DO YOU LIKE BREAD?

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 Do You Like Bread?

The idea to write about bread came after listening to Michael Pollan’s audiobook about food titled, “Cooked”. My first encounter with his food writing began with his book, “Second Nature: A Gardner’s Education”, that he wrote in 2003. On Amazon I counted twelve titles of his books related to food. Michael also narrates all his books. For someone like me, who does not know how to cook and is surrounded by women (my wife and daughters) who know quite a bit about food (My youngest daughter Tamar has a food blog and web series called Healthy Delactable), it might be strange to be interested in the subject of cooking. The basis of Mr. Pollan’s stories, as they are presented in his introduction, are “discoveries of enduring power of the four classical elements – fire, water, air and earth – to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink.” He does it by experimenting in his own kitchen, as well as by apprenticing with a succession of culinary masters. In North Carolina, he learned and helped a barbeque pit master use fire to prepare a barbequed pig. Berkeley’s famous restaurant, Chez Panisse trained Pollan in the art of braising. The celebrated baker of San Francisco based Tartine Bakery taught him about how air transforms grain and water into a fragrant loaf of bread. And finally I learned about how fungi and bacteria can actually contribute to our health and well being. You may wonder why someone, like me, who does not eat meat or fowl, is interested in the meat preparation. To make matters more perplexing, I also recently stopped eating bread to help my body to become lighter (in which I succeeded). My answer is that Mr. Pollan knows how to tell a good story. For me, the most fascinated part of the book was related to bread. Growing up in Latvia, bread was part of our everyday diet (though there was not much to choose from). It was enough to become hooked, which seems is not only a problem in Latvia. To give you perspective, according to the Bread Production market research, in the United States in June 2015 the revenue of the bread production was $42 Billion dollars, employing 222,980 people in 24,642 businesses.

Luckily for San Franciscans, we have many choices for good artisanal breads. Besides Tartine Bakery, we have Acme Bread in Berkeley (this is my wife’s favorite bread company). A few years ago, The Mill opened on Divisadero Street. I found a list of the 10 Best Bakeries in the Mission Area alone, on Yelp. You can buy very tasty bread at Outerlands Restaurant and at Twentieth Century Café. And of course, at many farmers markets in the city and Bay Area. Whatever you eat, read (or listen to) “Cooked”, and enjoy your food.

P.S. I was introduced to the bread making process a few years ago. Tamar’s best friend’s father is Mick Sopko, a well-known baker from the famous Tassajara Bakery, which is part of the Zen Green Gulch community in Marin County. As you know, bread comes in different shapes and sizes. I photographed Mick’s production of his small breads. On another occasion I was present when a single loaf was ready for baking at the Twentieth Century Café. Before quitting my bread habit, I enjoyed going to the Ferry Building farmers market for sandwiches made from Acme Bread.

Bon appétit!

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Cheers,

Manny<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />                                                               Signature