Photo reproduced with permission from SFO
The San Francisco International Airport is currently hosting an exhibit, Calling the Earth to Witness: Eight Centuries of Buddhist Imagery from Southeast Asia (url posted at the bottom of the post) . I am drawn to Eastern iconography, so I was grateful to have stumbled upon the exhibit while waiting to head out on a flight to Seattle (Note: Virgin America rocks!), the next destination after a few days hanging in San Francisco. Purpose for the trip? A working vacation filled with abundant dining opportunities.
Buddhas are classically represented in one of five mudras, or hand and finger gestures. The mudra of Calling the Earth to Witness (depicted in above photo) shows one hand of the Buddha resting in his lap in meditation pose, and the other pointing down, fingers touching or towards the earth. Legend has it that Siddhartha (as then almost-Buddha), while seated in meditation under the bodhi tree used this mudra to call upon the earth Goddess to witness his worthiness in becoming Buddha as he was being tormented by Mara, the demon Lord of Evil. In response, the earth shook and flooded; the evil lord fled terrorized. Siddhartha then attained enlightenment.
As I reflected on our week’s worth of eating through San Francisco and Seattle, I couldn’t help but to think what an apt title this would be for my homecoming post. I certainly felt a sense, or at least the spirit, of divine enlightenment by witnessing so much glory within the context of our meals. Although I was not eating as a vegetarian, the apparent reverence and thoughtful use of the Spring season’s vegetable and fruit bounty were responsible for the flavors and textures that stand highlighted in my taste memory.
The earth Goddess shone brightly through the deft hands, passion, whimsy and talents of the many gifted chefs stationed in those two cities; cities so obviously devoted to celebrating nature and her seasons through the gifts of food.
Highlights, San Francisco area:
*Farro with roasted carrots, mint and chiles, SPQR www.spqrsf.com
*Roasted asparagus with sauce gribiche, sieved egg and lardo, SPQR www.spqrsf.com
*Saute of baby beet greens, Perbacco www.perbaccosf.com
*Mixed lettuces, roasted wild mushrooms, burrata cheese & filone, Perbacco www.perbaccosf.com
*Salad of avocado, ruby grapefruit and chiles; citrus vinaigrette, Cafe at Chez Panisse www.chezpanisse.com
*Rhubarb galette, Cafe at Chez Panisse www.chezpanisse.com
*Each exquisitely, elegantly wonderful dish at Ubuntu (see photos below) www.ubuntunapa.com
Highlights, Seattle area:
*Sauteed pea shoots and king oyster mushrooms with a pristine wild-caught salmon at 35th St. Bistro www.35bistro.com
*Chickpea and celery salad , How to Cook a Wolf www.howtocookawolf.com
*Reggiano Brodo with English peas and little tomatoes, How to Cook a Wolf www.howtocookawolf.com
*Miner’s lettuce salad with favas, asparagus and a shaved cheese (forgot which), Tavolata www.tavolata.com
*Special cocktail props to The Vessel 75: Bourbon, Peychaud’s, simple syrup, orange zest and maple syrup foam. One of the finest cocktails I’ve ever drink-drank-drunk. Vessel www.vesselseattle.com
Enlightened food from Ubuntu:
Chick pea fries with romesco sauce
Radishes with local chevre and nori, hong vit, banyuls vinaigrette, smoked salt
Salad of artichokes, burrata, baby lettuces
Cauliflower in a cast iron pot: roast-puree-shoots-”cous cous”, vadouvan, toasts
Farro, ramps, baby carrots in broth of fava leaves and preserved lemon
Pizza with slow-cooked greens and garlic, chili oil, parmesan, pesto of greens
A non-edible highlight was meeting up with Cakespy’s Jessie for an aperitif at Seattle’s cute little bistro, Le Pichet. I must say that the bistro was not anywhere as cute as Jessie and her sparkley glasses. You can check out the sweets-filled Cakespy blog on my sidebar, and a link to Jessie’s Etsy shop filled with her adorable drawings under the “Artistic” header.
SFO’s Calling The Earth To Witness exhibit: http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/news/pressrel/2008/sf0813.html
9 Comments
great pictures–and interesting post.
You know, I tried to see the picture twice in this post, and it did’t let me. It says it requires a log in. If you want to substitute a pict, here is one: http://www.askasia.org/images/teachers/display/452.jpg
Thanks MM. Fixed the problem. The buddha is front and center, beautiful, yes?
may i just say, holy moley. that is some verrry verrry beautiful food…
damn northern californa with alla that superb food…
that food is asking for some of my lovin’.
great photos.
CEF- and superb growing season(s). I think we get like 3 months.
bunches- welcome!That meal was worthy of plenty of love and then some.
The food looks so delicious. That is my kind of research! How do chickpea fries differ from falafel? Are they difficult to make? Can they be oven-baked to make them more healthful. They look delicious (all of the dishes do). I could use some ideas to jazz up my vegetarian diet. I’m in a rut lately. Thanks so much for sharing, Heidi.
Tara, I’ve not been inspired to make chick pea fries before since so many renditions I’ve tried have been greasy and tasteless. These were a chickpea fry of another color. The taste was of a very mild falafel, and the texture was very smooth like a good fried potato.The exterior was wonderfully crunchy, crispy and light and greaseless.
Lately, for inspiration I’ve been turning to Peter Berley’s Flexitarian Table (also a fan of his Vegetarian Fresh Food Fast). I have become a devoted fan of tempeh via his delicious treatments of that fermented soy food.
I love how your words and photos make me feel like I can nearly smell/taste the beautiful food.
Thank you for that :)