Local Happenings Magazine continues to work hard to help you find out about the best events in the area and we are now rolling out our 3rd Annual Local’s Choice Awards, so that you can help us to identify some of the best businesses and people in the area so that they can help all of us with our next Happening.
This is our official announcement of the 3rd Annual “Local Happenings Awards.” The award winners will be announced in the February – March 2014 edition.
We are inviting you, the public, to help with that. We have nominated a handful of businesses and people in 12 categories and we are asking you to vote for your favorites or add to our list by nominating your favorite in those categories.
The rules:
The businesses nominated must be within the bounds of Napa, Solano or Contra Costa counties.
The businesses must have been in business since at least January 1, 2010 – as most new businesses fail in the first three years, we want to focus on those companies that have withstood the test of time.
The voting and nominations will open up on our website on Saturday, September 1st, 2013 and conclude on Sunday, December 9th, 2013.
You may cast your vote in the following ways:
Online: www.LocalHappeningsMagazine.com
E-mail: info@LocalHappeningsMagazine.com
Fax: 707-557-3166
Mail: Local Happenings Magazine
207 Wallace Ave
Vallejo, CA 94590
If you fax, e-mail or mail your votes please include your name, address and e-mail address on your entry to be considered a valid entry. We were going to post an official entry form on the web but if you could download the form you could also just vote online – so there is no “official” ballot for votes or nominations.
Please include “Local Happenings Awards” in the subject line of e-mails and at the top of faxes or letters.
Just like in American Idol, you should vote early and often – you may vote once per day for your favorites so make sure to spread the word and help them to get selected!! We look forward to you helping us to select our winners and helping us to help you learn about some of these great businesses and people within our community.
The categories:
1. Restaurants/Food
2. Golf Courses
3. Retailers (any type, from car dealers to clothing stores; if they sell product to the general public they would qualify)
4. Event/Festival
5. Personal Service Business (i.e. Hair Salon, Nails, Spa, Massage, etc.)
6. Business Services (Banks, Insurance Companies,
Attorneys, etc.)
7. Realtor (Favorite Realtor)
8. Health Care (Doctors, Dentists, Hospitals,
Chiropractors, etc.)
9. Children’s Activities (Discovery Kingdom,
Jump House Providers, Public Parks, etc.)
10. Animal/Pet Activity/Business/Event (Groomers,
Dog Parks, Pet Stores, etc.)
11. Best Customer Service (any Business)
12. Humanitarian – this can be a person or a business
As we enter the dog days of summer here in Northern California, there’s a good chance you’ll notice more friends and family heading out to the local hardware store, trying to accumulate supplies for an upcoming home improvement project of some kind. After all, a recent nationwide study showed that American homeowners tend to invest in household upgrades during the summer, and now there are only a few more months to squeeze such projects in.
Ask a contractor and they’ll probably tell you that the demand for home improvement help is year-round. This is particularly true of California, a state with almost 14 million homeowners, where the need for improvement tends to arise.
So, for any Northern Californians out there planning home improvement projects in the near future (or for those of you who had a part of your house unexpectedly break), Local Happenings was able to get a chance to speak with an expert in home improvement from our neck of the woods. His name is Rick Harris of Harris Tile & Stone, a Vacaville-based family business that started in 1990 and focuses specifically on bathroom renovation.
“We’re a specialty company, full-service contractor with the average bath taking about one week,” Harris says.
Harris Tile & Stone has remodeled more than 1,500 bathrooms during their tenure in this area, and primarily serve El Dorado, Sacramento and Solano counties. Out of those 1,500+, Rick has designed a whopping 1,200 or more of them, each costing anywhere “from $8,000-$80,000,” he says. He also designs several bathrooms a year for special needs kids and adults with disabilities—“safe bathrooms,” as he calls them.
In addition to building up his business and being fully certified in multiple areas, Harris has taught economics courses in local universities and has given lectures on the tricks of his trade, like re-tiling and waterproofing. He was kind enough to give us a couple free tips on how homeowners can reduce the need for bathroom maintenance, decrease the likelihood of dry rot, and he explains how to save money on water bills.
First off, when he’s working with customers, Harris tends to lend a lot of consideration towards aesthetic value. Though he’s more than qualified to plan out bathrooms, he’s got a team of designers at Harris Tile & Stone to assist him, and he typically goes shopping with customers to help them pick out a theme. A good re-tiling can transform the character of a bathroom and Harris Tile’s website has a photo gallery with plenty of examples. But in the long run, as Harris says, the tile itself isn’t that important when it comes to the “health” of your bathroom.
“It’s all about the waterproofing under the tile,” Harris says. “That is the most important part of a bathroom. The rest is just design and taste.”
For this reason, Harris Tile uses a wedi tile waterproofing system, well known in the industry, as opposed to just sheetrock underneath the tiles. Many of the bathrooms he’s called in to remodel have dry rot problems, which can worsen in some homes when the residents aren’t aware of helpful dry rot prevention measures.
