Nostalgic for the holiday foods of yesteryear? Me too. And amidst the contemporary menus for Chanukah, Christmas and New Year’s, look for comforting “back in the day” dishes to please your inner child.
Holiday Foods: Through a Glass, Bubbly
Synonymous with New Year’s Eve, weddings and every celebratory event in between, champagne is less a drink than an affirmation of life. Planted long ago by thirsty Romans, the vineyards of France became the crucible for what would be the world’s most popular holiday elixir. A labor-intensive creation of the pinot and chardonnay grapes and filled with breathtaking effervescence, the sparkling wine labeled “champagne” must by law be produced in the northeastern French region of the same name. Thanks to a Benedictine monk named Perignon and his attention to bubbles created by residual sugar fermentation, we are all the beneficiaries of methode champenoise, the hallmark of authenticity separating every decent sparkling wine from cheap swill artificially injected with carbon dioxide. Two fermentations and two bottlings add to the complexity of making this heady tipple. And to the price tag.
Holiday Foods: Seasonal Suds
’Tis the season of wintry things: a sun that hardly rises, gloom and gray all day, farmers markets flooded with kale and the anguish of gift shopping.
But with December, at least, we also enter the months of the big-boned malt bombs, often billed by brewers as their “winter” or “Christmas” beers. Such brews currently on shelves at local supermarkets and better beer stores include Ginger’s Winter Warmer from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Sierra Nevada’s annual Celebration Ale and Anchor Brewing’s yearly Christmas Ale. San Francisco’s 21st Amendment has released Fireside Chat, a strong brown beer named after Franklin Roosevelt’s weekly radio talks with a nation that was then burning its furniture to keep warm. And from breweries further afield, beers like Deschutes’ Jubelale and Avery’s Old Jubilation Ale have arrived with the rains and the nasty north swell.
Holiday Foods: Sweet!
The bakers of Santa Cruz don’t agree on all things, but on the subject of holiday desserts there is some consensus: pecan pie filling should not be too sweet; people don’t eat much fruitcake anymore; and stollen—the rich German yeast bread studded with candied orange peel, raisins and almonds and dusted with powdered sugar—is the Best. Thing. Ever.
Santa Cruz Poets, Santa Cruz Inspiration: Kelsey Forest
From a local poet currently attending Vassar College, a poem titled ‘Seeing.’
The Exhibitionist: Neon at Felix Kulpa
Neon is one of those noble gases that hangs out looking sexy and drinking cocktails around Group 18 of the periodic table while the other gases sweat in the kitchen, cooking. Representing the fantasy-inducing family of neon, argon, xenon, krypton and helium gas, each with its distinct qualities and color, “neon” is usually captured in glass tubes that have been bent into artful shapes, then stimulated by currents of electricity until it glows. The bright lights can be seen from great distances—perfect for desert casinos—or through windshields streaming with rain in dark northern cities, where the comforting pink and ultramarine glow of the international sign for cocktails is a beacon of hope for the weary traveler.
‘Cavalia’ A Horse Lover’s Delight
Rapunzeline manes, braid-crimped and gleaming, drape over magnificent heads held in best finishing-school alertness atop arched necks rippling with muscle—and that’s just the acrobats, those bit players in Cavalia whom nobody really comes to see. A fantasy equine circus with an impressive cast of animals and humans, the show that “explores the relationship between man and horse” is unapologetically all about the ponies.
Groups Take Aim at Strawberry Pesticide
As California moves towards approving the carcinogenic pesticide methyl iodide, a coalition of farmworker, children’s health and environmental groups on Tuesday asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ban the fumigant and set the stage to take their plea to Gov.-elect Jerry Brown should the current administration ignore them.
Kicking the Gang Habit
There’s a new youth soccer league in California, thanks to the efforts of Bishop Richard Garcia. Some 70 kids participate in the local team, based at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Cruz. The team was created to help keep kids off the street and away from gangs. Other teams already exist in Monterey and San Benito counties, and Bishop Garcia hopes to soon add San Luis Obispo to the roster.
Prisoner Nabbed After Daring Escape Attempt
After five tense hours and a police chase that led from the Dominican Hospital to Prospect Heights, the SCPD captured Maurice Lamont Ainsworth Jr., 24, after a failed attempt to escape from police custody. According to news reports, the trouble began at 11:30am, when a lone deputy escorted Ainsworth to Dominican Hospital for an MRI. As the deputy began placing shackles on him, Ainsworth overpowered her, punched her in the face and bit her. She attempted to tase him, but he grabbed the taser from her and used it on her instead. Then he grabbed her gun, a .40 mm semi-automatic, shot at a bystander who attempted to help the police officer and fled from the hospital.
