How to enjoy SF
zhayitong.com
zhayitong.com
But I hated the Bay Area for the people. Not that anyone was particularly nasty or mean, they were just flaky. The number of cancelled plans, far, far outnumbered the kept ones.
I'm open to the idea it was just me, but I know we weren't the only people experiencing this – and I have a much easier time of it in other cities where I've lived – Amsterdam, London, and NYC.
However, along with that comes an openness to experiences from people: If you do anything creative, you will be surprised how much the median person in the Bay will be sincerely into it
Less of the "why would anyone do something like that" attitude I found in the Midwest or East Coast when I show people the stuff I do.
FWIW, I have lived in SF for the last 8 years and I agree wholeheartedly.
Exception: Best SF Mexican tacos is of course Taqueria Vallarta in the Mission.
So there are families that can trace themselves to Mexican California, but I believe their numbers and culinary influence was overshadowed by the significantly bigger population that came later. But maybe that’s just as authentic. They were bringing and making dishes, not copying them.
And there's two parts to this: first one is that there's not much diversity. Vampiros and flautas are, more or less, tacos. It's almost always the same proteins, same pinto beans, etc. Come to think of it, I can find cochinia pibil in the Mission… at a restaurant that specializes in Oaxacan food. They've got mole (one kind), which is amusing considering that Oaxaca is a state known for it's diverse variety of moles. Anyways, back to arguing about whether SF tacos and burritos are authentic.
The second part is that Mexican food (more than other Central/South American cuisines) is seen as peasant food. You get it from a truck or a taqueria. Occasionally from some place with table service. I can think of two sorta fancy Mexican restaurants (one, if not both, have since closed). Ceviche? Well, I can get that at the Mexican grocery store or the fancy sit down Peruvian cevicheria.
The Bay Area serves up a comically thin slice of Mexican food, even compared to other parts of California or the US.
But Tacos, not burritos. Burritos are their own thing in the bay area so they cater to the local taste.
If you haven’t yet, check out Al Carajo, Loltun, El Patron, Tacos del Barrio (who do al pastor on a proper trompo), and El Charro (a little, probably unpermitted stand on the sidewalk at 18th & Mission who somehow also have a trompo set up for al pastor).
While I agree that this tendency to overwork and expecting others to do the same is a part of the American work culture, in the Bay Area it seems to be cranked up to 11.
I agree with the article on niche interests. I am a queer polyamorous trans woman and Oakland (which I consider basically "SF" for the purposes of this discussion) is a hell of a place for people like me. I think there are very few places where I could find the kind of queer community I have found here. I also recently joined an artists collective and I have been helping work on burning man art as a group, that is really cool to work with others on something like that! I can't say which city is best if you are a straight white dude working remote for a FAANG company, but for the kind of community I want, this place is a dream.
[1] On politics - I actually do not really want to talk about "SF politics" on hacker news because it is instant flamewar territory, but all I will say is I am NOT talking about the specific decisions of San Francisco politicians, which seems to be a HUGE mess and very wrapped up in special interests. I am talking about the political ideologies of regular people. As a trans woman I can walk around here and feel perfectly confident that NO ONE is going to be weird or threatening to me because of my identity. People can be gay or trans here and no one gives a shit. I can get the health care I need without issue. If I lived in London it would have been extremely hard to get the healthcare I need. And then there are other things, like the guy I saw today wearing a "#schoolsnotprisons" t-shirt. YES! I very much agree with this. And then Oakland decriminalized mushrooms (and Santa Cruz, and maybe SF did too) and there is a big push to legalize more drugs here. These are the kinds of things I mean when I say SF politics - the politics of the regular people.
If you’re not originally from SF, and you work in tech, and don’t have some interesting combination of race, gender, and/or sexual preference, the incumbent residents will never forgive you for it.
Unlike some parts of the US where people may secretly hate you but at least act polite, or other places where people are quick to get into confrontation, but at least they’re genuine and pretty much alright, in SF people are shitty and overtly rude.
25 years after the dot com boom, still expect people to roll their eyes or talk shit to your face for being an engineer.
Bonus points: live here long enough and you’ll encounter even grosser fringe stuff like using anti-Israeli policy as an excuse for straight-up antisemitism. Using anti-racism as an excuse for pro-car anti-pedestrian policies. Using the of environmentalism as an excuse to protect gas stations and parking lots and prevent construction of housing.
The weirdest bit is the very few people I know who were actually born here are great. The vast majority of the people using the cudgel of “oh yeah? How long have you lived here?” may only outrank you by a few years.
As for FAANG and what not, the hate is understandable. It’s like building McMansions in historical neighborhoods.
Nothing in California is historic. If you consider 100-250 years old historic, spend some time in Europe, Asia, or even the eastern US.
Lame, judgy gatekeeping. When someone in CA calls something historic, you might, as not actually a robot, assume that there’s some context behind it, and not just sneeringly judge them because you have something slightly older at home in Europe.
But why argue with someone who’s so terrified to put their opinion on their actual username, and had to create a throw away just to rag on SF, right? It can’t be that you plan to say anything insightful.
