Tag: food

California, Food & Drink13 Comments

Specialty’s Café & Bakery Closes After 33 Years

Darlene

I’ve been going to Specialty’s Café & Bakery for work lunches for over 15 years. So when I learned that the San Francisco Bay Area-based chain would be permanently closing their doors after today, May 19, 2020, I was shocked! The reason for the closure? The pandemic. Their website explains that “Current market conditions attributed to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place policies have decimated company revenues.” Founded in 1987, the company operated over 55 cafes in California, Illinois, and Washington state. Before the pandemic, Specialty’s was popular among busy office workers who wanted a quick, but nutritious lunch, like salads, sandwiches, and … Continue reading Specialty’s Café & Bakery Closes After 33 Years

California, France, Personal, photography4 Comments

Meaningful Photos: a Mindfulness Practice

Darlene

Meaningful Photos is one of many science-based practices for a meaningful life curated by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. For this mindfulness exercise, the how-to states: “[Take] 15 minutes per day for one week to take the photos.” Instead I did the following: From my phone’s camera roll, I selected nine favorite photos that were taken over the past year or so. I figure I hadn’t deleted them for a reason – they are meaningful photos for me! So here are my nine photos and my nine answers to the question: “What does this photo represent, and … Continue reading Meaningful Photos: a Mindfulness Practice

Food & Drink, French Language3 Comments

French-Canadian Film: “Modified”

Darlene

I recently attended a community screening of Modified, a French-Canadian documentary about “a food lover’s journey into GMOs,” or genetically modified/engineered organisms. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, this film is a must-see for anyone who eats food. So, yes, it’s for everyone! In the 90-minute award-winning film, filmmaker, Aube Giroux, takes viewers on her journey as she tries to understand why over 60 countries label their genetically modified food, while countries, like Canada and the United States, do not. Traveling from Québec and Nova Scotia, Canada to Paris, France, then to Davis and San Francisco, California, followed … Continue reading French-Canadian Film: “Modified”