Eclectic Temescal

Oakland is a city in the east bay, as in east of the San Francisco Bay. As a family we had trepidation about visiting this part of the universe. Geographically so close yet seemed not to click in our conscience as something we would enjoy or feel safe or clean. Lot of negative press stems from this part of California and it has not been on our radar like some other towns. Not being fan of any ball games also precludes a visit to the Coliseum or its neighboring Oracle Arena where basketball is played.

Uncertain is how we felt about visiting and hanging out and exploring things we cherish like history and food. Food, which to us is the whole purpose of being.

That changed this weekend. A few more tips from the social circle (or is it social polygon given we do not have that many friends to make a circle?) and we decided we will take the plunge. Some strong ethnic hunger lured us in. It was to be either great Korean Galbi or the goodness of some Berber spice in the form of Ethiopian or Eritrean cuisine.

So the food we sought was in a part of northern Oakland known as Temescal. It is a train ride away and that is how we got in. Took the BART. Now that in itself is not a very desirable mode of transport (I take a bath each time I use it - no kidding). Got off at MacArthur station which may be named for the General who fought in the Pacific in WWII..

A sign urging people to check out the local vibe of Temescal

Marketing Temescal

Temescal happens to be home to a large percentage of immigrants from the north east African country of Ethiopia which recently has had wars within that resulted in creation of an independent Eritrea to their north. Culturally the cuisine of the people is the same which primarily consists of a crepe like bread made of teff grains. The bread is spongy and is used as a base to pile the curries -meat or vegetable preparations that contain a spice mixture called berbere which contains chili powder and a host of other spices including some African herbs. We had researched a place that is named for the capital of Eritrea (Asmara) and checked it out. The walk to the place and back to the station was equally flavorful as the meal.

Here are some samples of what we saw...from enjoying some small batch ice cream to wondering if I needed my noggin checked there were a multitude of distractions and smells (weed was a constant theme but it mixed with ammonia, vanilla, sandalwood burning, dog dander depending on which block you were hanging out at)...