Eating Out In Berkeley

There are basically two types of food that I go for while eating out in Berkeley. Perhaps the most commonly preferred dining options while eating out are the countless Indian restaurants that can be found in this city. I hadn’t had much experience with Indian food prior to moving out, however upon tasting the various spices and flavors that such establishments offer, I have rapidly developed a constant craving for Indian dishes. Whether it’s an Indian buffet for lunch, or a more traditional restaurant for dinner, curry, massala, naan, and biryani always leave me feeling extremely satisfied. In general, I prefer very strong and bold flavors, and most of the spicy Indian dishes provide just that.

Another Berkeley favorite is the Cheese Board Pizza Collective, which serves one type of pizza all day long. Because Cheese Board is located in North Berkeley I usually only have time to go there on weekends, however when I am able to make the trip it is always well worth the journey. Perhaps the collective’s self-description will explain why I love this place:

We are currently a collective of twelve people. Everyone who works at the Cheeseboard Pizza is a member of the collective with equal decision-making power. These is no boss, manager, or employees- it is worker-owned.

In general, I prefer to support businesses that are run in an ethical manner, and in choosing to operate as a collective Cheeseboard fulfills this requirement. Communally owned businesses ensure that everybody is treated equally, which promotes cooperation, fair business practices, and an overall better quality product.

In addition to having a great business model, Cheeseboard also cooks up the best pizza in Berkeley. As I said, each day the collective selects one pizza to be the ‘pizza of the day,’ which is then reproduced one after another throughout the day. Despite not having much choice upon arriving, I can always feel confident ordering whatever they happen to be serving on that given day because it is always a great pizza with high quality ingredients. Thin crust, vegetarian, and always containing an amazing cheese, the pizza of the day never fails to make my day. To give you an idea of what kind of pizza I’m talking about, check out this description of today’s pizza: Cremini mushrooms and caramelized onions, baby spinach, fresh Asiago and mozzarella cheeses, pinenuts, garlic olive oil and Italian parsley.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Indian food and Cheeseboard, that’s what I eat on the few occasions in which I’m either too lazy to cook for myself or too carefree not to treat myself to some delicious food.

Here's a link to the Cheeseboard Collective:
http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/Pizza%20Collective/PizzaPage.html

Food And Me

Eating habits, eh? I would describe my current eating habits as overall healthier than they have been in previous years. I feel that I am generally able to make healthy decisions regarding my food for a couple of reasons. First, I have come to enjoy eating and cooking with vegetables. Although I am not a vegetarian, I recognize the environmental and health benefits of cutting down on my meat consumption. Secondly, Berkeley doesn’t have many options when it comes to fast food, and because I prefer frugality, I would rather make my own food as opposed to eating out. Whereas most people gain weight upon moving out of their parents’ house, such choices, in addition to being forced to ride my bike everyday, have resulted in me actually losing weight while live on my own.

Overall, I would describe myself as an eater that is health conscious, yet open minded to pretty much any food. While some people are very picky as to what they eat, I’m willing to try any food at least once, and even then, if its edible I’ll probably enjoy it- I’m pretty easily pleased.

Also, in living on my own and being forced to cook for myself I’ve found myself more excited to try new things than I have been previously. Sharing meals with my roommates has exposed me to a host of new foods, cooking techniques, and tastes, and in turn I have also felt compelled to experiment with new and different recipes. Basically, in seeing how much time and effort goes into my roommates’ meals, they’ve influenced me to take my cooking to new levels.

One food that has come to personify the eating habits described above, and which has become my “signature” food in the process is the always-reliable burrito. While my earlier burritos contained a few basic ingredients, such as beans, rice and cheese, the burritos that I have been making for lunch have become increasingly unorthodox. One Facebook status update from last month indicates this point exactly, it reads “[Erick Uribe] has been making increasingly experimental burritos. it's burrito madness everyday!” I went on to describe the burrito in question “tofu, italian sausage, sweet asian sausage (thanks to harrison), quinoa, spinach, egg, cheddar cheese, rice, onions, and various types of beans, so far. asparagus next?”

As you can see I have used the burrito to wrap up a wide range of different foods into one meal. While this particular burrito did have meat, many have also been vegetarian. And, in case you’re wondering, I have since incorporated asparagus into my burritos with amazing results, highly recommended.

As mentioned above, my roommates have significantly influenced my eating habits. However, while I was initially unsure if I could influence their habits at all, I am proud to report that all three of my roommates have since hopped on the burrito bandwagon. All three have recently started buying tortillas and coming up with their own creative burrito configurations. I’m just happy to be able to give small tips on layering, heating, and wrapping the burrito. Overall, it’s been a mutual exchange of eating habits in which each roommate both influences and is influenced by the others.