Jan/100
what do you see? u. c. berkeley
i’m unabashed in my love for all things university of california, berkeley. oftentimes, this leads to sadness when putting one’s hope into our various sports teams, other times, it leads to confusion and perplexed feelings, when some groups on campus opt for activism of a wholly non-productive type. but, always, there’s a feeling of pride in having attended one of the world’s great institutions of learning – doubly so as a public school.
so while the state of california tries to legislate itself out of the worst governmental financial crisis in quite some time, i took some time to visit uc berkeley – or as we alumni/students call it: Cal.
sather tower from sproul plaza at night:
Jan/102
juan’s for mexican
in yet another post in a never ending effort for me to write a non-food blog, i bring another food post.
one of the joys of going back to california is the huge variety of food from all over the world available. authentic food.
but sometimes, sometimes, you are just craving some dumbed-down american version of that nation’s cuisine. me? i love cheesy, big plated mexican food – the type you get from chevy’s or el torito or similar family style tex-mex places.
the week after new year’s, i was in berkeley with my cousin and her husband to watch my university take on the stanford university cardinal in a game of basketball. after a super satisfying beatdown, we worked up an appetite. i had mentioned i wanted mexican food – actually i wanted a burrito – but my cousin was horrified when i said that i had never heard of juan’s, which has apprently been around forever.
Jan/104
top dog
cheap, tasty food close to campus is a staple of any college town, and berkeley is no different. but once you’ve graduated and go back, you realize that either your tastes have changed, or what you thought was great was actually pretty bad (i’m talking to you, steve’s korean barbeque!)
however, in berkeley, there is definately one place where the food is still good more than a decade after i graduated, and that’s top dog.
