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ROASTED COFFEE? FRESH FOCACCIA? TASTE NEIGHBORHOOD FOODS — AND LEARN
THE STORIES BEHIND THEM — ON A CULINARY WALK IN SAN FRANCISCO
Culinary expert Tom Medin leads Elderhostel’s Day of Discovery to learn everything from the secret of roasting coffee beans in North Beach to crafting handmade fortune cookies in Chinatown
Caption No. 1: Elderhostel Group Leader Tom Medin with
chef Mario Ascione at Macaroni Sciue Sciue.
Caption No. 2: Elderhostel Group Leader Tom Medin.BOSTON (Nov. xx, 2008) — Think of Tom Medin as a food archaeologist and the San Francisco neighborhoods of North Beach, Little Italy and Chinatown as his archaeological dig sites. His shovel is his spoon.
“Food is how we connect here,” Medin says. “It is a way of savoring life rather than just existing in the world.”
From his perch in the heart of San Francisco, Medin glances to the suburbs and imagines the many palates that have been satisfied on ventures into culinary hotspots of the city. Satisfying the curiosities of these same people is Medin’s goal in leading an Elderhostel Day of Discovery that explores world-famous neighborhoods and unlocks the gastronomic secrets of creating their foods. Elderhostel is the world’s largest not-for-profit educational travel organization for adults.
“You’ll see the real San Francisco on this walk,” Medin says. “You’ll experience the best coffee, the best truffles, the best breads, the best everything. You’ll see how it is all made.”
One of Medin’s favorite stops comes early on the daylong culinary adventure. At North Beach’s Caffé Roma, a third-generation family business, Medin explains why a Caffé Roma espresso costs $1.80 — but an espresso with lemon costs $20.
“In some places, adding lemon was a way of covering up the flavor of bad coffee,” he says. “It is the ultimate insult in a good coffee shop.”
Medin is a colorful storyteller who delights in explaining why North Beach — the Little Italy of San Francisco — is a different version from the Little Italys in New York or Boston.
“Everything we eat is local, from fruit, vegetables, seafood, meats, poultry, olive oil and wine,” he said. “That’s because the hotter the inside state of California, the colder we get. The heat just pulls the fog or marine layer in. That means that right along the coast, it’s perfect for growing artichokes — and all these foods — yet 30 miles to the east can be 30 degrees hotter.”
Medin’s face lights up at Little Italy’s XOX Truffles, where Elderhostel participants savor samples from one of the Top 10 chocolatiers in the country. There are tastes of the famous — and hard to get — focaccia at Liguria, pastries at Victorian pastry and olive oils and specialty meats at La Spiaggia. There’s also a visit to Café Trieste — a favorite of the Beat Generation — before arriving at Caffé Macaroni’s Purple Onion, a club where celebrities including Robin Williams, Phyllis Diller and the Grateful Dead have performed.
As the Elderhostel exploration moves on to Chinatown and the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, there is puzzlement as Medin turns into a small alley. It turns out this “factory” is a tiny shop hidden from city streets. To try a freshly made free sample from the friendly staff is to see what one has been missing all these years eating crusty fortune cookies at Chinese restaurants.
“These fortune cookies are made by hand,” Medin says, “the same as when they were invented in San Francisco around 1900.”
The Chinatown adventure continues with tastes of dim sum from Eastern Bakery, the oldest bakery in San Francisco, the sights and smells of Waverly Place, and a visit to Vital Tea Leaf to gain a greater appreciation and enjoyment for tea. By adventure’s end, a participant will see the San Francisco culinary scene in a new light.
Space is still available on three dates to explore San Francisco’s neighborhoods on this culinary adventure on Dec. 9, Dec. 12 and Dec. 16. For information or to register, call toll free at (877) 426-8056 or visit www.elderhostel.org/17704. Elderhostel, founded in 1975, serves more than 160,000 participants each year and provides exceptional learning adventures throughout the United States and Canada and in more than 90 countries.
Photo Credit
The photo credit for each of the attached photos is: Photo by Local Tastes of the City Tours
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