Ladies and gentlemen, this summer’s schedule has been kicking my ass. I only published one post thus far in August, and it was a hurried food roundup of New York. My mind is full of words and stories, but I’ve been moving around from meetings to presentations to more meetings. My words are now frozen half-scribbles scrawled on pieces of scrap paper, on backs of envelopes and — quite unfortunately — typed into cryptic iPhone notes that read something like this:
“Remember to write about that taxi driver.”
SO HELPFUL.
My first time in San Francisco
I’ve been in San Francisco for about three weeks now, and it is my first time exploring the city. In lieu of writing, I have neglected to stay still.
I’ve been able to get some great face time with companies I work with and get some speaking in (such as at the Apple store, yay!). Thanks to the extraordinary power of your own suggestions, I have also been stuffing my face. I’ve now got a giant spreadsheet of Jodi-friendly (read: not full of wheat) cheap eats to try from the many recommendations you sent me. As I said on the Facebook page, I will be sharing said spreadsheet at a later date here, since everyone should benefit from each other’s food recommendations.
And now for some updates.
Food Tours
As I’ve already announced, I’ll be starting up very casual food tours for readers. The aim was to have them based on where I am at a given point, so that I’m not tied to one destination but can instead host wherever I am, in places I love. First up is Vietnam in January. I’ve been building out the food site, which will house both tour dates as well as food resources, but it isn’t ready yet. However! For those who are interested in an email with the first tours and dates:
Here’s the logo of the new site, thanks to the help of Andre from La Fuite Autour du Monde and reader input:
Another version of the logo, thanks to a reader named John who thought he was HILARIOUS is:
I can’t eat wheat, John. SO IT’S NOT EVERYTHING. (Yeah I thought it was pretty funny too. Fan art! You know you’ve made it when…)
Soup, Soup, SOUP!
One thing I love about having an engaged readership is that you all seem support my insanity with delicious frivolity of your own. And by this I mean: you send me photos of soup.
Lots of photos of soup.
At least once a week, I receive an email that says something along the lines of “Oh hai Jodi! I was eating this soup and thought of you” with an attached photo of a steaming bowl of something. I should start a photo essay of reader soup photos, no?
In the absence of said photoessay, here’s a recent one from Mark in Australia. The email subject line was “Hi Jodi, do you like my photo of laksa soup?” and the email was this:
That’s all. No text, no context, just a photo of soup.
Don’t ever change, Mark.
(Upon subsequent querying, I have learned that this soup is from The Red Chair Cafe in Subiaco, Perth, Western Australia. Aussies or visitors: get thee to the laksa! It looks good.)
Legal Nomads Around the Web
Some writeups, posts and podcasts from around the web. (For the posts around the web not about me, you can sign up for the Links I Loved newsletter on the sidebar. A sample, from August, is here.)
1. G Adventures asked each of their wanderers in residence to explain why we travel the way we do, and why we work with them. An excerpt from the post:
“However, April will mark my 6th year of travel and writing, and will be the first time that I can say “I’ve been traveling and eating soup for longer than I was a lawyer.” Had you told me when I left NY that I’d be doing this still, excited to wake up and learn about a new place through its food, I’d have laughed. Had you told me that I’d have written a book about it and was preparing to launch food tours for my readers…well, I’d have laughed even harder. But by sticking to the things I believed in, by following the sparks that ignited as I explored the world, I find myself here.”
We also recorded a 1-minute travel video of our most ridiculous travel story. Shockingly, I chose to mention all the birds that crap on my head. Video below, with the other wanderers’ videos here.
2. The New York Times’ Dan Salzstein wrote a long piece about the state of travel blogging today. I was thrilled to be quoted in it at length. Article is here.
3. Also in New York, I recorded a video interview with Bloomberg Law for their Stealth Lawyer series about how I went from lawyer to soup eater. Video is here.
4. I had the pleasure of recording a very impromptu session of This Week in Travel’s podcast. Clockwise from left, Chris Christensen, Spud Hilton, Don George, David Lytle, Dick Jordan and Jen Leo. Full podcast is here.
That’s it for now! I’ll be leaving San Francisco in a few days and then heading back to Montreal (my crash course to Montreal is here) and then to India. More soon about SF eats and Vietnamese pho (not necessarily in that order).
-Jodi
I know the feeling of having so many words and so many stories swirling around and not a moment to properly write them down. I’d say that’s better than scrambling for something to write.
I’ve been crapped on twice by birds. So maybe I’m still in the realm of luck? One can hope.
Ha, yes! Still in the “luck” zone, not yet moved into “bird vendetta” ;) Agreed, always better to have a surplus of words. I’ll get to writing soon enough, I’m sure.
I think you will see an uptick in reader soup photos after this post. As for me, I will heretofore send you a photo every time I get crapped on by a bird. Or a bat.
