Mission Mission

It goes on from there. And it begins:

It would be very helpful and informative if you would take the time to complete the Citizens Satisfaction Surveybelow. Your opinion and comments on the service you received will help identify areas of performance whichneed improvement and those that are satisfactory or superior. Please return your completed survey at yourearliest convenience by mailing to or dropping off at Mission Police Station, 630 Valencia Street, San Francisco,CA 94110. It is our goal to continuously provide the highest level of service possible and to utilize all of theresources at our disposal to prevent crimes and arrest those responsible for committing them.

“All of the resources at our disposal.” I guess that includes brave and capable volunteers.

I’ll paste the full text after the jump, or you can view it as a Google Doc here.

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There are better ways to express dissatisfaction with these new parking meters that accept debit cards and adjust the price based on available spaces. You can weigh in on the Parking Meter Cards Program on Yelp, or even contact the SFMTA directly.

Everyone’s doing it! Mission Bicycle posted this purdy HD video about their purdy bikes.

Things I did not know before watching this video:

• Bike shopping is a family event, like going to IKEA. Bring your children.
• If the shop is too busy, you can order their bikes from the wifi-friendly cafe down the street (requires your own laptop and knowledge of how to use the internet to visit web sites).
• You can cyber with Jefferson over gchat directly from their the order page.
• I’m not the only one who screws around customizing virtual bikes I never buy while I’m supposed to be working.

You also get to see parts of their manufacturing and shipping processes, from the painting of the frames with decidedly girly colors to the exhilarating un-boxing at one dude’s apartment. Is there anything better than un-boxing something you bought? It’s like Christmas without gift wrap and the element of surprise.

Contest* Guess when this was shot based purely on the placement of construction markers on Valencia St.

*Prize for this “contest” is self-satisfaction.

Apparently, Jonathan Richman participated in a screening of There’s Something About Mary or something.  I think it’s safe to say that he has a lot of fans here in the Mission. 

Wow, that’s quite a line!  This was the scene in front of Lost Weekend Video on Valencia Street yesterday. 

Once inside, those who didn’t get one of the 30 or so seats either crowded in to stand in the back or sat down in the aisles. 

The place was definitely packed to capacity.  The always-friendly Lost Weekend staff was behind the counter serving homemade cookies and scrumptious popcorn balls (imagine a rice crispy treat made with popcorn instead of rice crispies) along with $1 Tecates, so everyone was happy despite the Twister-like multitude of stray limbs everywhere.  The staff even generously allowed guests to use their bathroom in the back, even though this left their entire movie collection vulnerable to people waiting in line.  I hope no one was a douchebag and stole anything.

Of course, the main attraction was Jonathan Richman and his acoustic guitar.  He lovingly strummed his guitar along to parts where he appeared in the movie, all the while offering behind-the-scenes commentary of the onscreen action.  Little snippets like, “We decided on using an accordion here.  We felt it added a whole European touch” to which everyone busted up laughing.

His most revealing commentary had to do with why Mary (Cameron Diaz’s character, just in case) seemed like such the prototypical bro fantasy girlfriend.  Basically (paraphrased):

The director was an overgrown manchild and this is his conception of what an ideal girlfriend would be like.  Essentially, a chick whose favorite things are baseball, hotdogs, and beer. 

Hmmm, just what we always suspected.  More movie nights please Lost Weekend!

In case you haven’t heard about it yet, Direct Action to Stop the Cuts/Creative Housing Liberation, is so bummed that it’s hard to move into the Mission on the cheap that they went ahead and helped themselves to the vacant second floor of the 20th/Mission T-Mobile building last night and occupied it into the morning. Believe me, I can relate — the only affordable spots are rent-controlled flats with a bunch of dudes who interview you for 15 minutes then just go with the cute, broke art-school chick that walks in after you.

After displaying their stern disapproval of capitalism and demonstrating some formidable pun-making skills (“Grabbin’ Newscum”!), they were ultimately put under citizen’s arrest by the building owner around noon today… which must involve mace or nunchucks, because most people would laugh that sort of thing right off.

From SF Appeal:

11:52 AM: The protesters were placed under citizen’s arrest late this morning, according to a report from Bay City News. The owner of the building issued the citizen’s arrests, charging trespassing. Five people were arrested, San Francisco police spokesman Sgt. Troy Dangerfield said. He said the five are being taken to the police station for processing and may be cited.

[photo by Steve Rhodes]

Update: Here is the full press release from the CHL:

In a city with so much conspicuous wealth, an estimated 6,000 to 15,000 individuals sleep without a roof over their head. 23,000 or more others are on the waiting list for public housing (a list that is often closed to new applicants), while some 30,000 housing units sit empty.