“You should dry down your shower when you’re through and leave the bathroom doors open so it naturally ventilates,” Harris says. “It’s kind of like, if you had a nice car, you wouldn’t leave it in your garage all wet after a carwash.”
Harris is also working to set up a YouTube account to correspond with his website, so he can do how-to videos for simple home improvement jobs, like grouting. This information will be free and available to the general public, not just their customers, and Harris says if anyone has a simple bathroom improvement question, feel free to call him and ask (his number is posted on Harris Tile’s website).
“We try to mentor people, even if we’re not working for them,” Harris says. “We can teach them to maintain their bathrooms and I think people appreciate that.”
When it comes to saving money on water bills, a popular summer activity in drought-ridden California, Harris has learned a trick or two over the years. One simple water saver he’s familiar with is to utilize a smaller valve/spigot system, which will actually reduce the water flow in a shower without negatively impacting shower pressure.
“We can get shower valves that are under two gallons a minute,” Harris says. “A lot of people say, ‘Well, I don’t want a dry shower, I want the water to hit me.’ Well, you don’t have to use a lot of water to get a high pressure. Water restrictors increase pressure—it’s like putting your thumb on a hose.”
Harris has plenty of other tricks and insider knowledge when it comes to home renovation and he invites anyone looking to tackle a remodeling job to give Harris Tile a shot. They offer free quotes and take no money down until the bathroom is complete. Harris says that since the beginning he’s told his customers that they don’t have to pay if they don’t like the result. And, more than 1,500 remodeled bathrooms later, not a single customer has yet to take him up on that offer.
“I’ve never had an unhappy customer,” Harris says.
Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.
If you care to ever use a smart phone in public these days … it’s best to know at least some kind of self-defense. Plus if you take a martial arts class, you can learn to protect yourself and get a good workout at the same time! Finally you can play Angry Birds on the subway again without worries of feeling defenseless if someone else insists that it’s their turn to play (disclaimer: use technology in public at your own risk). In any event, “I wish I didn’t know how to protect myself” is something that’s never been said.
If you’re keen on learning the skill of self-defense, or just want to have fun and try something new, here’s a look at some of the premier martial arts studios in the Vallejo/Benicia area.
William Kim’s Tae Kwon Do
www.williamkimstkd.com
Vallejo • 707 556-8181
Since 1979, Grandmaster William Kim has been sharing his passion of Tae Kwon Do with the greater Vallejo community. He is the Owner of William Kim’s Tae Kwon Do on Springs Road, which is fully equipped with locker rooms, a pro shop, two private training rooms, an Olympic-standard matted floor and even a parents lounge area. “We have really nice facilities here,” Kim says. His younger self would be proud.
“I started training in Korea when I was 6 years old,” he said. “All of my life is involved in Tae Kwon Do martial arts training.” Included with that is his family life. “My father is Grandmaster 9th degree black belt, I’m 8th degree black belt, my son is a 5th degree black belt, my daughter is a 4th degree black belt, my youngest son is a secondary black belt—my father, myself and my three children. It’s very unique.”
The generational aspect of Kim’s family is mirrored with his students. “Many of the students that have studied here are bringing their second generations, some even third generations,” he said. “It shows that we’re doing something right. I’m very happy with that result.” He’s especially happy when the kids get involved.
“A problem of youngsters is lack of concentration,” Kim says. “Parents will bring the youngsters and I see them overcome. They can concentrate better and their attention span is improved.” It’s seeing these kids grow and mature via Tae Kwon Do that has really kept Kim motivated over the years. “I get a big satisfaction when they come in for their needs and then when they achieve—that’s why I’ve continued working in the same field for so long.”
In addition to learning better concentration practices from Grandmaster Kim’s teachings, kids can learn other valuable life skills as well. “We teach them the modesty of being humble, teach them discipline, self-control, to control your emotions, not to get angry so easily, or frustrated,” he explains. “We have a lot of teenage problems [in this country]. I think that martial arts can be the solution.”
Beginners in Tae Kwon Do aren’t always kids, though, so there are plenty of opportunities for adults as well. “Tae Kwon Do is great physical conditioning for total body,” says Kim. “Toning and losing weight while, at the same time, learning the art of self defense.” They have plenty of adult classes available for all skill levels. “We structure them a little differently, little bit more relaxed atmosphere and high energy.”
So … why Tae Kwon Do? “Tae Kwon Do is a universal sport,” says Kim. “It’s popular because it combines the physical and mental. ‘Tae’ is the kicking, ‘Kwon’ is the punching and ‘Do’ stands for the mind, the way of life.” Take his advice. Remember, Kim has been practicing it here in Vallejo for more than 30 years. “It’s the way of my life.”
Pro-Faction Martial Arts and Fitness
www.facebook.com/profactionmma
Benicia • 707 750-1644
“We’re about the real thing. There’s no egos here,” says Geoff Quares, Owner and Head Instructor at Pro-Faction Martial Arts and Fitness in Benicia. “We want to help people grow and appreciate the martial arts. It’s not necessarily even about fighting—it’s about helping people stay healthy, stay in shape and learn how to compose themselves in awkward or tense situations.”
