Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Slept in. Lunch: Cafe Cacao (510-843-6000, 914 Heinz St, Berkeley). Our server was Ben who was friendly and knowledgeable of the menu but seemed to have a few too many tables. Service from him and the other staff was mostly attentive, but could have been better. 2 iced teas, 1 arugula and walnut salad (split plate), 1 grilled Niman Ranch ham and cheese (split plate), 1 pot de creme, 1 Queen of Sheba cake, 1 medium coffee = $32.29 after a $4.25 tip. Went on the Scharffen Berger chocolate factory tour, given with grace and style by Sarah (or Sara?) who described for us where chocolate comes from (cacao trees) and how it is made. We got free samples of finished chocolate, free samples of cacao nibs, got to touch the cacao materials in various stages of processing, then tour the factory. The tour was free, and even the parking was free! The tour ends up in the gift shop, of course, but we weren't pressured to buy anything. This was a fantastic way to spend a few hours. We stopped at Viking Trader, a furniture store, to inquire about ordering a Rybo Vivid chair. They took my contact info and said they would get back to me. We drove back to the Castro, where I bought at De La Sole a pair of athletic shoes called Rescue (moss/granite) made by www.palladium.fr. I hadn't been seeking exactly this pair, but they fit all my criteria: dark colors but not completely black, no white or light color at the base, lace tightly, removable sole, understated visual design, comfortable. Ran in to Kevin S and Zander (or Xander?), met his (partner?) Daniel, chatted with Kevin a few minutes. Patrick and I had an almond latte (Patrick) and a chai (Frank) at Starbuck's on 18th. I read from Iris Chang's The Chinese in America. Patrick read from James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room. Dinner at Fuzio (469 Castro St): curry chicken and iced tea for Patrick, Singapore pork and water for me, waiter is Tomaz G who is reliable. $24.94 after a $3.40 tip. Rented Kill Bill Volume 1 on DVD from Superstar Video, then went home and watched it. It was gory, as I had heard, but it was well worth it, and I was reminded how much pleasure it gives me to experience a Tarantino creation.