The context of historical preservation in California, is self importance and a very successful power grab by shitty people wishing to control others.
That’s not unique to SF, but it’s a little rich when in a liberal city they’re preventing the construction of energy efficient housing, or even basic green retrofits.
Why would I want to tie my poor life decision to put roots in SF to my online persona?
None of your complaints about the prevention of development have any bearing on the specific fact that the initial complaint was that “some things in other places are older.”
And lastly, because throwaway accounts are a way to disingenuously say things you’d never say with your own name tied to them. So, aside from pointing out technical inaccuracies, there’s little point in discussion - nothing said can be considered earnest or honest.
And not the byproduct of the Beat culture, Suicide Club, the large queer community, and all the countless artists from SFAI/CCAC?
I'm just gonna assume this throwaway account is trolling. Ask any longtime resident and they'll tell you the city took a dive when Ed Lee handed out those Twitter tax breaks for Mid-Market.
At the same time, I don't think I've ever heard a single straight male praise the area for its love-life opportunities.
Hmm
Historically the folks who settled in San Francisco came from different areas than those who settled in New York, so the food is different. However, a friend from LA pointed out that there just isn't as much of a restaurant culture in San Francisco as there is in LA. A mediocre Taiwanese restaurant in LA wouldn't survive, but nobody would bat an eye up here because the people that really care are more inclined to cook at home. It's not just Chinese food, take a look at Mexican food here versus LA or Texas (even Bourdain complained about this). As far as the author's list goes, I was pretty underwhelmed with Z&Y. It's got a fair bit of hype but didn't deliver.
In any case, for a touch of pedantry: there are three Koi Palace locations, all on the peninsula. Equator is from Marin, but I wouldn't get so hung up on being local. Philz is fine, and so is Peets.
It is good, but you have to go in looking for an adventure and expect to not actually know what is in anything you are served. Do not go if you have any food allergies or strong preferences.
Every one of them had completely different dumplings than the others
All of them were delicious
For whatever reason SF has great Chinese dumplings, but like OP I have struggled to find good options for other Chinese cuisine (though I'm not a Chinese cuisine expert)
Edit: looks like the author included Mister Jiu's :).
Off the top of my head, the whole stretch of Taraval has a variety of Chinese restaurants focused on things other than dumplings. There's the Macau cafe, the HK bakery, the pancake place, the noodle place, the ice cream place, the Shandong place that does the pancakes. Old Mandarin (ex-Bib Gourmand) focuses on Islamic food, and their alum spawned a bunch of other restaurants including Beijing. But these are all more homey, neighborhood restaurants than you'd find in the Mission.
Honestly for something easy like mapo tofu I just make it at home. You can get all of the ingredients readily.
If you are willing to go outside the city and go with Chinese adjacent, there are a ton of options. Lion Dance Cafe (Malaysian) and Red Hot Chili Pepper (Indo-Chinese) come to mind.
I doubt I can move back again. I tried once and the food was just terrible in contrast.
Also, California restaurants tend to emphasize ingredient quality over other factors- I don't know what's in a slice of pizza when I go to New York, all I know is it is delicious.
Again, just wildly speculating here
After moving here (Berkeley -- couldn't afford anything in SF without finding a roommate), I knew that the "awe" factor would take 3-5 years to fade. Every morning I would walk to BART and be greeted with flora that can be described as "alien" -- nowhere else I've seen plants of such variety just growing in peoples' front yard. On the BART ride back from SF, I would be greeted by a sunset and the views of GG bridge between MacArthur and Ashby stations, and I knew at the time that that "awe" still has a long way until it fades.
I moved to Potrero Hill soon -- rooming with with a few friends. It was such a great time living in the city in my 20s with a bunch of friends. I would walk to my office in Financial District every day. I would take the long way. I walked a lot in the city. Almost every day I would just soak in the place. The "awe" stuck around.
I also had a car that I barely put on any miles on, aside from taking random road trips. My buddy and I set the destination to "Big Sur" and just drove. It ended up taking us up some fire trails up some mountain. Then through forest roads meant for only one car going one direction.
I had a period of my life where I was living in Berkeley again, and my commute involved riding a motorcycle to the marina before the sunrise, then taking a ferry across the bay watching the sun rise above Oakland hills and the morning open up the city views. And the commute back at sunset was spectacular. That place I was living in in North Berkeley was like something out of Miyazaki movie. The neighbors knew each other. People would stop and chat on the street. This period will always be etched in my memory.
There were so so many other things I can recall from memory that keep the "awe" alive. The fires at Ocean Beach. The random dumpling places in Sunset. Discovering things like the wave organ, or that mechanical museum close to the Pier 39. Climbing up and down from Coit tower. The random bikes and walks in the GG park. Land's end "maze". Cycling the wiggle. Driving up and down the coast and staying at roadside inns. Big Sur. Big Basin. Hot springs. Tahoe trips. Russian River. etc etc....
I live in the Suburbs now. It's nice. The neighbors help each other out and know each other well. The little kids play on the streets. The older ones ride bikes through the neighborhood streets to school. The vibe is different, but it's still Bay Area. I still go on random adventures. I still feel the "awe" sometimes.