SF Life January Potluck

I've been getting a lot of questions from people about how to survive winter on a raw food diet, and am composing a more detailed post on the topic, which includes common misconceptions and some things to add to your foods, but wanted to give all the SF locals a heads up that the next SF Life Potluck will address some of these issues.

From Dorleen:

At our January 4 potluck we will share ideas on how raw fooders survive winter. If you are new to Living Foods and this is your first winter, come and learn helpful ideas of how to survive winter. If you have survived one or more winters, please share survival strategies and winter recipes.
Our potlucks start at 1:00 and are held at 630 Valencia (near 17th Street) It's in the community room at the Mission Police Station. The cost is free to members and $3 for non-members who bring a raw vegan potluck enough for 10-12 servings. If you do not bring a potluck dish, you will need to pay an extra $5 whether you are a member or not. Also,
please bring your own plate, utensils and serving utensils for your potluck dish.

GI2MR cafe gratitude meet up

Dhrumil from We Like It Raw was in town for a few days, so he organized a little lunch meetup at Cafe Gratitude with Anna, Lauren, Sharon and I this afternoon.

It was really wonderful to spend several hours just sitting and talking and getting to know each other. A lot of my friends are not raw, and although I attend potlucks and local events, I still sometimes feel that there is not as much of a community as one would think there would be in a place like San Francisco, where almost every subculture from Burners to bikes has a community with a DIY state of mind behind it. I want more activity in my local community, so I feel it's up to me and the like-minded people I meet to make that happen. I think through meeting these lovely ladies, we can start to build things a bit more and create a more positive experience for those that visit the city and want to connect.

We talked about getting spring water, foraging for wild edibles, writing, life changes, synchronicity and shifting your awareness so that you tap into them, community, our own raw journeys, and a whole host of other topics. It was really wonderful, and I left feeling very motivated and inspired.

Sharon asked some questions about some minor drama on GI2MR and how some people feel apprehensive about posting because of a lack of support, and Dhrumil gave us a brief rundown about a video he has just posted addressing those concerns, and how he wants to change things to improve the level of support by introducing a Sherpa program where people will serve as guides to provide information and support. You can view the entire video below.


GI2MR: Sherpa's Program from Dhrumil Purohit on Vimeo.

Raw Thanksgiving in the Bay

I will post some recipes tomorrow or Wednesday for those of you who want to make some raw Thanksgiving dishes at home, but for those of you that live in the Bay Area and want to go out Wednesday night and all day Thursday, here is the breakdown of raw Thanksgiving events:

Wednesday, November 26th

Alive!'s Pre-fix Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner
Time not listed - I am waiting for a callback.
Alive! Veggie
1972 Lombard St (@ Webster)
415.923.1052
$50 Pre-fix Menu

Menu:

Pumpkin Smoothie
Butternut Squash Soup
Celery Root Salad
Pomegranate Fennel Salad
Pumpkin Shiitake Mushroom Torte
Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Black Forest Chocolate Cake

Thursday, November 27th

Thanksgiving Brunch at Peña Pachamama's
Organic Vegan Raw-Living Menu from 10 to 2:30 PM
Peña Pachamama
1630 Powell Street (between Union & Green in North Beach)
415.646.0018
I believe the cost is between $5-8 per dish
(go with a group of friends so you can try more dishes!)

Here's the menu:

Thanksgiving Pecan Nut Loaf
Onion Mushroom Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Butter Nut Squash
House-made Cranberry Sauce
Green Casserole
Chocolate tacos
Pumpkin Pie
Carmelized pecans
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream


Free annual Thanksgiving lunch at Cafe Gratitude



11-3pm
Thanksgiving lunch served only at the SF Harrison, Berkeley and Healdsburg locations.
For the addresses of those locations, check their site
Free! (this means there will be a long wait - get there early!)

The meal is usually some sort of delicious pâté with crackers, salad, a drink and a slice of pumpkin pie, but perhaps they will surprise us.

**This is a free event, so if you can volunteer to help with the insane crowds, they would love servers and prep folks.


An Invitation to Celebrate an Evening of community, Love and Nutrition: Thanks Giving Dinner with Briksha
7pm-11pm
Yoga Society Of San Francisco
2872 Folsom Street
$40.00 if paid before evening of 25th, $50.00 afterward.

Menu includes:

*Mock Turkey
*Cranberry Sauce
*Lovely Sweet Potatoes
*Really Raw Mashed Potatoes
*Pure Pumpkin Pie
*Stuffed Veggie
*Indian Raw main dish (Masala Gobi) w/Hemp Seed-Curry Dressing
*Hemp Ice cream (Vanilla and Chocolate)
*Healthy Drinks (Kombucha,Chai etc.)

Pre-Registration is required for this event. For more information, or to register contact Briksha at briksha@rays-mandala.org or 415.503.7802