Pro-Faction has a variety of specialties including Karate, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, group conditioning and fitness classes like cardio kickboxing and personal training for weight loss, conditioning, one-on-one fight training and more.
Quares saw the importance of martial arts clearly when he was just a child. “I started training when I was nine years old,” he says. “I came from a broken family, single mom and all that stuff, and I wanted to learn really bad. My instructor made it a point to take me under his wing. As I grew into the martial arts … that transformation from nobody into somebody … I took a step back and saw how he made me into something. Knowing that you can have that effect on other people was a big thing for me. That is the reason why I teach full time.” He is so passionate about the importance of martial arts that Quares created a nonprofit organization called Martial Arts Matters. “It’s a subsidy to help at-risk youth and disadvantaged families afford martial arts training.” Quares strives to keep his studio doors open to anyone who wants in.
“At Pro-Faction, we have everyone from professionals to amateurs; people with no experience or who just want to get in shape. Everyone wants to help each other grow.” And, with a friendly atmosphere, they help the newbies fit in right away. “When we take a new person in with no experience, they get introduced to everybody. It’s a requirement that everyone introduces themselves, makes them feel at home and helps them out so they don’t feel uncomfortable. Everyone’s so close, from the guys who fight in the circuits all the way to the newbie.”
Island Warriors Dojo
www.islandwarriorsbalintawak.com
Vallejo • 707 477-1159
“I started training in martial arts when I was 11 years old after watching Bruce Lee movies,” says Mel Orpilla, Owner of Island Warriors Dojo. “Every Asian kid wanted to be Bruce Lee back in the early 1970s, including myself.”
Orpilla is a Master in Balintawak Arnis, otherwise known as Filipino martial arts. “It is a weapons-based art; most Filipino martial arts are weapons based,” he says. “Here we train with rattan sticks, which are a replacement for the swords … safer to use … they look like bamboo but bamboo is hollow, rattan is solid.”
In addition to Balintawak, Island Warriors Dojo also offers Kajukenbo and pole fitness. “I think we’re the only place in Vallejo that teaches pole fitness,” Orpilla said. “There’s something for everybody here at the dojo. It’s not your standard fitness club.”
So one may ask, why Filipino martial arts? “Vallejo has almost 30,000 Filipinos and many of them, like myself, were born and raised in America, don’t speak the language, some have never been to the Philippines,” says Orpilla. “Learning this art is one way for them to connect to their heritage as Filipinos.” In the Philippines this martial art is often passed from father to son, rather than from teacher to student. “You wouldn’t go to a dojo like this; even in America there are very few,” he says. “In Philippine society it’s taught in semi-secrecy. I want to make Filipino martial arts available to everybody.”
Speaking of everybody, Island Warriors Dojo is a great place for the whole family. “We’re very family oriented and a lot of the students are family units: siblings, parents and children—rather than just an individual coming in to take lessons,” Orpilla says. “We carry on that family spirit, too—the Filipinos are a very family oriented society.”
What’s exciting about taking a Filipino martial art such as Balintawak Arnis is that you get a weapon right away. “[Filipino martial arts] were created strictly for self-protection and self preservation,” Orpilla explains. “A lot of martial arts, like Tae Kwon Do, start out with hand-to-hand and eventually you’ll get a weapon. But in Filipino martial arts we start with a weapon and incorporate hand-to-hand. It’s a very practical art.”
It’s also a great martial art to watch in the movie theaters. “You’ve seen it in all the Bourne Identity movies, Book of Eli, 300—basically, whenever you see a movie that uses knives or swords, chances are it’s a Filipino martial art.” But it’s more than just rattan sticks and choreography at Island Warriors Dojo.
“We teach the warrior spirit,” says Orpilla. “The warrior is always prepared physically, spiritually and mentally. It isn’t just the physical aspect of martial arts that we teach here, but a whole code of conduct based on the warrior philosophy of the Philippines. It teaches the student how to become a complete person and an honorable person,” Orpilla continues. “And being able to use a weapon or your hands to protect yourself, or your family, is just part of it.”
Vallejos Tae Kwon Do
www.vallejostaekwondo.com
Benicia • 707 746-1795
“Most people think they don’t have time, or need [martial arts],” says Master Ruben Vallejos, Head Instructor of Vallejos Tae Kwon Do in Benicia. “However, like anything beneficial, it requires commitment and hard work. Think of it as 45 minutes a day that serves as a stress reliever. You must think of your workouts as important meetings that you’ve scheduled with yourself. And bosses don’t cancel! Self-defense and staying fit never goes out of style.” And when it comes to style, there’s more than just Tae Kwon Do at Vallejos’ studio. “We not only teach Tae Kwon Do, we offer grappling, cardio kickboxing and much more.”
