Dig This Jive: Christine Pasalo's blog

On Wednesday, May 16, The San Diego Council on Literacy will host a culinary-meets-reading event at NTC Promenade at Liberty Station. Billed as “Eat Drink Read,” this event taking place in Point Loma will feature dishes from a dozen San Diego chefs, all of whom drew inspiration from a favorite book.

Two of the chefs participating are Craig Jimenez of Craft & Commerce in Little Italy and Matt Gordon of Urban Solace in North Park and Solace & the Moonlight Lounge in Encinitas.

“You’re able to run away on this adventure to find sunken treasure,” says Jimenez of Todd Strasser’s Beyond the Reef, the book he’s chosen to interpret for the event.

In homage to the Key West setting of Strasser’s tale, Jimenez will prepare Conch Fritteratti with Lime Mustard: a tender sea snail breaded in panko crumbs, fried, and served with lime mustard and a salad of seaweed and charred peppers.

“I read Beyond the Reef for English class when I was in middle school,” says the 30-something Jimenez. “We had to write a certain amount of book reports per month and this one stuck with me.”

Since Craft & Commerce is known as much for incorporating books and book quotes into its decor as much as for its food and cocktails, it’s fitting that the Little Italy restaurant would also contribute something from the bar. Bartenders Eric Johnson and Christian Siglin will pair the Conch Fritteratti with a cocktail they’re calling the Bahama Brahma: a mix of Jamaican rum, coffee liqueur, coconut syrup, fresh pineapple and fresh lemon juice served over crushed ice.

Chef Matt Gordon of Urban Solace turned to Ernest Hemingway’s Paris memoirs, A Moveable Feast, for enlightenment.

“Having grown up in the Southwest where everything is so new, I am always moved by the sense of history of cities like Paris,” Gordon shares. For the event, he will serve miniature Croque-Monsieur with a creamy brown butter Mornay sauce. “It’s just something I love to eat and such a defining Parisian dish.”

It’s also a dish the Solace & Moonlight Lounge owner says he would make for Hemingway if he was alive today, even though, as Gordon puts it, “[Hemingway] talks about a bit ‘finer’ eating in the book.”

Complementing the eats with refreshments are Stone Brewing Co., Honest Tea, Solar Rain, 12 Signs Wine, and SOL Markets. Also, Hillcrest favorite Bread & Cie Bakery and Cafe will put together gift bags inspired by Dr. Seuss’ Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

Admission to the event, which takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., is $60 and benefits The San Diego Council of Literacy’s efforts to provide free literacy assistance to adults, families and children in San Diego County. Click here to purchase your tickets. (NOTE: Payment is via PayPal. If you don’t have a PayPal account, don’t worry; simply pay as a guest.)

(Image from the website of The San Diego Council on Literacy.)

After a week of fashioning Holiday Gift Guides that promote charitable gifts, local businesses, and independent musicians, I’m burnt out. So, this weekend’s prix fixe menu of recommended things to do in San Diego is whittled down to three courses and topped off with the Chargers game.

Saturday, December 17:

• 12:00 p.m. Tis the season of sweet charity. Ruben Torres presents the 2nd annual “Love Thy Neighbor,” a toy and clothing drive for kids and families in Tijuana, Mexico. Hosted by Beto from 92.5, the FREE event takes place at The Spot in Barrio Logan until 6:00 p.m. There will be live tattooing and an art show with artists from Nittis Tattoo, a live performance by Karlos Paez of B Side Players, and more! Click here to see the YouTube video promoting the event.
• 9:00 p.m. Attend a belated Grand Opening.. Submit yourself to day three of Tiger!Tiger!’s grand opening safari in North Park. Peer upon the Firestone Walker 14th and 15th anniversary beers that will be tapped side-by-side. Scope saucers of salivation-worthy food like Tiger!Tiger!’s Oyster Po’ Boy ($11) and Wood-Fire Banh Mi ($9). Then POUNCE! No pith helmet required.

Sunday, December 18:

• 1:00 p.m. Hone your last-minute-shopping prowess. Need to stuff those stockings? Still looking for something to get your sister (or brother)? Then, head to the North Park Independent Bazaar taking place at Queen Bee’s until 6:00 p.m. Admission is FREE and there will be clothing, accessories, photography, bags, jewelry, cards, art, and more available for purchase from a variety of San Diego’s independent artisans and businesses. Gift one-of-a-kind; shop local!
• 5:20 p.m. Chargers take on the Ravens at the Q. NBC’s Sunday Night Football is hosted by The Bolts and, somehow, there might still be a chance we can pull off a division title. If watching the game at home is too mellow for your taste, then consider amplifying your Yeahs and Ughs with tens more voices and catch the game at either Regal Beagle in Mission Hills or True North in North Park.

