tablespoon honey.  1 cup liquid, either fruit juice or coconut water).  Combine ingredients in blender, blend for 30 seconds, or until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is nice and smooth.

Mexico's Squid Sweatshops

Recently as I drove along  Coast Highway I  noticed a tremendous number of fishing boats just offshore, all the way down the coast.  At first I thought it was lobster season, but according to the lifeguards in Solana Beach, the fishermen are out fishing for squid.  I couldn't find the reason why late September is the time for all the squid to be out there and ready to catch, but it is.  Day, and night, the fishing boats are present.  The largest population of squid on the west coast is found from Alaska all the way to Baja, Mexico.  I know how hard American fishermen work, and I decided to check out the Mexican fishermen if their plight was as difficult.  It is, only much worse. 

I read about a small fishing village called Santa Rosalina, where much of the Baja squid fishing originates.  The boats on which they fish have no life vests, radios or emergency lights.  Every season, several fishermen die at sea, from accidents, drug overdoses, or illness.  The fishermen are so competitive that they won't tell each other where the best fishing is, or even help if a boat capsizes. 

The grotesque working conditions are only the beginning.  Many squid processing plants consist of Korean or Chinese owned processing plants.  These factories buy each day's catch from middlemen known as permissionarios, who have frozen the price the fishermen receive for their squid at a very low rate.  Most Mexican fisherman consider a $50 paycheck to be a good price for a ten-hour fishing trip. 

When you hear about Mexican sweatshops you typically think of garment factories or auto assembly plants.  These plants have received great scrutiny in recent years, and are better regulated.  Small rural villages like Santa Rosalina have become home to a new kind of sweatshop.  These squid sweatshops operate Wild West syle, far from the federal labor offices in Mexico City.  But it's not just the lack of local law enforcement that's to blame.  Globalization and United States' lack of regulation over seafood imports are also responsible for the exploitation here.

The workers in these processing plants face deplorable conditions.  Single moms bring small children to practically live there while the mothers work.  They sleep on dirty floors.  Many of the workers have drug problems.  The workers have made attempts to organize, but it hasn't happened yet.  This is what faces poor workers who are not allowed to organize (unionize). 

Another problem is that seafood is often shipped from port to port before it reaches the United States, and it can be relabled upon entry and exit, so it's difficulte to know where it originated.  A processing plant in China purcheses squid and other ratw materials from many sources around the world, mixing them together into imitation crab meat, fish stick, or dried squid snacks.  Country of original Labeling is required only on fresh seafood, not products like these.  I knew there was a reason I don't eat imitation crab or fish sticks.

There are some global watchdog organizations there are trying to educate the public and get countries to pass laws providing more transparency.  We read often about trying to get our government to tell us the full story as to where our food is coming from.  I was shocked when I learned that conditions were so bad in Mexican processing plants, and even more surprised when I heard that the seafood from Mexico might go to China or who knows where else, before coming to America.  How can we ever be sure what we're eating?  For now, I'll stick to fish caught in American waters and hope that the FDA is looking out for us.  Maybe we should just all go vegetarian.  That would actually solve a lot of problems, but that's an issue for another day.

My Personal Journel

The weeks are rolling by. Every Friday around 5pm Ron mentions to me that another week has passed without a call or visit from probation. Just the way we like it. As I've said before, I think they are required to see all of their clients every so often, so a call from probation does not necessarily mean something bad. Ron only has 23 more months of monthly accountability. You might wonder what I mean by accountability. Here's what he does each month. He has to keep a record of EVERY dollar he spends. Rent, food, entertainment, medical, gas, electric, etc. Then he must show his earnings. Probation wants to make sure we aren't spending money irresponsibly. Any item over $500 must be accounted for. Since Ron also has restitution to pay, they're hoping that he makes more than he spends so he can give the rest to the government. With his minimum wage jobs that has not been the case so far. It's just another way of controlling you, and like it or not, this is the system. As Ron said when he first went to prison, you can either get with the program and face reality, or fight it and be miserable. The former is so much easier. So for the next 23 months we are here in San Diego, with occasional trips to Los Angeles to see my mother, and some possible business trips as well. Vacations are in the distant future, as are trips to Colorado to see Phil and his family. If you have to be somewhere, this is sure a great place to be. Our favorite drive is from Poinsettia to Solana Beach, along the coast, a drive we do often. It clears our mind and keeps us focused on the wonderful life we have. As Ron celebrates his 70th birthday in two weeks, I am thankful every day that we chose this city to move to 10 years ago. There are people that say (or think to themselves), how can you be happy with your current life when you lost so much? The answer is simple. I was able to discover what really makes me happy. Unfortunately when you're caught up in a fast paced life you often don't have time to smell the roses. When life slows down, and the thing you look forward to is a beautiful drive along the coast, or a walk along the beach with your husband or a good friend, or meeting friends at the Y and working out together, then sitting and having coffee afterward and solving all the worlds problems, then you know what is important. It's not how big your house is, how many paintings you have on the wall, or how many "things" you own. It's about the relationship you have with the few really important people in your life, and the relationship you have with yourself. I'm not sure I ever knew myself way back when. I was so busy with everything and everyone else in my life that I never had time to think about myself. Now I have plenty of time to think and smell the roses. I like it that way.

