Jessica’s mom rules the day! She decided to take me out to Golden Gate Bridge, and after days of gloom and the occasional doom, we got clear blue skies to play the backdrop to the structure’s vermillion towers. After a photo-op and a great view of the harbor, we continued on to Sausalito in the pretty hills on the other side of the Bay. An expensive seaside tourist town much like the place I grew up, but not particularly heart-grabbing, the place nonetheless provided familiar tidal smells and a salty breeze, even a little foot ferry! I managed to fall and scrape my hands on the sidewalk, though, causing Jessica and her mom to wonder if I was this clumsy all the time — really, I’ve tripped all of a quarter dozen times in my life, and apparently Jessica is there for more than one of them.

We had pizza by the docks, then hurried home so that Jessica and her mom could pack for Korea — Jessica is going for a year to teach English, and her mom is helping her get settled. Meanwhile, I spent the afternoon hunting and applying for jobs. I was so engrossed that I hardly noticed the time fly by until it was time for dinner! Jessica’s mother treated me to a Korean feast: rice speckled with beans, with sides of kimchee, steamed asparagus, sweet and spicy lotus root, edamame, and pickled jalapeno daikon. This was really amazing food, and I love how traditional Korean meals are served as rice with a series of condiments, which you can easily make in large batches and store in the refrigerator and serve in those cute Japanese dishes I’m always admiring. All the fermented foods make it as healthy as it is delicious. Jessica’s family also introduced me to purple sweet potatoes, also known as taro, which they simply roast and eat out of the peel with a dessert spoon — it’s so sweet and smooth, it’s like some sort of purple custard.

Thank you, Jessica’s mom, for all your advice, your food, your hospitality. You are the best host!