(Photo caption: Flyer for “Love Thy Neighbor” from the Connected with Ruben Torres Facebook page; photo of Tiger!Tiger! from the restaurant/bar’s website; flyer from Queen Bee’s website; Regal Beagle brand for the bar’s Facebook page; photo of True North Tavern from Pedal Pretty Cycle Chic’s website.)

It has become a Christmas tradition for my husband and I to donate to charitable causes on behalf of our close family and each other.

We got the idea a few years ago, after watching “Long Way Down,” a television documentary show that followed actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on their 2007 motorcycle journey from John O’Groats, Scotland, to the Southern most tip of Africa—Cape Agulhas—and then on to Cape Town. Along the way, McGregor and Boorman made time to help out at several UNICEF-sponsored projects and to share the stories of the kids they met, kids who were resilient and forward-looking despite living in tough and desperate environments.

Since then, my husband and I felt compelled to help those kids and communities, too. So, we looked up UNICEF. From there, I learned about more amazing non-profit organizations—The FEED Foundation, Charity: Water, International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Pencils of Promise to name just a few.

What I especially appreciate about each of these groups is how they provide an alternative to simply donating a sum of money. Now, if you want to, you can choose how your donation will be used.

Here are some examples (pictured clockwise starting from the top left):

• Gift a community garden. For $60 (aka two-thirds the cost of an Amazon Kindle), you can donate a garden, community and a livelihood to refugees settling in the US via the IRC.
• Gift nutrition. For $18.72, you can donate 561 sachets of Multiple Micronutrient Powder which UNICEF uses to help combat child malnutrition. Per UNICEF, “Where families simply cannot access a range of nutritious food, a one gram sachet can be added to any type of meal daily, to deliver the optimal dose of vitamins and minerals for a young child.”
• Gift water. For $25, you can get a loved one a hip tee while also funding Charity: Water’s operations. In doing so, you help Charity: Water bring clean drinking water to clinics and hospitals, schools, and communities around the world.
• Gift emergency food. For $24.98, you can help UNICEF feed child victims of earthquakes, floods, cyclones and other emergency situations when you buy High Energy Biscuits. One purchase provides 600 biscuits! Case and point: In 2010, UNICEF distributed these biscuits to families and young children devastated by the monsoonal floods in Pakistan in 2010.
• Gift a flock of chickens. For $30, you can give a refugee family the ability to take charge of their recovery by donating a small flock of hens via the IRC. Per the IRC, chickens are relatively low-maintenance animals that can help improve a family’s fortune: a family can keep some of the eggs to feed themselves and/or they can sell eggs at local markets to earn money.
• Gift a vaccine. For $24, you can save children from the risk of permanent physical and mental disability, even death, with a purchase of UNICEF’s Measles Vaccine. One $24 purchase provides vaccines for 80 children!
• Gift education. For $52, you can give one child a year of school via the IRC.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with donating straight out to worthwhile organizations like Charity: Water, The FEED Foundation, UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, and Pencils of Promise.

It’s simply a matter of preference. It’s literally all good.

There are still two weekends left in the holiday season to buy local, buy independent, and/or buy charitable. So, this weekend’s list is stuffed with three San Diego-centric shopping opportunities and rounded out with two FREE events aimed at calming any frayed shopping nerves.

Saturday, December 10:

• 9:00 a.m. Support San Diego’s refugee entrepreneurs. Join the International Rescue Committee for the City Heights’ Farmers Market International Holiday Bazaar. The event, which lasts until 1:00 p.m., features handmade jewelry and artisan-crafted goods from local refugee-owned businesses. Free gift wrapping will be available! Click here for a map to the City Heights’ Farmers Market.
• 11:00 a.m. See cows and Jack Skellington on MOPA’s big screen. The Museum of Photographic Arts hosts two family-friendly events back-to-back this Saturday. First, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., MOPA hosts the 2011 Moo Holiday bash in conjunction with the Italian American Academy and San Diego Italian Film Festival. The bash is FREE to attend and will feature children performances, a screening of Italian cartoons, and prizes. Then, at 1:00 p.m., MOPA screens Tim Burton’s holiday classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Admission to see the 1993 film is FREE with a $5 suggested donation.
• 6:00 p.m. Spy and buy some vintage apparel. From what I can glean from his website and Facebook page, James Grant is straightforward yet understated. Is that contradictory? Whether it is or it isn’t, he put the words “pop up,” “sale,” and “vintage” together and that was enough to stir my curiosity. The James Grant USA Pop Up Shop & Holiday Sale takes place at the Moniker Warehouse on 705 16th Street, 92101, until 10:00 p.m. In addition to four hours of vintage shopping bliss, there will be live performances by Inspired and the Sleep, Gayle Skidmore, and DJ Intrigued.

