Eating on the Job
By Howard Williams, Veteran MAC Team Member
A poster at a company I once worked for echoed the warning of Captain John Smith's warning to the Jamestown, Virginia settlers of the early 1600s : "You don't work, you don't eat !" That's true but even more so is the reverse : You don't eat, you can't work.
While researching Urban Flow, his 2011 sociological study of bicycle messengers, Jeffrey Kidder took a job as a bike messenger. Soon he developed what is called a "courier's appetite."
Because Mosquito Abatement Courier work is even more strenuous than messengering, we also need to eat in quantity -- and quality. For hard work, eating well is more than an esthetic matter. Good food in generous amounts fuels us for the job. We usually pack our lunches but there are some special places we like to go to for our meal break.
An earlier article on this blog mentioned that, in addition to mosquito abatement, MAC workers perform other public services. In that spirit, this article will mention three places that offer generous amounts of good food at reasonable prices. Future articles will mention other quality dining places.
No, not the Wendy's that sells fast food that tastes the same as their competitors in the restaurant chain industry. This is Wendy's Cheesecake Bakery, a family owned bakery and diner at 3rd and Quesada in the heart of the Bayview/Hunters Point district. Although tiny, Wendy's carries a wide variety of stick to your rib foods. They're rightly famous for their cheesecake but also try their pecan pie. Many other pecan pies are too sweet and gooey. However, Wendy's pecan pie fillings have a hearty taste and firm texture. Their popular bread pudding is sweet and spicy.
In addition to these and other pastries, Wendy's offers Southern cuisine fish, chicken, pork and beef dishes along with a dozen flavors of ice cream, all at reasonable prices.
The jukebox carries a wide range of soul music classics. The small dining space is decorated by awards and newspaper articles along with a few knick knacks. There is a friendly ambience that often overflows into the street. As a result, I never need to lock my bike there.
"In 7A all roads lead to El Toro." The MAC team's Map 7A includes the Mission District with many locally famous taquerias. A favorite one for us is El Toro at the corner of 17th & Valencia.
El Toro presents a wide variety of Mexican food at fair prices. But when someone really needs to stretch a few dollars, it's good to order a side dish, such as black beans or grilled mushrooms, then stroll over to the salsa bar and sample a distinctive condiment. Tortilla chips come with side dishes so you can try another salsa on your chips.
I like to order the brown rice which is fluffy yet savory. At the salsa bar, I mix in a little bit of jalapenos in vinegar. That may sound dangerous but it's only "medium hot" so the unique flavor isn't burned out. In addition to green and red salsas, the bar also carries limes. Along with a large agua fresca, chips and rice (or beans) makes a good lunch for less than $ 5
From 3 to 5 P.M. on weekdays is happy hour when tacos are only a dollar.
Located in the Richmond District on California Street near 6th Avenue since 1984, Mandalay Restaurant is America's first Burmese restaurant. Burmese cuisine is influenced by Indian, Chinese and Thai cooking. Rice is the staple and Mandalay offers fried rice as well as four different side orders for rice : white, brown, saffron and coconut rices.
Unlike most other restaurants we prefer, Mandalay is a little pricey. It's certainly reasonable compared to other "fancy" restaurants but eating there does require a little extra funds. Going with someone else and splitting your orders will make the meal more economical.
Their seafood dishes are excellent, especially the Rangoon Three Ingredients. Mandalay is well known for their unique salads. Tea leaf salad features tea leaves mixed with lentils, peanuts, hot peppers, sesame seeds, fried garlic and ground shrimp. The ginger salad is similar with ginger used instead of tea leaves. The rainbow salad has twenty ingredients. There are also mango, papaya and chicken salads.
A good plan is to go with a friend, order an entree and salad and split them. But you may want to save room for dessert. Burmese desserts use traditional yet distinctive ingredients such as agar, tapioca and mango as well as those more familiar to American palates such as ice cream and bananas.
Howard Williams is a Veteran MAC Team Member
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