The Fuzzy Chef & Friends

I make a lot of middle eastern food, especially lately.  Turkish, Israeli, Syrian, Bulgarian, Greek, Persian, you name it.  Partly it's because I find middle eastern food is adaptable to many dietary requirements, especially non-meat.  Partly it's because it's healthful.  Partly it's because I own a lot of really good middle eastern cookbooks.

However, a lot of those recipes require special ingredients.  And in the Bay Area, the absolute best place to get those is Alhana in San Mateo.  More ... 

Since we just saw the produce of Israel, it's time for some produce of Rome!  The markets of Rome have been well-known, and popular since ancient times.  Above is a fresco from the Vatican Collection, either depicting plenty or marking the location of a public market.

More ...

The Sony Metreon, having failed dismally at its original mission as a "techno-mall", has been taken over by those champion mall-redevelopers from Australia, Westfield.  And having looked around at what sells in San Francisco, Westfield has decided to make the Metreon into a food mall to serve Moscone Center.

Good enough, but you have to wonder if Westfield is targeting the Ferry Building, one of the few venues in town they don't run.

Anyway, to inaugurate this venture, tommorrow they are officially opening the Island Earth Farmers Market in the Metreon.  From 10am on they'll have free food, balloons and all kinds of "stuff" to kick it off.

I'm curious to see if SF can actually accept an indoor farmer's market, and for that matter where they're going to put the 160 vendors who have supposedly signed up.  Pictures this weekend.