Vallejos Tae Kwon Do is a family run business that has been part of the Benicia community for more than 30 years. “We welcome all families into our ‘family’ as one and treat each other as such,” says Vallejos. “A rare find in most businesses today. Our core values are taught daily to include self-discipline, honor and respect.”
No matter who you are, there’s never a bad time to learn a martial art. “It’s an important part of life no matter what stage: children, teen or adult,” says Vallejos. “The self-discipline that develops as a result of learning and practicing the techniques usually carries over into other areas.” This is especially true for children. “School grades often improve as your child learns to focus on objectives and to work toward achievement.” And Vallejos can give them the mindset to do it.
“We instill confidence by helping overcome fear, by improving our image of ourselves, by placing you in control of your body for the first time in your life,” Vallejos says. “This confidence spills into every aspect of your life, making you a stronger, better person. The confidence instills humbleness; it is free of ego. This is the secret of true confidence: knowing without having to say it.”
Matt Larson is a writer/actor/comedian who shamelessly promotes his Vallejo Comedy shows in his byline. He encourages you to visit www.vallejocomedy.com. Woot!
Growing up, Robert and I learned to cook from our mothers, and it has grown into a joy for the both of us. We love to cook, eat and entertain with our family and our friends. Since Robert is the youngest of six, even a small family dinner on Sunday could be considered a huge party by many people. Therefore, when we started to have children, we wanted to pass on that love of the kitchen to them and we have worked to get them involved in the process early on. They are always willing to help and wanting to cook. When each of them was under a year and much smaller than they are now, they would each sit on my hip while I was preparing and cooking meals. I would explain each step I was doing and why I was doing it. This apparently has sunk in, because they all want to help cook every day now. Keep in mind that I am a working mom (not a restaurateur, chef or caterer, though I have felt like all of those from time to time), so this is my advice to my fellow working moms on having the kids help out in the kitchen.
Now, having three small, curious and, what our friends like to call “active” (aka wild) children, one has to have a proactive game plan to get them involved in the kitchen with its many dangers. A friend once told me when we had our third child that we could no longer run a “man on man” defense and we would have to switch it up to “zone” coverage. Well in the kitchen with things like fire, knives, scalding hot water and high shelves, the penalty for missing your “coverage” with the children is high. Therefore, it is doubly important to plan and prepare your “Mise en place” (a French term meaning “putting in place” and often used in the culinary world to refer to your set up) ahead of time. An example of mise en place would be cutting all your vegetables for a stir-fry BEFORE you even take out the frying pan. That way, you and the children can focus on one task at a time; prepare, THEN cook. I have seen many people pull out the pan first, put in the oil and turn it on THEN pull out the cutting board, knife and finally open the refrigerator to start to pull out the vegetables. Their plan of course is to cut the vegetables and throw them right into the hot pan to start sautéing them. Even without the added complexity of a child, or three, that can lead to all sorts of problems, not to mention unevenly cooked vegetables. Someone arriving unexpectedly at the front door or my two boys suddenly deciding to start WrestleMania 3 and before you know it, you burned your oil or started a grease fire and then our little girl “discovers” the unsecured knife and now the fire department is showing up or you’re on your way to the emergency room!! No … the key to any kitchen adventure—with kids or not—is planning.
Which brings us then to my First Rule in the Kitchen: Planning
Plan and be prepared. Know what you are going to cook and pull out the ingredients ahead of time. Plan your steps to minimize the potential for the children to come in contact with dangerous and even deadly kitchen tools. Or, if you are planning on asking your 4 year old to get something out of the refrigerator, I would strongly suggest it not be the eggs! And remember, the French here and your mise en place.
Now we have all heard the horror stories of the salmonella poisoning. We are all aware of the dangers of raw chicken. Many, if not all, are aware that we should keep our food out of the “danger zone” of 40° to 140°F. Are you doing those things though? Remember that the little guys are the most susceptible to the food-borne illness so make sure to guard against it!
Which brings us to my Second Rule of the Kitchen: Keep it clean AND sanitary
Now, many would say, “Aren’t those the same thing?” No. Clean is the absence of VISIBLE dirt or debris; sanitary is free of harmful pathogens or bacteria. You want to have both. Keep in mind though: no matter how clean and sanitary you may be, you will NEVER kill all the bacteria on a piece of food. A simple rule of thumb: keep cold food cold and hot food hot while you are serving it. Remember too that the kids have no idea what any of that means and they will just as soon eat gum off a bathroom floor if given the opportunity. It is just natural they want to put EVERYTHING in their mouths AND they want to touch it. If you know anything about human mouths … well … enough said about that. So keep it clean, keep it sanitary and keep it out of their mouths! Little hands need to be washed frequently while in the kitchen, as do ours! Simple tools to help with this rule—soap, a PROPERLY calibrated food thermometer (see the end of this article to see how to do that) and plenty of hot water.
This next rule will seem kind of like the first and the second rolled into one, but it is slightly different. If our homes were an actual restaurant or commercial kitchen we might have staff to handle this task, but since none of us are lottery winners just yet we will have to do with our own team.
