As easy as 123

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Civilization has collapsed

SOUR ENDING: Parisian bread becomes toast as label's owner closes bakery

The bankrupt Kansas City firm that owns three Bay Area bakeries killed one of the oldest names in San Francisco's sourdough French bread business Friday.

It was the last day for the Parisian sourdough bread bakery, which had been producing San Francisco's signature bread for 149 years.

"It's a sad day for the industry, a sad day for San Francisco, and a sad day for all those people losing their jobs,'' said Lou Giraudo, whose family owns the Boudin bakery chain and once owned Parisian. The family sold Parisian in 1993 to another firm, which later sold it to Interstate Bakeries.

Boudin's bakery, founded in 1849, is the oldest sourdough operation in the country, but Parisian, which first started baking sourdough bread based on a recipe from French bakers, was established in 1856, the year San Francisco's government was taken over by vigilantes.

Parisian simple was sourdough when I was growing up. Seeing that white bag with red and blue stripes meant that we were having steak with garlic bread to mop up the marinade, or spaghetti, or just making cheese sandwiches with thick slices of french bread.

Damn Interstate Bakeries. You run a profitable empire into the ground, and rather than stop making fucking Twinkies, you destroy a San Francisco landmark.

Oh, there was on line in the story that made me laugh..

Twinkies, a product noted for its sweetness, also had a role in San Francisco history. Former Supervisor Dan White claimed to have been on a sugar high induced by Twinkies when he fatally shot Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. The so-called Twinkie Defense got White a lesser sentence and caused considerable outrage at the time.

Yeah, I'd call a two-day riot where thousands of gays burned police cars, threw rocks through city hall windows, and smashed hundreds of store fronts "considerable outrage."

Well, I just saved another c-note...

At lunch today, I suddenly noticed there was something in my mouth that seemed a little hard for pizza crust. The molar on the upper right that had been giving me so much trouble removed itself. Pretty impressive tooth.

That leaves one tooth in imminent danger of collapse. But the good new is that I can now chew (albeit carefully around the gaps) without pain. Still very wary of hard foods, but living on soup is not my only option anymore.

More motorcycle dreams..

Poking around the various manufacturer's sites, I've come up with a few "not-quite dream" bikes. These are machines that I could conceivably afford in a year or so.

The BMW F 650CS. Listing at just below nine grand, this looks like a good commute and get around town bike. In silver, please.

Or I could go back to my Jethro Tull roots and grab a Triumph Bonneville for about a thousand dollars less, two grand if I forgo the wonderful green paint job for basic black.

Also coming in at about 8 grand is the Moto Guzzi Breva V 750 IE. Not to sure about this, as I've horror stories about getting parts here in the US.

I'd consider an Indian, but all their website has is pretty pictures! No pricing information, no specifications. Bummer.

Onto the first love.. Harley-Davidson. The XL 883L Sportster remains the more reasonable choice in terms of paying for the bloody thing, with a MSRP ranging from $6,995 to $8,175. I'm still in love with the FLSTF/FLSTFI Fat Boy, in red and black ($16,645-18,570) or the FXDWGI Wide Glide (runs at $16,620-18,130 to start.) It even comes in the fire red/brilliant black combo as well! Lust.

In a compromise between financial reality, my actual needs, and my desire for a cool bike, I'll probably put the Bonneville at the top of my list, followed by the BMW. Now I just have to pay for fixing my teeth, and save up a large down payment.

It's good to have goals, you know?