Oh yeah because THAT’S a photoessay I want?! ;) Hope you’re well and that one of these days we share some jamon again somewhere in this wide world.
Signed up for the food tour newsletter because there is a good chance we’ll be in Vietnam in January! So maybe it’ll be chili that we share instead of jamon.
YES! This is excellent news.
Oh, take me to San Francisco! Is it as wonderful as it is in my dreams? Is it as expensive? ;) I love reading your food roundups, so your food tours sound absolutely great! Most of my boyfriend’s immediate family has Celiac, so it’s always nice to have a resource! And one that loves food as much as I do at that!
It is surprisingly expensive! People had said so, but I found the food here considerably more than in NYC, which is the part that surprised me. Either way, I’ll post that spreadsheet and hopefully you can dig up more cheap eats as well.
I feel SO LUCKY to have been present for that Pakistani Food Feast. Need to cross paths with you more often!
It’s making me think Mexico ought to happen! Tacos FTW!
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the US! And I hope you remember the story about the taxi driver :)
Jodi,
Do not miss Saigon Sandwich–best in the city.
Enjoy,
Sometimes one just has to slow down long enough to smell the roses, or in your case, to smell the soup…
Can I just say I love your blog, having just discovered it very recently. Would love to do one of your food tours so will for sure be checking out your other site once up and running… :) Good travels!
Thanks Simone! Glad you like it and appreciate your support :)
San Francisco has been the US city I most want to visit for so long, so very much enjoying following along while you’re there and keeping my eye out for that spreadsheet! Excited for the food tours too, hope to go on one one day.
Food looks fab, we are heading to San Francisco, we got a superb deal with Tour America, really looking forward to it.
I vote Spain. I will go anywhere in Spain to eat!
San Fran looks like a great place to be spending a few weeks. And the food well the photos speak for themselves. Good luck with the food tours and the first logo looks best beside you don’t eat wheat..lol Looking forward to seeing the new site.
I never got tired of eating out in the 3 years I lived in San Francisco. There’s a guy called the Creme Brulee Man who makes the dessert from a portable vendor’s cart that he moves all around the city. It used to be word-of-mouth in order to find him, but I think he tweets his location now:)
Yes! I’ve eaten from that cart. Actually, it was the first day in town. I had the vanilla, but regret not going back for the dulce de leche/goat cheese combo as it sounded great. It’s actually on the spreadsheet I’ll be sharing in the next post. Yay!
I was in SF at the same time; it’s a joy to explore! (especially on a bike)
However, I got food poisoning or a stomach bug traveling in Canada earlier in the week. I wish I would have had the stomach to be a bit more adventurous with my food choices at some of the un-touristy Thai and Chinese places.
I’m so gonna sign up for the food tour you have in Vietnam, Jodi even though I’m Vietnamese :) There is this high chance that you know more about nooks and crannies in Vietnam than I do now.
Haha, great to hear! I plan to focus not just on the dishes but how they’ve changed over the years, and how history affects the way Vietnamese people eat. Looking forward to seeing you there, yay!
i have mentioned you in some of my instagram soup photos :D
Indeed you have.
I have just seen your blog (sent by Leo) and how I wish I could join you in Vietnam! We were there 4 years ago, lucky enough to stay with friends and one of my best memories is having Pho for breakfast in a little dirt-floored shack down the lane most mornings. I went on a short cookery course in Hoi Ann but it was most fun being taught some dishes by our friends cook. I’m in UK but my daughter is in LA. I wish I’d come across you before we hit SF in June. I’ll be following you from now on though. Happy eating!
Thanks Karen, and welcome to the site! Hope you like what you read. My brother lives in the UK so I visit every so often and usually have a reader meetup when I do. Where are you based?
I used to not enjoy San Francisco, but since my last trip there I have since change my tune. There are so many great places to eat- especially if you like Chinese, Vietnamese or Japanese cuisine. Love the pic of the bay bridge too!
I am from near the sf Bay Area and enjoyed your photos, Stinson beach is gorgeous ona sunny day.. I just returned from montreal (your home city?), though,, and so enjoyed its food. Holder restaurant in old Montreal and a bio/ organic bakery near mont royal being the highlights.
Thanks Monique!
I love that photo essay of reader soup photos. And like you, I type notes into my phone too. Sometimes, I even wish that my brain has a built-in recorder that can record what I’m thinking. LOL
That bowl of laksa looks ridiculously good right about now.. Love what you’re getting up to Jodi!
Wow, Jodi! It sounds like things are going really well for you and that’s absolutely fabulous! I love seeing your soup photos and reading your hilarious Facebook updates like a tussle with the bank over dongs or explaining to a customs agent that you eat soup for a living. =)
You should definitely host a food tour in SE Asia December 2014. Just sayin’.