Third Rule of the Kitchen: If you make a mess – clean it up
A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen and it really helps with the first two rules if you clean as you go and keep everything where it is supposed to be. It is also a great rule for the kids to learn early and practice often, and NOT just in the kitchen!
The Fourth Rule: Keep it fun and keep it simple!
Cooking is already hard, hot, messy work that can injure the most careful cook. Adding kids to the mix just makes it harder, hotter and messier, so if you don’t plan on having fun, you will be soon be banishing your children from the kitchen and forcing them into a life of cold cereal and burnt toast. You have to make it fun for yourself and for them, so that both of you will want to do more of it. You also have to remember that your audience’s age when planning what it is they can do. As the children get older, the more responsibility they will have while cooking. They need to be able to do the majority of the tasks, including measuring items. Use what is age appropriate and they will learn to love to cook.
A great Saturday morning routine can be making pancakes from scratch. It’s an easy recipe that the children will enjoy. The mixing bowls are out and ready to go. The ingredients are ready along with the measuring spoons. All three children have aprons and we start to get ready. They put on the aprons and go off to the bathroom to wash their hands. The highlight of the process is cracking the eggs. My younger child is not quite up to that stage yet, being 3 and all. But the other two are ready to go. We use a separate bowl for the eggs because the shell will get into the egg. So we prepare for the worst, and if no eggshells end up in the bowl—bonus! Next comes flour, milk and the big part: STIRRING. Once the batter is ready, we are ready to cook them. While the children all are still too young to be by the stove, they will start to get the table ready – including butter and syrup. We prepare the plates and add some fruit and they are ready for a fine breakfast.
We also enjoy having a movie night at our home and let the children make pizzas. We usually let the children know ahead of time so by the time pizza making comes around, they are excited. Pizza dough is pretty easy to make, but generally the kids are not in the mood for an extra step, so typically I will buy the pre-made dough at the grocery store. You can generally find fresh pizza dough in the refrigerator section by the pizzas. It is good substitute AND one less step. Also, they have different types of dough such as whole wheat or garlic & herb. My middle child is a pepperoni and salami fan. We ensure there is plenty on hand for his pizza and, of course, his snacking while making them. I’m actually not sure if he eats more pepperoni then he places on his pizza, but either way he is one happy camper. The youngest one loves olives. We go for the sliced black olives and plenty of cheese. The dough is separated into personal pizza sizes and the children will flatten their dough and start to dress it. Tomato sauce, cheese and all the toppings they want. Take pictures of their pizzas because they are truly one of a kind and a craft for them.
They enjoy eating the fruits of their labors while watching their favorite movie on the TV and you will enjoy watching them as much as I do. Bon appétit!
How to Calibrate a Food Thermometer (this is for a simple dial type, NOT an electric one. For those, see their instructions): These are extremely cost effective tools to help keep you and your family safe. Plus, you look like a genius when you know that the food is cooked to the proper temperature. These are also very simple devices. All you need is a glass of ice water, a pot of boiling water and a small adjustable wrench. If you all remember your 10th grade science class, water transfers to steam at 212°F and to ice at 32°F, therefore your pot of boiling water and your glass of ice water is at those temperatures. All you have to do is place the thermometer in one or another, and then adjust the small nut that is behind the actual dial if it does not read the temperature correctly. If after adjusting it still does not read the proper temperature, get a new one! They are only a few dollars and well worth the investment.
Regina Briseño – Recognized for her work with her family and talent for seeking out good food and wine. She also invites everyone to come and enjoy the adventurous ride with her!
The French call it Aubergine, we refer to it as “eggplant.” Why do I mention this? Because we have the French to thank for introducing Europe to this culinary delight. I find eggplant is a lot like cilantro, in the sense that people either like it or hate it. The botanical name for eggplant is Solanum melongena, and it’s really a fruit, but is usually counted as a vegetable. The eggplant comes from the same family as tomatoes, the solanaceous family of flowering plants. Also, like the tomato it was first considered to be poisonous. Originally, eggplants were used mainly as ornamentals, but as I had mentioned we can thank the French in the 18th century for discovering its true culinary potential. The Indian name for eggplant is Brinjal. The Australians refer to it as eggfruit. In West Africa they call it Garden Egg. In Greece, they call it Mousaka and Baba Ghanoush. Eggplant is believed to be of Indian origin, but the first written mention of it comes in the 5th Century A.D. by the Chinese. The Arabs brought it to Europe, which it has now become firmly established in many regional cuisines there.
I am a lover of the eggplant. My main course of a meal could be eggplant and I do not consider myself remotely vegetarian. I couldn’t even consider being a vegetarian, not with my carnivorous love for a good medium rare rib eye steak, but that is another story. You can typically find eggplant most of the year, but the height of the eggplant season is also during the peak of the grilling season, which is an excellent way to enjoy it. There are many variations on how to prepare eggplant. You can, of course, grill it, purée it, put it into a custard, bake it, fry it, stuff it and/or stir fry it. I don’t suggest sautéing it because it will absorb too much of the liquid.