We're Moving Backward, Not Forward

I promised myself I wouldn't write about the topic of women's rights, but I find it so heavy on my mind these days, that I must. I have done my research, so the facts are right. The opinions about women are my own. We are celebrating 100 years of International Women's Day this year. This is a world wide celebration to acknowledge the great achievements women have made worldwide, and how far they still have to come. When International Women's Day was first commemorated, gender equality and women's empowerment were largely radical ideas. Today, we celebrate the significnt progress that has been achieved through determined advocacy, practical action and enlightened policy making. Yet, in too many societies, women remain second class citizens. In America, women gained the right to vote in 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed. A women's right to vote was gained only after years hard work, sacrifice, and danger to those involved in the movement. Many men wanted to hold on to what they had, power. Through the 20th century women made advances in education, jobs, and health. Women hold prominent seats in boardrooms, congress, and every type of office around the country. They educate our children, protect our streets through work as firewomen and policewomen, help us during sickness, inspire us through their music and art, and lead us in prayer. Yet, when it comes to the pay they receive, they still make 77cents for every $1 a man makes. Is that right? I don't think so. Please explain to me the thoughts of those of you who are not for equal pay for equal work. I want to understand. Women's health and reproductive rights are another area where we have made huge strides. A woman's right to choose has been the law for decades, yet many citizens want to reverse the law, and go back even further. Personhood amendments are popping up everywhere. I checked a website that went state by state, and found personhood laws ready to be voted on in many state houses. These people want life to begin a conception, in many cases with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. Many states want to criminalize abortion, although most haven't made it clear what that means. Does the woman who was raped by her brother go to jail for getting an abortion, does the doctor who performed the abortion go to jail, or do both go to jail? We better start building some bigger jails. Here's the one that really gets me. Some lawmakers feel that a woman's boss should have control over whether or not she can get contraception through her insurance. Since 98% of women (including Catholics) use birth control, this seems like a giant step back in time. No boss or lawmaker should be telling a woman whether she can get birth control through insurance. Another example of a law that men are pushing for is in Virginia. It's the transvaginal probe law. This would require all women who wanted an abortion to have an ultrasound. In early pregnancy, the way to do an ultrasound is with a transvaginal probe. This would be mandatory. These decisions should made by a woman and her doctor, not a politician. Women have achieved success at the highest level, yet men still do not want them to have equality. As usually happens, it is the poorest women who will suffer the most, as they don't have the voice to fight back. Defunding Planned Parenthood would mean that millions of women, for whom Planned Parenthood is their only medical treatment, would not get cancer screenings, pap smears, mammograms or family planning. Instead, they'd get sick or pregnant, and we'd have more people in need of medical financial assistance. Why aren't women standing up for themselves? If these things were happening to men, there would be an outrage. Remember women burning their bras in the 1970's? What are women doing now to protect the gains we've made and continue to move forward? I'm writing this, but other than that I'm really not doing anything. I would like those of you who see this differently to let me know why. I really want to understand.

Halloween Is A Hoot

Halloween seems to be becomming more and more popular, in terms of decorating and dressing for the occasion. When we lived in LA, no one decorated and almost no one went trick or treating, in our neighborhood anyway. Over the years Halloween has been celebrated more at school, in shopping centers and after school clubs. It's a great way to keep the children safe and still let them have a good time. In Boulder, Colorado they make Halloween a family affair. Everyone dresses up and parades along Pearl Street Mall (pedestrian only), then the merchants give out candy. No need to go trick or treating. Lennon, age 3, went as a hot dog, and Elsa, age 9 months, was a flower. Two Halloweens stick out in my mind. One was over 55 years ago. I was just a small child, but I clearly remember my parents going to a Halloween party. My dad was the hit of the party, dressed as a ballerina. Pink leotard, pink tutu, ballet slippers, and pink ribbon crisscrossed halfway up his legs. He looked fantastic, and I can't let Halloween pass without a smile at remembering my dad as a ballerina. The other Halloween that sticks out was about 30 years ago, when Ron and I went to a party in LA. We didn't know what to do for costumes, so we went to the home of a dear friend of our parents, Dick Gresham. Dick was creative character who loved to dress up, and had a costume for every occasion. We borrowed his "bagel and locks" (lox) costume. I was the bagel and Ron was the locks. (Ron had chains and locks all over a leather outfit). The costume was very creative, but the real reason I remember that Halloween year was that it was one of the last times we ever saw Dick. Dick was tragically murdered just a few weeks later. Here's what happened. Dick had a handyman come out to his home to give him an estimate on roof repair. Dick ended up hiring someone else to do the work, and the handyman came back to the house and killed Dick and threw him in the swimming pool. In the course of their initial conversation, Dick revealed that his daughter worked at an abortion clinic in Los Angeles. After the handyman killed Dick, he went to the abortion clinic looking for Dick's daughter, held several people hostage, but was finally killed in a shoot out with police. A very tragic ending. Well, this Halloween was happier. We live in a kid friendly neighborhood, where many people decorate their homes, and all the kids go trick or treating. I gave away three bags of candy. I got smart this year and bought stuff I didn't like, just in case I had leftovers. All the candy was given away, and our house is candy free for

another year. (or until I make a trip to See's for my favorite candy, scotch kisses).