I have very few savory food crushes, but over the past few weeks I’ve been crushing hard on bao, a type of steamed bun that can be stuffed with meat or vegetarian fillings.

After a bit of internet-ing, we decided that they seemed simple enough to make, so we purchased a bamboo steamer and did a trial run tonight. The results were…well, I have no photos mid-bite so I think that answers the question.  They’ll be on the menu again soon enough.

Please excuse the poor photo quality

I’m not a huge fan of meat; not for any particular reason. Large chunks of meat make me noxious and I don’t really care for the taste, so it’s not typically a part of my diet.

That being said, I’m lucky enough to have a husband who is willing to go along with my food preferences, so for the past 3 years, we’ve eaten vegetarian at home just because. If we’re eating out, meat finds its way into our dish (we usually share) about 1/2 the time.

More recently however, Vince has been engaging me in conversations about the ethical side of eating meat. Specifically, should we be eating animals who are self-aware? Would you eat a dolphin or an elephant? If you revolt at that thought, should you really be eating a cow? What’s the difference?

The conversation is just beginning for us but I have a feeling there will be more to come.

There are only a few things (okay, maybe a few more) that drive me nuts on the internet. I’ve decided to catalogue these items in hopes that they will resolve themselves.

While you may catch meat touching my lips while dining out, we eat vegetarian at home which makes us flexi-tarians, but let’s not get too technical. When searching recipe sites for planning our dinners for the week, I tend to automatically select the “vegetarian” filter and go from there. This is where the real issue occurs. Most recipe databases group desserts and meaningless sides into the vegetarian category.

News flash: Your popcorn trail mix and pumpkin doughnuts are, in fact, vegetarian, but they are primarily a dessert, snack, or breakfast item. The pumpkin doughnuts do look tasty, but unless they include bacon (and even if they do) please categorize them as a dessert or snack. You’re messing with my dinner menu.

On a more positive note, if you haven’t already, I highly suggest purusing Gojee – one of the most beautifully curated recipes sites I’ve seen in a while.

One of my highlights of the weekend is spending time on Sunday selecting produce for the week at the Heart of the City Farmer’s Market. Located in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, you’re always ensured a grand mixture of fun, crazy, and just plain weird.

Without fail, there are always a few musicians around. It can range from young guys on a honky tonk piano and drum set, to a classical cellist, to an old man on a 2-stringed Chinese violin playing Jingle Bells. It’s pure bliss.

Sounds of the Weekend: Civic Center Farmer’s Market from Brooke Francesi on Vimeo.

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder waiting on images for over a month. Maybe its time to just publish and post more delicious food images later? Below are heirloom tomatoes from  Farm Fresh to You located in the Ferry Building Marketplace.

Disclaimer: I don’t consider myself a food snob or a foodie. I just like to know what I’m eating.

Growing up with a mother who made amazing food (specifically English toffee at Christmas-time) and a father as a food scientist, Velveeta cheese didn’t have a chance in our home. In fact, not many processed foods did.

Because of this, I’ve always been conscious of the food I eat, but since moving to San Francisco, a place where everyone is a foodie in some sense, I’ve become particularly obsessed with eating food in it’s most natural state. Moving from the midwest to California, it’s been a pleasant surprise to realize how easy it is to buy seasonal vegetables at one of the many of farmers markets during almost any week of the year.

While it used to feel like chore to pick out a menu and food for the week (I’m a budget-y type person) it’s become especially fun to head to the store or farmers market, select the most seasonal produce, and make a menu from there.

So what’s the point? I’ve discovered an incredible sense of self-satisfaction just by knowing that my food didn’t travel 2,000 miles to my mouth when it could have traveled less than 50.

We’ll be moving to San Francisco in just 2 weeks and plan to sell our car, so on Monday, Vince and I took advantage of still having a car and ventured out on a day trip down scenic Highway 1.

We made no specific plans and had a blast stopping at random road-side stands, getting close up to sea lions, taking 17 Mile Drive, wandering through Monterey and Carmel, and of course, eating delicious food.

I’m not a photo person. I enjoy taking pictures for and of other people but am ridiculously bad at taking snapshots of my own life. After moving away from friends and family, my husband and I decided we needed to put more effort into documenting our lives, so I’ve decided to make a concentrated effort to take a few pictures each week.

Here’s a peek into our weekend.

We’re obsessed with the selection of fresh food at the Mountain View farmer’s market. Why buy fruit and veggies at the store when you have access to locally grown, fresh, organic produce?

If there is one image that could sum up our free time, it would be this. *Bonus* You get a sneak peak into my next hand drawn type series to be announced tomorrow!

While frozen yogurt is our go-to sweet treat lately, we’ve had fun trying other things too. Krunchy Kale is a delicious snack we found at the farmer’s market. Forget potato chips — this is healthy and crunchy and surprisingly flavorful.

I’ve finally tasted the only food smell I’ve had since my bike incident a week ago. Oddly enough, it’s quiche! Not sure, but I think I’ve found a favorite new food. (Or at least until this smell / taste deficiency goes away).