It's Tuesday. What should California's official state food be? Plus, the rise of contactless food delivery is making gig work an even tougher way to earn a living. |
 | | In-N-Out next to Los Angeles International Airport.Stephanie Diani for The New York Times |
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In its nearly 173 years as a state, California has officially declared a state reptile, a state marine mammal, a state dinosaur, a state dance and a state tartan. The Golden State was even the first to name a state rock. |
But noticeably absent is an official state food. |
But in California, we're faced with the state's enormous size and diversity. How do you pick a single food to represent the culinary tastes and innovations of nearly 40 million people, as well as the agricultural bounty of a place that grows three-fourths of the nation's fruits and nuts? |
In 2013, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom was the state's acting governor while Gov. Jerry Brown was out of the country, and he declared avocados the California state fruit, artichokes the state vegetable and rice the state grain. But his deed had an expiration date, so those titles were up for grabs again within months. |
Four years later, Brown signed a bill that named not one California state nut but four: pistachios, almonds, walnuts and pecans. |
Alex Vassar, a spokesman for the California State Library, pointed me to another (albeit odd) possibility for an officially recognized state meal. The 1931 law establishing the California valley quail as our state bird noted it was a game bird, indicating it was to be hunted for sport or food, he said. There are 44 such state symbols set by state law, he said in an email, and "several other presumably edible state symbols, like the state insect, but I wouldn't recommend it" as food. |
As you can see, there haven't been a lot of tough gastronomic decisions made by our state leaders, though I can't say I blame them. The options for a quintessentially Californian food are paralyzingly large. |
California is the nation's biggest agricultural exporter and the leading producer of not just almonds, pistachios, strawberries, apricots and garlic, but also pomegranates, persimmons, kale, nectarines, plums, celery, kiwi fruit, eggplant and honeydew. And that doesn't cover even half of the full list. |
In November 1993, The Sacramento Bee set out to answer the question of what should be the state food, raising wheat, oranges and sourdough bread as options. But things weren't any clearer 30 years ago; the article was ultimately headlined "State of Confusion." |
The governor at the time, Pete Wilson, told The Bee that California was "too diverse to have just one state food." A state librarian suggested fried calf brains, apparently popular in early California cookbooks. A California legislator voted for the Hangtown Fry, a gold-rush-era concoction of eggs, bacon and oysters that he admitted he hadn't tasted himself. |
Julia Child, the famed chef and a native Californian, picked the fig or the persimmon. "I don't think anyone else would want them," she told The Bee. Mike Dunne, then The Bee's food editor and the author of the article, told me that after all of his research, his choice would be the versatile Haas avocado, reportedly developed by a mail carrier in Southern California. |
As for whether we might get any more direction from state leaders on California's official food, don't count on it. Daniel Villaseñor, deputy press secretary for Newsom, told me he'd keep me posted, but doesn't "think the governor is cooking up any plans at the moment." |
- What do you think California's official state food should be? Email me at CAToday@nytimes.com with your suggestions and a few sentences explaining why. Please include your name and the city where you live.
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 | | Brantley Bush, a food delivery driver, working in Venice.Mark Abramson for The New York Times |
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 | | Brittany Sobczak for Central Coast Sotheby's International Realty |
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For $2.8 million: A 1903 Craftsman house in Los Angeles, a Mediterranean-style home in San Rafael and a midcentury-modern retreat in Cambria. |
 | | Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. |
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 | | The Stanford radio telescope looms in the background as hikers make their way along the Dish trail.Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images |
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Today's tip comes from Audrey Toda, who recommends the Stanford Dish trail in Palo Alto, which is named for a large old radio telescope in the Stanford foothills. Audrey, who lives in Woodside, writes: |
"I started hiking it when I was pregnant with my now 3-year-old daughter, and the paved trail is great for strollers. I continue to hike it regularly, twice per week. I like starting from the Piers gate and hiking uphill one mile to the Dish. From there, the trail loops for about 3 miles, and I make the descent back down. When you get to the spot that I call the viewpoint, you can see all around the bay. On a clear day, you can see San Francisco, three bridges (Bay Bridge, San Mateo and Dumbarton), and all the way down to the South Bay. Over the years, I've seen many different animals — there are always squirrels and birds, and many deer. Sometimes I see gophers, turkeys, coyotes, and bunnies. In late September/early October, the tarantulas come out (someone once told me it's mating season). Besides getting a great workout, I enjoy seeing different animals and scenery each time." |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
After a rainy winter, spring has arrived in California. Whether it's road trips, festivals, sunny afternoons or wildflower sightings, tell us your favorite part of spring in the Golden State. |
 | | Pierre Buttin |
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And before you go, some good news |
"Hippocrates proclaimed that 'walking is man's best medicine.' The good doctor also knew that walking provided more than mere physical benefits when he suggested: 'If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk.' He was alluding to what so many who came after would attest, that walking not only nourishes the body but also soothes the mind while it burns off tension and makes our troubles recede into a more manageable perspective." |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia and Morgan Malget contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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