Each budget season, the mayor threatens to cut funding for vital housing, health, legal, and other services that help the working poor and indigent. Without these services, many who remain housed would quickly end up on the streets – or dead.

The mayor’s vision for San Francisco? Million-dollar condos and “affordable housing” that most residents can’t afford; schools and other publicly owned buildings laid to waste; jail bunks and early graves for those who have no place to rest but the sidewalks.

On Monday July 19th, community members will respond by undertaking a collective act of homefulness. Please join us promptly at 5:30pm as the march to the occupation site is time sensitive. This is community resourcefulness in action, don’t miss it! Housing is a human right!

Everybody loves parades.  The Rose Parade, Dykes on Bikes; hell, Disneyland has a parade every single day.  And street festivals are all about revolution, taking back the pavement from automobiles and the insidious forces that promote their ubiquitous role in society.  Predictably then, the Cesar Chavez Parade and Festival was an obvious hit, marrying both concepts into a union that even the Mormons would have a difficult time de-legitimizing.

This fellow was particularly enthused to be part of the action.  Since they apparently wouldn’t let him be part of the lo rider escort team, rolling with the mobile mariachi unit was the next logical choice.  Oh, but you don’t have to litter, guys!

The unions also got to strut their stuff, which was probably the whole point when this celebration was initially conceived.  It was educational, too, since I previously had no idea that there was in fact a linoleum union.

As expected, the postal union continued their stagnant march ahead, blissfully unaware that the Post Office will probably be bankrupt in two years, having chosen to subsidize environment-wrecking mass catalog distribution and junk mail companies by resorting to steadily increasing the cost of postage for you and me to send simple letters, rather than attempting to creatively integrate the internet age into operations.

It’s unfortunate that it costs 44 cents for us to send a simple one-page letter in the mail, but Ikea (or pick whatever corporation you want) gets to clog your box with massive tomes that you will probably just forward directly to the recycling bin, and they only have to pay a mere penny or two to send each one.  Trees get chopped to supply all the paper, much of which often finds its final resting place in landfills.  All the while the USPS keeps hemorrhaging money without knowing why.  But arguing about snail mail on the internet is a tired affair, and I digress.  Plus, we’ve still got to get to the street festival!

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Chasing the Moon is a great video podcast that highlights local bay area bands. The performances are filmed in HD and recorded in a professional studio one block away from the best Vietnamese sandwiches in town. I’m serious about the quality of these productions; they make Nirvana: Unplugged In NY look like it was filmed in Super 8. Ok maybe not, but that shit looks good considering their budget of no budget.

In the pagan tradition, the podcast is posted every full moon, which works out to just about every 28 days.

This past Saturday, I was fortunate enough to sit in during their session with the Nice Guy Trio, a very unique jazz group on the Mission’s own Porto Franco Records.

The Nice Guy Trio in action. I had little reason not to believe that they are actually nice.

Producer Brian Berberich and recording engineer Scott McDowell do all of this work out of the goodness of their music-lovin’ hearts. They see is as an opportunity to keep their industry chops up and promote the awesome local music that’s going on.

The atmosphere at the session was really professional and they seemed to have things streamlined well. If they were stressed out, they hid it well. Once things got rolling the whole filming and performance took less than an hour.

Spectators sat in a corner of the studio on comfy cushions from the couch and were asked to stay quiet during recording. Restraining applause until "CUT!" was actually really difficult and awkward.

Chasing the Moon is expanding to do monthly premiere events with live performances at the newly opened Viracocha on 21st and Valencia. Their first was on Jan. 29 and you can expect to see more soon. The Nice Guy Trio premiere will be in 2 or 3 months.

Thanks to Brian, Scott, and the Chasing the Moon team for hosting and chatting with me! More pictures after the jump.

Update: Brian had this to add:

Elijiah Pahati is actually the biggest reason Chasing the Moon is so great.  He is the Director, Director of Photography, and Editor, and is why everything looks good.  He is also our partner, every bit the owner Scott and I are.

So yeah, props are due to the Directory Elijiah Pahati! Sorry for leaving him out.

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By Sunny Angulo

With a mother from the bustling capital of Santiago and a father from the coastal garden commune of Viña del Mar, Paula Tejeda is a wholehearted Chilean, with the perfect blend of sharp wit and breezy passion. She also happens to be one hell of a chef, and the proud owner of the latest incarnation of the Mission’s beloved Chile Lindo.

