SPQR

The last couple months I have been tackling my must try San Francisco restaurant list. Starting with Range, then Gitane and I finally went to SPQR. The fresh dishes at this little Italian restaurant was mouthwatering. If you can't tell from the photos, I promise you it is very delicious. However, the portions are a bit small for the price. Thanks to the Black Bird Eat deal the dining experience was not as pricey as it could have been. I am going to wait for another deal to try it again.

YouTube - lifeinaday's Channel

The Life in a Day project launched early this morning! This is a unique global experiment that only takes place today. Kevin MacDonald, the director, is asking people all over the world to become their own directors and capture a moment of their day -July 24, 2010. You have from today until July 31 to submit your captured moment to be considered for the feature film. The most compelling footages will be included and featured in a user-generated film capturing July 24, 2010.  We'll have to wait until January 2011 to see what happened today all over the world. The movie will premier at the Sundance Film Festival and YouTube. You can submit your video here: YouTube - lifeinaday's Channel

SOMA brewed coffee experience

Just tried Sight Glass coffee this morning on my way to work. They've been in SOMA  for about a year but just recently started roasting their coffee on-site.mmm..The smell of roasting coffee in the simple space will draw coffee lovers in. I may be banned from SOMA for saying this but I actually like it better than Blue Bottle because it's not as strong.  The coffee taste and the fact that they are opening a full coffee bar make me want to visit more.

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Pura Vida

Before leaving for Costa Rica, I did a little research for this post and learned that it’s one of the top ranked happy countries. I wondered why? At my arrival, I learned it’s simply because they embrace Pura Vida. This expression is the unofficial motto of Costa Ricans and it simply means “pure life” or “just life.”  Costa Ricans will use it to express how they are and who they are. The expression embodies Costa Ricans’ perseverance, sense of community and the celebration of a easygoing lifestyle.  It’s really the Costa Ricans way of living. They are happy, and proud of their country, and of what they have.  

A Week in the Happy Country

I am taking off tomorrow to Costa Rica a.k.a the happiest country in the world.  Ever since I randomly heard that Costa Rica is the happiest country in the world I became intrigued with it. That and the fact that it’s hugged by two coasts and, as I recently learned, home to the three toed sloth. At first I didn’t really believe the happiest country label, but then I read an op-ed by Nicholas D. Kristof in the NYTs and started to think there might be some truth to this.  He refers to Costa Ricans as the happiest people and highlights indexes that ranked the country high on the happy index.  I wasn’t sure how accurate the indexes were because it seemed like they generally ask people to rate themselves.  For example, the World Data off Happiness, asked people to rate their own happiness on a 10-point scale. In this index Costa Rica averaged at 8.5.  I was still skeptical because I thought not all values and desires transfer culturally. The criterion a Costa Rican may want to be happy may differ from a Croatian. But then maybe some things like education, good health and environment are universal.  The more I learned about Costa Rica, the more I thought to myself “hey they do have things to be happy about!” For example, they invest a lot in education and the environment and not in a military. They also live slightly longer than Americans, and have an ecological footprint that is less than a quarter the size.  Healthy lifestyle, good education, and environment are all important factors for a happy life. I also realized that I’ve never met any Costa Ricans in the U.S or abroad. Could it be that they are so happy in Costa Rica that they never leave? Who knows for sure but I am excited to see the happy country and if the happy rumors are true may be I will end up staying there as well.

Masa's Restaurant is a Food Marathon

The cuisine at Masa's was amazing but I wish I had been more strategic about my approach to the dinner. I should have prepared for the dining experience much like my first half marathon.  

I should have watched what I ate earlier that date, paced myself during the dinner by eating slowly and taking breaks and made sure that I made it to the end with enough energy (room in my belly) for the sweet dessert. The seven course meal was so overwhelming tasty and each dish so unique that I can't even remember every dish. I just remember the whole three hour meal as a collage of different dishes much like the picture above.