One of my favorites is spicy eggplant, which is very simple to make. It is a simple stir-fry, typically with garlic, chili, soy sauce, oil and other spices, and also perhaps some onions, vegetables or meat of your preference. An even simpler preparation is on the grill with just some garlic, lemon juice and parsley, which creates a wonderful flavor; it’s considered the poor man’s caviar. I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the favorites from the Italians: eggplant Parmesan. And, of course, we cannot forget the famous French preparation made more famous by a little animated mouse and Bay Area animators Pixar: Ratatouille.
When you buy an eggplant, make sure it is fresh, not overripe. Small, firm, chubby eggplants are better than the big ones. They will have sweeter flesh and fewer grains. The skin should be taut, smooth, glossy and without blemishes. When you press firmly on the skin, it should bounce back, but if it leaves a dent it’s old. Storing an eggplant is a bit of trick, since it is best stored at 50° F. Refrigerators are set at 41° to 38°, which is too cold for the tropical vegetable, and room temps are typically higher than 50° F this time of year. So it’s best to buy the eggplant the day you plan to cook it, and if that is not possible, store it in a cool place. The next question, an age old one, is, “To salt or not to salt?” I salt, but when in season there probably is no need. The salt is really only needed to remove any bitterness. There are dozens of varieties of eggplant, some less bitter than others. The least bitter eggplant is the long, thin pale purple variety, which is known as the Chinese eggplant. The Japanese eggplant is shorter and generally smaller than the Chinese variety and it has dark purple skin. It looks almost like the American eggplant except it’s about a fourth the size. A third variety is the Italian eggplant. It’s purple, again like the American version, but is more streamlined being only 2 to 3 inches in diameter and about 10 inches long.
Also, remember that eggplants will absorb the flavors you are cooking with, which also means it will absorb oils and fats as well. That is why when I make eggplant Parmesan I bake it, rather than fry it, so it does not get too soft and slimy (which I hate!). You also have to remember that eggplant is mostly made up of water and it will shrink when it is grilled, baked or fried. That is why it is important to slice it to about 1/2 inch thick – cut it too thin it will turn into mush, but if you cut it too thick it will not fully cook. Some cooks peel their eggplant, making it tough and bitter. I normally go halfway, peeling it in strips and leaving only half the peel. Plus, I feel that the purple color improves the plate appearance.
Something I have never tried, but now intrigues me, is pickled eggplant. It is actually a medieval preparation method, which has survived almost 10 centuries. The idea, like the more modern canning, is to be able have it when it was not in season. I found a recipe for pickled eggplant that I will share on the website. It comes from a Lebanese cookbook printed in French back in the 1930’s.
So, enjoy the rest of the summer and be sure to make room on your grill for an eggplant—lightly brushed with a good olive oil and some salt & pepper. Simple, but very tasty!
Chef K. Marie Paulk
History…
Quite possibly the oldest family of games known is that which comprises throwing objects at a target. Who hasn’t heard of ten-pin bowling, bocce or even lawn bowls? But pétanque? Not many people in the USA have heard of that one.
The game of pétanque has a long and venerable history with a pedigree that goes back to the dawn of antiquity. The earliest physical evidence of what was perhaps a bowling game was found and described by English explorer Sir W. M. Flinders Petrie in 1895 at Naqada on the western bank of the Nile in Egypt. (1) The artifact, from grave 100 at Naqada, is a wall painting dating back to around 5200 BC and appears to be of two boys playing a game in which they are tossing balls, or round stones. A copy of this painting is in Oxford’s Ashmolean museum.
From Egypt the game spread throughout the Middle East, arriving in ancient Greece around 800 BC. The Romans learned the game from the Greeks, modified it by adding a target ball and created a game that would be recognizable by players today. This game spread throughout the Roman Empire and by the 13th century bowling was a popular pastime in what are now modern-day Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Germany, England, Italy and France.
The bowling game developed many regional variations. In Germany it became kegeln or skittles, which much later developed into ten-pin bowling right here in the USA. In England and France a game that would become lawn bowling in the 19th century was played by the nobility and common people alike. It became so popular that it was prohibited by law, because archery and other military exercises essential to national defense were being neglected.
Jeu de Boule (Game of Bowls), 1847
(8” x5.7”) Jean-Louis Ernest Meissonier
In Italy, the bowling game was called bocce. Bocce is the plural of Italian word ‘boccia’ that means ‘ball’, according to the Bocce Standards Association. Bocce itself has of variants, one of which is volo, which has spread throughout the world. In the South of France two games very similar to volo are known as jeu provençal and boule lyonnaise, and it here that the story of pétanque begins.