Paula’s been around the Mission since the early ’80s, when she began to forge community ties through her music producing and writing. As the oldest child in her family, she also learned to cook at an early age for her younger siblings. Her knack for churning out delectable goodies found a perfect pairing in the marriage to her ex-husband, Dennis. In 1995, the dynamic duo took over Chile Lindo’s closet-sized empanada factory in the Redstone Building on 16th, and a local favorite was born. Dennis developed a secret recipe for the thin Chilean-style pastry dough, and Paula supplied the distinct stuffing mixtures. Since then, Paula has parted ways with Dennis (“he’s still a very good friend”) and Chile Lindo has morphed several times. This past Thursday was Paula’s grand opening of a new outpost for empanada lovers: a satellite Chile Lindo on the Mission’s crackin’ 22nd street.

“Chile Lindo is actually sort of a franchise operation, at this point,” Paula joked on Thursday. “Well, I’m just one of the most recent owners out of a bunch of interesting Chileans. Senora Liverona officially named it in 1973, though I’ve heard rumors that there was even a lady before her. Then came Angelica Oviedo, and then I took it over. So, Chileans actually have deep roots in the community.” Um, true that. Which is why I decided to bring a Chilean with me to Thursday’s festivities – you know, for the street cred. (Enrique was swooning all over the place as soon as he smelled the ahi pebre, pushover.)

Paula (aka “The Empanada Lady”) is probably best known with the 22nd Street crowd for regularly hitting up Dolores Park and the Make-Out Room with her magic wicker basket of grub. (Nothing takes the edge off of some heavy dance floor action like a toasty empanada…) Her new outpost keeps the favorite staples of her mobile business: her classic beef empanada and her vegetarian offering, the jalapeño and cheese empanada. (Sorry, vegans.) At $5.00 and $4.00 respectively, they’re about double what’d you pay on the street in Chile, but hey, you ain’t in Chile, now are you? Paula does sweeten the deal when you order a dozen, though, by throwing in two freebies. Think on it.

“You know, the empanada actually goes back to the Muslims and the Arab world. When Chile was colonized by Spain, that’s how people survived, off of empanadas. The Moors were in Europe for 500 to 800 years, and empanadas were a staple of life – the Spanish moors brought them to Chile,” explained Paula. Hey, all the pilgrims brought to the New World was smallpox, so if you’re going to be a colonizer, empanadas seem a more thoughtful way to go.

My token Chilean friend, Enrique, was ALL about the lore of the empanada. “It’s like the hamburger of Chile, the Sunday delicacy. It’s a tradition to eat empanadas before an exam, to bring you good luck. I ate them everyday in law school.” Dang, heifer! I cannot vouch that empanadas will bring you good luck in the boardroom or the bedroom, but I can vouch that Paula’s are the real deal – extremely delicious.

The classic beef pastries (or empanadas de pino) have hand-ground spiced beef, a loooot of onions, raisins, a piece of hard-boiled egg, and olives complete with pits. Luckily, Paula plays it safe on the pit front and does without. She came up with the recipe for her queso empanadas herself. “Chilean food is actually not really that spicy, so the jalapeño is unique. I wanted to give it a little kick.” Chilean empanadas have a distinct folding pattern that signals the general content inside. The savory beef looks kind of like a stealth fighter jet when it’s wrapped up, and Paula’s queso option is crimped into the half-circle form that reminds me of my mom’s Mexican fruit empanadas. Chile Lindo is also currently serving wine and sangria from Esperpento next door. After several glasses of wine, Enrique generously gave me some vigorous sketches of the patented Chilean folding technique, just so I wouldn’t get it wrong. Thanks, Enrique:

What else is brewing for the Empanada Lady? She’s applying to La Cocina to get the support necessary to expand the business even further, including $50,000 to convert the tiny closet in the Redstone building into a fabulous espresso bar. “Expect big things at the 16th Street location. I’m raising the funds to build a complete Chilean delicatessen and café. We’re going to be serving Pastel de Choclo, completos [a Chilean specialty that combines hotdog, avocado, tomatoes and mayonnaise], and churrascos [Chilean sandwiches].” In the meantime, she’ll continue making her famous empanadas in small batches out of the Redstone Building and hawking them out of the café on 22nd Street.

The café itself is definitely the place to be on a nice summer evening. The crowd overflowing onto the sidewalk is like a who’s who of the latin Mission scene : Leila Navarette, co-owner of Radio Habana Social Club around the corner; Alejandro Murguia, a well-known chicano author and SF State professor; musicians from Noches Bohemias, artists from Mission Cultural Center and expats from Café La Boheme on 24th. The seating was limited, but people crammed in on top of each other, even stealing seats from Esperpento next door. The ratio of passionate discourse was directly proportionate to the amount of sangria being passed around.

