Eating our way through the Mission

Another busy day of exploration and discovery through San Francisco, with your favorite intrepid traveler, and Lesley & James! Today's adventure finds us in the heart of the Mission District, south of downtown, a primarly hispanic neighbourhood and proud of its roots. After a much-needed lazy morning enjoying the free breakfast provided at the hostel(cook-your-own-pancakes? Yes, please!), I wandered down to city hall and the Civic Center, hopped a train, and booted it down to 24th street. I met up with Prue and Andrew from Perth, and we were soon joined by our guide Nathan, a rather friendly Texan in a pink flamingo shirt with a lot to say. In hindsight, he was entertaining and always kept the conversation going but often ramble far off topic for a tour guide, leaving the food and history behind for story of down home, favorite burger joints and other off-subject conversations. I didn't mind him, but the information in general was lacking. What wasn't lacking, however, was the food! Wow, did we ever EAT on this tour!!! We began with one of the best burritos in the Mission, a baby burrito with a selections of hot salsas from Taqueria San Jose. Now, I honestly don't know how this can be considered a baby burrito, as it is a full size to me, but Lesley assures me that the super-sized versions can fit comfortably in a cars cupholder, if THAT gives you an idea of the size I'm talking about. Filled with creamy refried beans and tender beef, veggies, and dripping with that bright tangy sauce, it really was very good, and I'm glad I finally got to try a true Mission-style burrito.

Next stop was the Mission Street Oyster Co., to freshen up our palettes with plump, tender oysters and glasses of sparkling Brut wine. I chose the quintessential BC varieties, Fanny Bay and Kusshis, boasting creamy and sweet flesh - funny how I was drawn to those two varieties over more local offerings. We followed this up with Panchitas Pupusas, round filled tortilla-like breads loaded with Monterey cheese and the Laroco flower, which tasted a lot like mild asparagus. These were topped with spicy red sauce and tangy coleslaw, and the acidity worked perfectly to cut the fattiness of the cheezy pocket. Yummy.

On a completely different tangent, our "secret" fourth stop was at Curry Up Now, an Indian restaurant and recent addition to the tour. Now, I know that the tour deals with Mission specialties, and agree that ther are some many cultures that make up the fabric of this neighborhood, but I felt we had been following a distinctly South American vibe, and felt a little thrown of course but the addition of samosas, which were not much of a discovery for me. They were good, yes, and the sweet tamarind sauce served alongside was a revelation, but I felt the theme of the tour dropped on this one.

All through this tour's walking, we appreciated the srt of the nieghborhood. The Mission is also knwon for its murals, done by well-known local street artists, and Nathan was keen to point out every of them that we passed, often interjecting some history and details pertaining to either the artists of the subject of the art itself. Clarion Alley, a concertration of murals, ever-changing with the theme of the times and the artists at the time, was particularly vibrant and colourful - we even observed an artist, and his family, finishing the colour work of his new tableau.

Our final stop of the tour was at Bi-Rite Creamery, a location know for its flavourful homoemade ice cream, and somewhere I had wanted to try. We satisfied our sweet tooth, and our need for a little dessert, with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, accompanied by soft chewy pignoli cookies from Dianda's Italian bakery. Then, knowing our need to "walk it off", Nathan led us up the hill of Dolores-Mission park, for the second most beautiful view of the city, and a grassy hillside covered in the tanning bodies of what seemed like the entire neighborhood - it was quite the show.

After all that food, and all that walking, I know I was pooped, and I imagine Lesley and James felt the same, so we slowly made our way back to the car, then to Belmont to hang with their friends around the pool while the kids splashed in the water.

The evening found me hanging out at the hostel, where a free wine and cheese night was being offered, Nothing too fancy, Costco wines and pre-cut cheese squares, but free food nonetheless, and a chance to converse with my fellow hostel-goers. With my dinner of authentic Pad Thai from across the street, I sat at the car with other travellers, talking of the world, of travel, of San Francisco and Californian wine, of rum festivals and how New Zealand makes as much good cheese as Quebec, though none of it form sheep's milk. This is why I return to this hostel in particular, because of the genuine feeling of community, and tonight I found it.