Sunday, December 11:

• 11:00 a.m. Score some vintage frocks on Sunday, too. Frock You’s latest Huge Frocking Sale ends at 7:00 p.m. this Sunday. I’ve been to many of these sales this year and I’ve never left empty handed (nor did I spend more than $25). There are great pieces to be found and treasured by new owners. Just note that the sale applies to the racks and tables outside. And, the sale isn’t reserved for the ladies—there are plenty of choice shirts and whatnot for the boys, too. Just ask my husband.
• 1:15 p.m. Listen to the Chargers play the Bills at the Q. This weekend’s home game is blacked out. So, if you’re interested in lending support over the radio waves, be sure to tune in to Rock 105.3. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch play-by-play announcer Josh Lewin riff something snarky off Hank Bauer’s color commentary.
• 5:30 p.m. See Christmas lights glisten off San Diego Bay. After all of the shopping, bundle up the family, fill up a thermos with hot chocolate (and another with hot toddies for the adults) and pop a squat at either Harbor Island or Seaport Village to catch the annual San Diego Parade of Lights. The fireworks show begins at 5:30 p.m. with the parade immediately following the last of the pyrotechnics. The event is FREE to attend. For an idea of when the parade will pass which parts of the bay, check out the event schedule.

(Photo caption, from left to right: International Holiday Bazaar flyer from the IRC website; MOPA brand from MOPA’s Twitter profile; flyer from James Grant’s website; flyer from Frock You’s website; photo of the SD Parade of Lights by Stephina Photography as posted on the event’s Facebook page.)

My wish list is overrun with books, both hardcover and paperback. And I like it that way.

Call me old-fashioned, but I’m still a sucker for actual books. I like figuring out how to comfortably hold a novel open while I’m laying in bed. I dig breaking a book’s spine, to hear the creak of the binding as I leaf past the copyright and title pages to read the story’s opening line. I love to watch the pages of my older books yellow over time.

It’s all on account of an appreciation I gained during an age I have no memory of. My mom read to my toddler self, so much so that I’d apparently memorized what was said on every page of most of my picture books. Later, when company was over, she’d bring out a book I’d memorized and hook many a “Wow!” and “That’s amazing!” when I’d appear to be reading the pages aloud.

As a first grader, my dad helped me pass the time our family would spend shopping for the week in Fedco or Target by first taking me to the stores’ book sections. I’d pick two or three Bernstein Bear books and, for the next hour or so, I would sit in the shopping cart reading and re-reading each one until just before we’d hit the checkout line (since I got to read the books but not bring them home).

As I got older, I began to follow the middle school and high school sagas of Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. I idolized Anne Shirley. I appreciated the whimsy of Emily Byrd Starr. Eventually, there’d be a time when my shelves touted Maya Angelou and Amy Tan while my desk drawers harbored a variety of X-Men titles in plastic sleeves.

And now, here I am: A college-educated freelance writer (with experience as a technical writer and project manager) who owns a home in San Diego with her husband.

I was lucky that my parents not only knew the value of literacy but could afford to indulge my addiction to it.

Not everyone in the world is as fortunate.

Which is why, during this holiday season, if someone close to me has a book on their holiday wish list, I’m going to buy it via Better World Books instead of Amazon. I’m also asking family and friends interested in buying me a book to get it from Better World Books.

For each book bought via Better World Books, a book is donated to one of BWB’s partners: Books For Africa, Invisible Children, The National Center for Family Literacy, Room to Read, Worldfund, Open Books, The Robinson Community Learning Center, and The Prison Book Program. Helping to spread literacy helps to spread education and helps those born into or living in poverty to eventually break out of it.

Add to this worthwhile mission the fact that Better World Books sells used books as much as possible, copies that they acquire from a network of over 2,300 college campuses and partnerships with over 3,000 libraries nationwide, and I’m all in. Please follow suit!

(Photo from SocialEarth.org.)