TheWino.net

A Lasting Presence...

The news of Apple & Pixar founder Steve Jobs death sent a chill down my spine.  The man was innovative by how he changed how we communicate, create and consume media.  I grew up on the Apple II, my grandfather had the first gui Apple company called the Lisa, and I used Apple's exclusively until my first full-time job out of college.  Pixar was a revelation in the 90's and animation will never be the same.  Jobs is due all the discussion we'll be flooded with over the next few days, weeks and months.  I'll start the campaign now, I think he eventually wins a Nobel Prize for what he has contributed to human evolution.  

People who know me call me an Apple fanboy.  I've never been blind, working at CNET exposed me to a lot of gadgets and great companies, but over the past decade the Jobs infused Apple has put out products that I lusted for, that elicited an emotional response in a way no other living thing ever has.  That's why this news is a reflection on what Apple products have meant not only to me but the broader impact they're having around the world.  

However it's also a remembrance that what's most important in life is your family and passion.  That making a difference is following one's heart and determination, to being focused on the details while minding the vision.  Life is a precarious adventure, one that must be lived to its fullest at every moment. 

I'm drinking a passionate '01 napa cabernet in memory, here's to your impact!

New Year's Resolutions...

I've never been somebody who spent much time or energy thinking about my goals for the upcoming year but for some strange reason I feel compelled to do so this year.  So here they are, n general I'm just looking to enjoy each and every day and not worry much (if at all) about the past or future.  

German Bakery - Pune, India

In the Koregan Park area of Pune is the Osho meditation resort, beautiful green patches of trees surrounding some of the most ostentatious homes I've seen in Pune. One of the unique culinary stops in this area is the hippy haunt of vegetarian, German styled, health food. I wasn't at Osho for more than five minutes before I had multiple people mention this place.

While the chocolate cake type of dessert was amazing, the rest of my meal was only average, and I would say it's only worth the trip if you're looking for bakery items, need a break from Indian food and/or want to people watch the eclectic clientele.

Spring Vegetable Garden

It doesn't look like much but give it a couple of months and we will have more tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and eggplant than we personally can consume. The real beauty of it, beyond the health and natural order benefits, is it marks the beginning of a new season and the dawn of summer just around the corner. It's the rhythm of things like this that give one joy, and j certainly am no different.

On the Wagon

For the couple dozen of you who check TheWino regularly, I apologize for the lack of new posts.  It's not for a lack of new adventures or interest in the site but rather its for a dearth of interesting wine experiences to write about.  See, I'm on the wagon right now, attempting to cleanse my body of alcohol so I can experience it in a more pure manner in a couple of weeks.  Or at least that's the rationalization I tell myself to plug away.  At any rate, I will be back on a regular basis come July.  In the meantime enjoy the coming of Summer and remember that '06 was a terrible year for Northern California wines (too much rain concentrated in the early growing phase) so avoid that at all cost.

Organic Food & a '99 Tempranillo

I finished off a bottle of 1999 Campo viejo Tempranillo Reserva with a vegetarian dinner. I had a wonderful fallafel for lunch at Yumma's in San Francisco too, so it was a vegetarian day all around.

A Prune Brunch in New York City

I had a wonderful brunch this past Saturday in New York City at an 'in' brunch spot in the East Village called Prune.  The location was chosen by my cousin and his significant other, who had been interested in trying it out.

Ominvores Dilemma & In Defense of Food

I read a life changing book last year from author Michael Pollan called Ominvores Dilemma and am now reading his follow up In Defense of Food. Ominvores Dilemma is a look at the history of our food chain, following a standard four meals and how the industrialization of our food supply has changed our diet.  It also breaks down what Organic means and chronicles how 'sustainable' is the key to the long-term.  In Defense of Food breaks down how nutritionism has changed what it means to eat healthily, and that we've objectified food into nutrients, forgetting that an important diet is one with real foods, not processed ones.

Food poisoning at Taylor's Refresher at the Ferry Building?

Ok normally I wouldn't write about this but I'm still recovering from it and need to vent.  Yesterday a group of coworkers and I went to lunch at Taylor's Refresher at the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  I've eaten there dozens of times, and recently had fallen in love with their seared rare ahi burger.  It's topped with a wasabi style dressing and combined with a black & white shake and sweet potato fries makes for an outstanding lunch.  Yesterday I ordered precisely that and paid the price.  By 5 PM I had a severe upset stomach, and by 7 I was bedridden in agony much of the day.  While I normally wouldn't complain or place blame, I know Taylor's did something wrong b/c two of my colleagues experienced the same after eating Ahi Burgers.    

Red Wine Increases Endurance!

According to research that recently concluded that red wine reduces obesity in mice has also shown that it increases their endurance as well.  This was reported in the International Herald Tribune.  The specific natural drug is called Reservatrol.