The sign says “It was in the year 1910 on this ground that pétanque was created”
One popular version is that pétanque, in its present form, was invented in 1907 in the town of La Ciotat near Marseilles, by a French Jeu Provençal player named Jules Hugues, known as Jules le Noir, whose rheumatism prevented him from running before he threw the ball. Another undocumented version says the game was invented by the brother of a famous jeu provençal player who had lost his legs in an accident. In any event, a variation of jeu provençal was devised where the player stood in place with both feet on the ground and played on a shorter field. The name pétanque comes from pè tanca in the Provençal dialect of the Occitan language, which yielded the French regional expression to play “à pétanque” or “pés tanqués”.
The first pétanque tournament with the new rules was organized in 1910 by the brothers Ernest and Joseph Pitiot, proprietors of a café in La Ciotat and terrain managers of the Béraud
boules club. The history of the game is well documented in the Musée Ciotaden in La Ciotat. An interesting but unrelated fact is that La Ciotat was the summer residence of the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière, the pioneering creators of motion pictures who made their first short motion pictures and held public exhibitions of them there.
After that, the game grew with great speed and has become very popular throughout the world, governed by the International Pétanque Federation (FIPJP). The Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal, was founded in 1958 and has over 600,000 licensed members in 88 countries.
The history of Pétanque in the USA is not well documented, but it is certain that French immigrants and expatriates who had played the game in France brought the game to New York as early as the 1930s. The introduction of Pétanque into the rest of the United States as not only a game but also a competitive sport has been slow. While many clubs have contingents of French and francophone players, the popularity of the game is growing steadily in the non-French affiliated population.
There are an estimated 30,000 people in the USA who play pétanque fairly regularly in neighborhood clubs, campgrounds, schools, parks, or in their backyards.
There are 40+ formal clubs that are part of the Federation of Petanque USA (FPUSA), the official US body affiliated with the FIPJP. FPUSA now (2013) counts 1700 members, organizes regional and national tournaments as well as the qualifiers for the Men’s, Women’s and Juniors US National Teams that compete in international competitions.
Pétanque is not currently an Olympic sport. Since 1985 the International Olympic Committee has been lobbied to make it part of the Summer Olympics. It’s also thanks to the game’s exceptional popularity and the work of the FIPJP, that Pétanque is played at the many world sporting events such as the World Games, the Pan American Games, the Asian Games, the Mediterranean Games, the Pacific Games, the World Transplant Games and many more.
Petanque is a game…
In the South of France, Pétanque is a part of village life and is a leading outdoor leisure activity in the rest of the country. Indeed, that is where many of us have seen the game played for the first time and have had the first taste of this intriguing pastime. The beauty of the game is that it can be played on just about any terrain – on a gravel road, a firm beach, on grass or any firm, fairly level area.
The most outstanding feature of Pétanque is that it brings together all ages of both sexes in a way unheard of in more physically demanding sports. Boys and girls as young as four pick up the principles of the game with ease. Octogenarians of both sexes are still playing, some of them at a competitive level. With that spread of ages it is no wonder that Pétanque is a great outdoor, family bonding activity. And it doesn’t require any special athletic ability or physical prowess.
Pétanque is so easy to learn that anyone can enjoy it the very first time they play. The basic rules are simple and easy to follow.
To start playing Pétanque all that is needed is simply a set of boules (balls) per player, one cochonnet (a smaller target ball) and a patch of dirt to play on. The boules are usually made of steel, around three inches in diameter and the cochonnet is made of wood, an inch and a quarter in diameter. Smaller, lighter steel boules are available for kids, as are boules made of synthetic materials that are lighter (and safer) so that the game can be played indoors by both kids and adults.
How to play Pétanque:
The website wikiHow gives a concise description of how to play Pétanque:
The object is to stand in a circle drawn on the ground, and roll, lob or throw your ball as close as possible to the cochonnet. Only one team gets points per round, and the teams play as many rounds as it takes to arrive at 13 points. The first team to arrive at 13 points wins the game.
Players divide into two teams. You can play 1 vs. 1 (3 balls per player); 2 vs.2 (3 balls per player); or 3 vs. 3 (2 balls per player).
The teams flip a coin to see who starts. The starting team draws a circle in the ground. The first player stands in this circle with both feet on the ground and throws the target ball or cochonnet out to a distance of 6 to 10 meters. The starting team then throws their first boule from the circle, trying to get as close as possible to the cochonnet.
The 2nd team’s player then stands in the circle, and tries to throw their boule closer to the cochonnet than the starting team. It is allowed to throw a boule at the opposing team’s boule, moving it away. If the 2nd team does get a boule closer than the starting team, it’s called “having the point”, and then the starting team has to attempt to throw a boule closer.
The team which does not have the closest boule to the cochonnet keeps throwing boules until either they get closest, or they run out of boules to throw. When all boules are thrown, only the boules of the team that are closest to the cochonnet are added to the running score. The team which has the point(s) starts the new round, drawing a circle around the position of the cochonnet and uses that as the new throwing circle). Play continues until a team reaches 13 points, and so wins the game.
