THE SUMMER GARDEN

The miniskirt was developed in various places during the late fifties, and briefly popular in San Francisco during the sixties. It undoubtedly led to hordes of fashionable young ladies freezing their balls off and catching their deaths of cold during summer, their corpses littering the streets around the Pacific Stock Exchange. Yesterday evening while battling a fiercely frigid wind on Battery Street with my pipe, that was the thought that crossed my mind.

Sensible people do not wear miniskirts in June in San Francisco.
But I encourage you to do so never-the-less.
Because I'm a meanie.


The chop house caters largely to ABCs, tourists, and local people on a budget. I went there several times when I still lived in North Beach, and I've patronized it sporadically since the pandemic. Good people, decent food, in a place where it's enjoyable to linger a bit.

It's near the old movie theatre, and a bakery coffee shop to which I used to go after work. The waitress would cruise down the counter and refil the cups no questions asked. Free refills no longer exist. Nor does that coffee shop. The location has been several other things since then. The old-school chachanteng a few doors up is gone too, they closed seven years ago. The Shanghainese noodle soup kitchen down the block is gone, so is the late nighter run by Shanghainese on the corner. There is a newer Shanghai restaurant further up

Very late lunch yesterday was reliable Cantonese home style food, made more presentable and restaurantified. 豉椒龍脷球 ('si jiu lung lei kau') plus 老火湯 ('lo fo tong') and rice.
Fish and vegetables with green peppers and black bean sauce, old fire soup.

For complicated reasons I associate that street with 酸梅湯 ('suen mui tong'), an old-fashioned summer time beverage for beating the heat. Sour plum tea.

Rinse roughly equal parts 烏梅 ('wu mui'; fire-dried unripe plums) and 山楂片 ('saan jaa pin'; crataegus pinnatifida, dried Chinese hawthorn berries), soak in water for an hour or so, then simmer for a couple of hours. Rock sugar is always added, but honey is also an option; add enough so that when poured over ice it's the right strength. Dried tangerine peel is often included when simmering, as well as a slice or two of dried licorice root. Neither are essential. Convenient sour plum tea concentrates are available.

When making it at home I add 蜜棗 ('mat jou'; candied jujube) and sliced ginger.

I think I'll see if New Wing Lung has a bottle of concentrate.
Later today I'll be in that neighborhood anyway.



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