Having a Heat Wave

It's never hot in the Bay area, or so the general wisdom goes. One quote attributed to Mark Twain but said to be apocryphal contends the coldest summer he ever spent was in San Francisco. But let me tell you that when our veil of fog fails us, the temperature here can really cook and some of us just can't cope.

Part of that is our housing and many public spaces are just not air conditioned. (After all, we have the fog, right?) Many of us more boho types don't have any clothes that aren't black and/ or are not comfortable showing our pale limbs in scanty summer clothes even if we have them left over from some previous residence elsewhere in the country or some tropical vacation.

All of these factors made me appreciate last night's book club dinner hosted by my friend Ruth. Feeling it was too hot to heat up the kitchen or the cook, she served an assortment of cheeses, spreads, vegetable salads, fruits, smoked salmon and artisan breads. One highlight was the rose wine from her family vineyard -- Rominger West. Served chilled it was better (well, almost better) than air conditioning. The meal was light but filling and cool in more ways than one.