Everything you hear about California food is true. The produce really is that fresh, especially in the summer. The "ethnic" restaurants really are that good. The grocery stores really are that well-stocked. And yes, for all you New Englanders bemoaning your blue laws, you really can shop for wine and string cheese in the same store. My sleepy Silicon Valley town, with a population well under 100,000, has a huge year-round farmer's market--year-round!--and a wealth of gourmet, Asian and Latin American food purveyors.
I love it. I love fresh vegetables, and spices, and crazy-almost-pretentious California flavor combinations, and San Francisco sourdough with a good fatty Brie. I'll write about these things, I promise.
But for my first post, I'm going to talk about oatmeal.
