It’s Gilroy Garlic Festival time!

For over 25 years, Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of The World, has hosted the annual celebration of all things stinky: from shrimp to mushrooms to ice cream, the festival proves that if you can eat it, it probably tastes better with garlic.

According to the website, the Festival will dish out 21,920 servings of garlic bread, 4,807 servings of scampi, 8,396 stuffed mushrooms, make 12,286 combo plates, and quench visitors’ thirst with 15,088 sodas poured.

With bands, celebrity cook-offs, and arts & crafts, there’s plenty to do while waiting for the pepcid to kick in.

The Festival runs Friday through Sunday from 10am to 7pm (gates close at 6pm). Admission is $12 ($6 for seniors and kids age 6-12). Coupons available at Pepsi retailers. Click here for directions.

I have a coworker who’s currently looking for a place to live in the South Bay. She’s working the “looking for roommate” listings angle and so far she hasn’t had much luck. Today’s possibility was a guy who emailed her back with a wacky From line. I forget the first name, but the last name was “Demon”… we were trying to figure out if it was a D&D reference or what. After she went to meet with the guy and look at the place, she called me to report.

“So he was short and wore a button-down shirt, and I get the sense he has a Napolean complex, which means I’m the type of woman he wouldn’t want to live with.”

My coworker, for reference, is six feet tall and doesn’t back down from hardly anyone.

Unfortunately, she didn’t find out what was with the demon thing. “I wanted to ask,” she told me, “but I expected him to look more geeky. He was wearing more of a banker-type button-down shirt, the kind with the stripes.”

And everyone knows demons don’t wear stripes. They clash with the flames. Though I suspect they look good with the BMW—it is Silicon Valley, after all.

Coming up at the Dark Room Theater at 2263 Mission @ 18th/19th, we’ve got Bad Movie Night (stick it on your Tribe calendar, you Internet-age thrill-seeking desperado!) for at least the next five Sundays.

We’ve taken all the guess work out of the age old question, “Will this movie suck?”

It will suck.

Every Sunday for a measly 5 bucks you can put your feet up, listen to our hosts bag a crummy movie, scarf down free popcorn and yes, you too can yell at the movie screen!!

I can’t believe they’re gonna tear apart Labyrinth on the 14th. I love that movie. That movie is how, as a teenager, I consciously realized I was gay, what with David Bowie’s area and the fab fantasy dinner jackets and all. Seriously, I’m not lying. Though now as an adult, I can see some things to pick apart; like how this who-knows-how-old Goblin King is jonesing for a fifteen-year-old girl and has no one to hang out with but a pack of dim-witted humanoids and a Mardi Gras-headed dwarf and… and… Damn, never mind, pick it all apart. Meanwhile I’m going to figure out if this explains anything about some of the men that became my ex-boyfriends.

For some East Bay real-time movie critique and subsequent disturbing personal revelations, keep an eye on Berkeley and the Act 1 and 2 Theater, where they’ll sporadically do runs of the Midnight Special, where the audience will happily dissect film favorites of the 80s and 90s.

One jewel I somehow missed for two decades is China Camp State Park. Just minutes away from the Golden Gate Bridge, on the shores of San Francisco Bay, China Camp has a bewildering variety of marshes, meadows, and groves, populated with all sorts of animals and birds.

Yeah? Big deal. That and an espresso will get you, umm, a relaxing espresso.

Okay. Even better are the kid- and adult-friendly things at China Camp. For starters, you can see the remains of a Chinese shrimp-fishing village. It boggles the mind, sitting there. One can almost hear the echoes of the thriving effort, in which lived nearly 500 people.

Not yet sold? Okay, here’s the best part: you can camp outside with kids and friends! Yes, camping without a lot of driving! Camping in the trees, with the cars a quarter-mile away. Reservations required.

You are so going to thank me when you get back into the city, unless you’re too relaxed.

Good day, dear reader.

It’s a strange existence, blogging for an audience “out there” about a topic we all love, our fair city. I’ve been here almost twenty years, and I’m still discovering things right under my nose. Sometimes it’s a wee bit embarrassing. But so it goes, and it is grist for the mill.

Your comments are really helpful, and I appreciate each and every one that gets posted publically or emailed privately. Some of you know so much more about SF than I, and so many are curious. Your questions, comments, encouragement, suggestions, and corrections are the juice that moves me to be mindful about collecting impressions and experiences for posting.

There’s that pesky day job, and the close-up joy of family and friends, and the virtual satisfaction of our community. All valuable, all need to be tended to and nourished.

I try to include a photo with each posting, because that’s what works for me. I hope it’s as good for you.

Dear reader, please remember that you’re a vital part of this blogosphere, and your contributions are very much appreciated. Thank you.

