The Wind Attack

Looking back on this past weekend, it’s hard to believe that I was debating about going to this year’s Foodbuzz Festival.

I don’t really know why I felt guilty about taking the day off work or why I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy the festival. I do know that if I had acquiesced to these fears that the picture above wouldn’t exist.

If I stayed home that weekend, I wouldn’t have been reminded how beautiful San Francisco is. I wouldn’t have seen the sun rise over the colorful hills or heard the rain falling outside the window or sensed the cool bite of the autumn air.

What if I hadn’t missed the shuttle bus to the festival welcoming reception? I would not have had the delight of meeting fellow Angeleno blogger @chocomeat. We wouldn’t have become friends on that cab ride to the reception.

Had I not participated in the Foodie Gift Exchange, I wouldn’t have had an excuse to bake a batch of Canelés… and @tinyurbankitchn wouldn’t have had the chance to receive and enjoy this gift.

Had I not been at the festival, I wouldn’t have tasted this pork sandwich from 4505 Meats. I’m typically not a fan of pork, but this brined and breaded cutlet smothered with pickled vegetables on a toasty, buttery bun pushed and pulled my senses with warm and comforting delight.

I wouldn’t have tasted some of San Francisco’s own Craft Beers with @chocomeat while waiting for the line to die down at the french food truck. Then we wouldn’t have tried the escargot for the first time.

Snail surrounded in pastry on a stick in a pool of fresh herb sauce. This “lollipop” had the mouthfeel of meat, the sweetness of pastry and a faint aftertaste that was somewhere between seafood and fine cheese.

If I hadn’t spent the night hanging out with @chcomeat, I wouldn’t have continued the night with his friends at the Tonga Room, a delightfully kitsch Tiki Bar in Downtown San Francisco. There wouldn’t have been rum drinks with ridiculous giant straws or a toast “to bringing people together.”

The next morning, I attended a workshop on food blog writing. Had I not, I wouldn’t have gained valuable insight from @sippitysup, @saltyseattle and @foodwoolf. I wouldn’t have met @jetsetwisdom and I wouldn’t have helped her get on twitter.

If I hadn’t been at that writing workshop, I wouldn’t have skipped the subsequent workshop to have brunch at Blue Bottle Coffee where I practiced my new found writing skills.

Were it not for the Saturday afternoon Tasting Pavilion, I wouldn’t have gotten “foodbuzzed” on generously sized tastings of biodynamic wine, watermelon beer and organic chocolate stout.

I wouldn’t have seen @joythebaker sporting the coolest camera at the whole festival. (Seriously Joy, I can’t wait to see the festival through the eyes of a disposable. Love it!)

There would have been no shots of olive oil, spoons of jam or popsicle sticks dabbed with raw hawaiian honey. And no wild Alaskan salmon tacos!

What if I had not met @caseyangelova, the very enthusiastic blogger from Bulgaria who would later lead our dinner table to victory in the Foodbuzz Scavenger Hunt?

Well, we probably wouldn’t have sat at the same table at the phenomenal dinner at the Ferry Building. It was a blast to share the table with @chocomeat, @caseyangelova,@jetsetwisdom, @thetomatotart and other lovely foodies.

For a dinner for over 300, the food was exceptional. How sad would it have been if I had missed out on melting soft seared scallops with roasted fennel that perfectly balanced its sweet and anise flavors? Or the rack of lamb that welcomingly embraced warm butternut squash purée accented with earthy mushrooms?

And if I hadn’t made such great new friends, I would never have waited nearly an hour in the rain Sunday morning for the best soul food brunch in San Francisco. @chocomeat and local blogger @coffeepenknife were the perfect brunch companions for enjoying some creole specialties.

Which brings me back to the picture at the top of this post. The scheduled activities of the festival were important, yes, but if I had not met the people I did along the way, I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun as I did.

So cheers! To Foodbuzz… to San Francisco… to good food… and to bringing people together!