However, it soon becomes clear that there’s more to it than meets the eye. If you’re bitten by the Pétanque bug and want to go to the next level, a world of social and competitive play awaits you.
Here is a very short video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBogPr5EzR0
of some action in a recent Regional Competition. While you are watching you might feel that there is nothing to get excited about, but once you have launched a few boules at the cochonnet you will get what all the excitement is about. You can watch more astounding Pétanque videos on www.petanquetube.com
Where to see and play Petanque in the Bay Area…
There are six FPUSA affiliated clubs in the Bay Area where you can watch Pétanque being played and even have a go if you want to. If you don’t own a set, all the clubs will have a spare set of boules that visitors can use.
La Boule d’Or founded in 1959 in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco is the oldest active pétanque club in the United States and Napatanque Club in Napa is one the latest to join the FPUSA. The other Bay area pétanque clubs are La Pétanque Marinière in San Rafael, Lamorinda Pétanque in Lafayette, Petaluma Valley Pétanque in, you guessed it, Petaluma and Valley of the Moon Pétanque in Sonoma.
Visit the websites of one of the clubs to find directions, times that they play and contact information.
Links to Bay Area clubs and other interesting websites:
FPUSA website: www.usapetanque.org
Description of the game with illustrations:
www.wikihow.com/Play-Petanque
La Pétanque Marinière website:
www.petanque-marin.blogspot.com
Lamorinda Pétanque website: www.lamorindapetanque.com
Petaluma Valley Pétanque website: www.petalumapetanque.com
Valley of the Moon Pétanque: www.vompc.org
Petanque America website: www.petanqueamerica.com
PetanqueTube, like YouTube, has videos but only about Pétanque: www.petanquetube.com
Just search for ‘Petanque’ on the Web and you will find a huge amount of information.
Reference.
1. [Naqada and Ballas, p. 35, Sir W. M. Flinders Petrie and James Edward Quibell (Bernard Quaritch: London, 1896)].
Etienne Rijkheer, here with friend Claudie, is an avid petanquer and proponent of the game who, like many Americans, saw it played in France and got hooked. He is a member of the Lamorinda Petanque Club.
Wow, August already!! And soon to be September!! We will once again start the countdown to Christmas. (Deanna’s favorite season is upon us!) Has 2013 really slipped by that fast? Well, before we start taking our winter coats out of the closet, we probably still have a good 90 days or so of summer-like weather (based on our amateur meteorological skills) so there is still plenty of time to enjoy some of these great upcoming outdoor events and festivals that fill these pages. One of them that we attended last year, the Scottish Games, is coming up soon as well. If you have not been, make sure to dust off the kilts and bagpipes and put it on your calendar! You may also want to check out our video on the Local Happenings Magazine website from our visit last year and see what it is all about. (We would strongly recommend making time to visit the Scotch tasting tent!) Oktoberfest season is also fast approaching (which traditionally starts in late September and runs 16 days until the first weekend of October) so we will all have to pull out our lederhosen for that as well. Before these two festivals happen, we have the annual Labor Day cookout, the start of the football season, the end of the baseball season, music festivals, fairs, the grapes start coming in off the vines, you get the idea—lots to do! So make sure to use our online calendar to keep up with all the great events. We are always adding new ones submitted by our faithful readers so make sure to check back often.
Also on the horizon we will be opening up the voting once again for the Local’s Choice Awards. This is our 3rd Annual Contest and we want to hear from all of you about who are the best businesses and people in each of the three counties. Remember that you nominate them AND vote on them and then we publish the results in our February/March edition. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing if any of our 2012 winners will be able to repeat!! We have a special page in this edition (page 27)with all the details about voting so read it carefully. Check it out and determine who you will be voting for this year to be our 2014 winners!!! Keep in mind that, like Chicago politics, you can vote early and often since you can cast a vote every day for your favorites!!
We also have a plethora of family birthdays over the next couple of months, so we would like to say a hearty Happy Birthday to Barbara, Karen, John, Kenny, Dora, Yvonne, Harry, Patrick, Christopher & Clara. There are also lots of friends, like Krystle, Pippen, Laura, Freda, Cindy S., Therese, Laura F., Patty, Mel, Derrick, Rich, and . . . I am sure we are missing a few in there as well, but we only have so much space! Then of course our own Robert & Regina celebrate not only their birthdays but the anniversary of their nuptials as well. As we said: lots to do in the coming months and we will have to be checking our calendars as well to keep on top of everything!!!
Cheers to all of you until next time . . .
Robert Briseño & 
Deanna Baillie
This past week has been so full of commitments. Ben and I have attended so many events, participated in fundraisers and visited with new and old friends. This past weekend we attended the Danville Fine Arts Street Faire and had so much fun. We are looking forward to their street fairs and car shows next month! We also had an up front and center view of the “Supermoon”. Wow, for a “Moonaholic” it was pretty fabulous.
This week has already snuck up on us so we are frantically trying to catch up! Let’s see where we land . . .