Enrique was especially excited that the Mission would finally have a real Chilean restaurant. When I asked if he was sure that Chile Lindo was the only game in town, fellow revelers jumped in from all sides:
“Yes, this is the only Chilean restaurant!”
“Chile Lindo is helping the Chilean community! This is it, can you believe it, no other Chilean restaurant in the Mission neighborhood?!”
With that, Enrique added, “AND we’re Number #2 under Brazil! We’re going to make it above everyone!”
The World Cup reference sent the diners into a fresh furor.
“¡Salud! ¡Salud!”
“Yeah! Yeah!”
One woman across from me, Patricia Alvarez-Perez, wasn’t as exuberant as her companions. I asked her if she wasn’t excited that Chile was doing so well in the qualifying games? A dejected look came across her face.
“I only have cable, but not the Dish!” she exclaimed in Spanish. Bummer.

Thankfully, at least she had an “autentico” Chilean empanada. When asked why she was out chowing in support of Paula, she responded, “Well, she’s very strong, very persistent. And I have to support what she’s doing for the Chilean community – empanadas are just the beginning!” she answered. That was definitely the consensus with the crowd: that just by serving empanadas to the masses, Paula was bringing the community together in some small way. She bustled about and wove through the crowd in her signature red jacket, attending to every last detail and chattering with about seven people at once, including me.

“This is what I wanted. It’s up to each individual to give pride and integrity to their community. It’s very hard, but you do it. You find a way.” Paula paused from wrapping up to-go empanadas long enough to share some of her own Mission community favorites. “La Cocina, of course, is great. I’ve been working with the Mission Asset Fund for a long time, and they’re amazing. Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, also amazing. You know who else? I love [local muralist] Mona Caron. I love the work she is doing.”

And what about the Tamale Lady? Any competition there?
“Oh, no, I love her. Virginia is a good friend. I love the Tamale Lady. And I love being the Empanada Lady.” Apparently Paula loves everybody. Now if only the Tamale Lady would open up a bar…

Chile Lindo
For orders: #(415) 642-8887
Hours: Redstone Bldg – Saturdays, 10:00am-5:00pm
22nd Street Café – Thurs-Sun, 6:00pm-11:30pm
(website coming soon…)

Sexy Soup Cart got busted by the cops last night.  Good thing!  Nothing is more criminal than vegan Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup.

SF Weekly’s SFoodie blog called it Thursday:

What’s the likelihood that city authorities will stage a crackdown on scofflaw entrepreneurs, especially in the face of mainstream buzz? Conversations with officials from both the police and the Health Department suggested that while the city doesn’t currently seem to have much appetite for busts of vendors like Curtis the Crème Brulee Guy, Cookie Wag, Amuse Bouche, or Sexy Soup Lady, the possibility of future action is real.

Richard Lee, the city’s director of Health Regulatory Programs, told SFoodie that action against unlicensed vendors almost always comes from the police. “Anytime we see or know about a violation, we report it to the police,” said Lee. “They can shut the vendor down, and a lot of the time they might confiscate their food.” The Health Department has some two dozen inspectors crisscrossing the city to perform inspections of restaurants and other permitted facilities. When they notice a street vendor they suspect of being unlicensed, procedure calls for them to alert the cops.

…

Early last month, Lee’s department was reportedly monitoring vendor tweets about when and where food sellers would show up to do business. He said it informed officers at Mission Station about suspected illegal sales. (link)

That said, Sexy Soup Lady speculated that last night’s bust might have not been provoked by City Hall, but by neighbors:

Cops were kinda cool (warning, no fine)…seemed like they were called by Linda St. residents. Have to find a new spot… StealthSoupCart.;) (link)

With hate potentially coming from multiple directions now, it will be interesting to see if the more production-oriented carts like Sexy Soup and Magic Curry can survive while dodging the police and regulators desperate for their absurd $10,000 permit fees.  Unfortunately, it sounds like more mobile street food vendors, which can easily evade the police, will be the only game in town in a couple of months.

Tonight’s the night. After months of anticipation, La Mission makes its local debut. Decider just published an interview with director Peter, but here’s the extent to which the Mission is referenced:

The main character is based on a kid that we went to school with, and a lot of the other characters are drawn from friends and relatives who grew up with us in the neighborhood.

SFIFF was kind enough to invite Mission Mission to the premiere tonight, so if I run into Peter or Benjamin (pictured above) on the red carpet, perhaps I’ll be able to delve deeper. And, like, get their thoughts on Pal’s Take Away and American Apparel.

More:

Interview: Peter Bratt at Decider

Ben Bratt Celebrates The Underdog at Mission High on Mission Mission

Action on Valencia: Lowriding Bratt Bros. Filming in the Mission at Curbed