We all know how I love dim sum in general and Chinese dumplings in particular, and I’ve struck it rich by discovering United Dumplings. It’s on the aorta of Bernal Heights, Cortland Avenue, across from the library and a five-minute Segway ride from home. This is not the traditional dim sum with which San Franciscans […]

Chocolate has always been a significant part of my life. I have an insatiable craving for it, a nearly genetic craving, and here’s an overview of my relationship with it through my life. Of late I’ve discovered that I can keep the addiction under control by allowing myself a cup of hot chocolate (made with […]

I’ve grown only two plants in the genus Epiphyllum. Decades ago on Noe Street I had an Epiphyllum oxypetalum with nocturnal flowers so fragrant that one blossom would perfume the whole flat. I had it in a west window; and it grew so large that it was pressing the ceiling, so I put it out in […]

In 1965 I was in the Army in Germany, and my former boss at the Ector County Library sent me a hot-off-the-press copy of Dune. What I should have done was wrap that first edition in layers of plastic and put it aside so that twenty or forty years later I could have sold it […]

It’s been known since the beginning of the COVID pandemic that the shutdown, while necessary to slow the progress of the epidemic, would damage the economy. And that’s been the case even though the shutdown has not been sufficiently long, stringent, or consistent to bring the epidemic to a stop. So we’ve ended up with […]

I’d read about men who, their advances having been rebuffed, then pursued the object of their passion, continually restating their case. The typical victim is a beautiful young woman; however, this is San Francisco, and I once knew a handsome and buffed young Irishman who had overstayed his visa and was stalked by another man […]

I’ve written in the past about my dealings with homeless people and my trying to help them, starting with Barry. And then a year after Barry’s death, there was his replacement, Daniel, with whom I was more successful. When I returned to San Francisco after a couple of years in Petaluma, I ran into him […]

Now that San Francisco is permitting outdoor dining, I’ve been trying some of the places offering it. My friend Mark has made the transition to working online from home, but he still gets a lunch hour. So today he took me to Willkommen. It’s a relatively new indoor beer garden on Market at 15th that […]

I’ll get the vaccine before a haircut. The first time I ate dim sum was at Yank Sing in the summer of 1974. I was staying in San Francisco while taking UC Berkley’s intensive summer Spanish course; and even though it was definitely intensive, I managed to cram in some recreation. This led to my […]

If I’d been a better student, I’d have got a better education. Cornucopias from north, east, and south open at San Francisco. In the 21st century we are replete with farmers’ markets, so it would be a challenging project to record a visit to them all. What I’ll do here is describe the vendors I […]