In the first part of my coffee chronicles I chatted about Qahwah Saadah / Turkish khav

I came across that phrase in an online restaurant review of Naan ‘n Curry, one of my favorite places to eat (and rather cheaply at that), and it’s stuck with me. There are a few locations around the Bay Area, and some restaurants similarly-named. Our special location is on Irving Street at 8th Ave., on the ‘N’ Judah MUNI line.

On the sidewalk outside the succulent seducing scents surround. Each dish has it’s own wonderful character, from my favorite, the Boneless Chicken Krachi, to my Dad’s, the Prawn Curry, my wife’s, the Bitter Melon Curry, and even the kids, the “Washed” Boneless Chicken Tikka Marsala. Most of the folks we’ve chatted with say it’s too spicy, even when ordered mild, but they’ve really gotten the “wash” part down. The naan is good, and the bottomless cup of free masala tea (aka chai) is seriously refreshing.

The staff is pleasant, able to deal with the constant crowds, and the get-it-yourself thing is fine. Azam, the busboy, is absolutely great with kids. (Yes, another kid-friendly restaurant, with highchairs and two bathrooms. Whats not to like?) If you’re looking for linen napkins or pub food go elsewhere. If you want bitchin’ good food that tastes even better when reheated in the middle of the night, head on over and jump right in.

My only wish: add a regular sweet lassi to the mango, which is a bit, umm, mango-y.

Naan ‘n Curry / 642 Irving St. @ 8th Ave. / +1.415.664.7225

Driving by the intersection of Clarendon Ave. and Laguna Honda Blvd I was stunned to see the hills swarming with goats. Goats!

Says the SF PUC:

San Francisco adopted an Integrated Pest Management Ordinance in 1996. This Ordinance commits the City to minimize the use of pesticides and instead use methods that pose a lower risk to public and environmental health. This IPM program has radically changed the way our City staff manages pest insects, rodents, and weeds.

Looking for efficient weed control plus great entertainment? San Francisco has found both by using herds of goats to clear away poison oak and other problem weeds on steep PUC watersheds, open spaces in parks, and in overgrown areas at the airport. Portable electric fences, herding dogs, and shepherds ensure that goats stick to business in target areas.

Of course they mean goatherd, but we get it.

The goats, when they’re doing their job properly and not being distracted by my kids, clear small patches at a time and make firebreaks. Evidently the goats don’t overgraze, and they’re able to get at the invasive European grasses which are choking out the native plants. I couldn’t find the goatherd, only her portable electric fence, but passers-by ruminated that these might be Beor and Spanish goats.

A woman with whom I chatted atop Twin Peaks told me about the hill visible near the Hunters Point shipyards, which in her childhood days was called “Goat Hill” and was, in fact, populated with goats until our fair city banned livestock.

So, if you’re looking for something a bit unusual, head on over and check out the grazing swarm.

Which will be held next week in our fine city . . . despite frequent hotel changes and other dispute-related logistical concerns.

YDA By The Bay – the 2005 National Convention of the Young Democrats of America – will be held Aug. 3-7, and will draw about 1,000 delegates from across the nation for campaign and candidate training, platformwriting and officer elections. (Full disclosure: I’m on the board of the California Young Democrats as well.)

Expected speakers include: Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA); Governor Bill Richardson (NM); Rep. Barbara Lee (CA); Rep. Ellen Tauscher (CA); Rep. Barney Frank (MA); YDA Convention Chairman + Founder of AskJeeves.com, Garrett Gruener; President of Susie Tompkins Buell Foundation + Founder and Co-Owner of Esprit, Susie Tompkins Buell; Founder of Craigslist.org, Craig Newmark; among others.

The schedule features 5 days of action-packed panels and workshops designed to get young activists up and moving again. On Wednesday afternoon, in fact, I’ll be moderating a panel on Technology + Politics, featuring Craig Newmark of Craigslist.org, Marc Laitin of Running Against Bush/Online Progressive Congress, and Andrew Hoppin of CivicSpace.

Those 5 days of fun come at the bargain price of $75. You’ll also be treated to some great welcome receptions, happy hours, networking events, and have the chance to meet other young activists from around the country. Registration is available online.

Of course, such events don’t come cheap, so whether or not you can make it, if you’d like to support the convention, click here.

Hope to see you next week!

Remember when metblogger Joann wrote of the wraparound ad on her Taxi for an upcoming event? Well, that event is here! This week brings the San Jose Grand Prix to the South Bay!

This event is unique, for the racetrack IS the city of San Jose, namely, downtown proper. A 1.6 mile, 11 turn circuit winds its way through the downtown streets that are home to well-known places like the Tech Museum and the SJ Convention Center (see the track map).

The city has welcomed the event with open arms, with promotional events going on all around town this week.

With a total of six races (the feature race taking place on Sunday), there will be a lot to see and enjoy.

South Bay Blogger Fling93 has written an excellent primer on Champ Car racing, for those of you who would like to learn a bit more about the sport.

Tickets are still available, so come on down to The Valley for some racin’ action!