Wayne and I went to Oakland this evening for dinner at the New World Vegetarian restaurant. The occasion? The first ever Bay Area meetup for folks on the PPK discussion forums. We had about fifteen people total and it was great to socialize with people you only know through a computer screen. The food was great, too. Wayne and I shared a clay pot dish with rice, noodles, and broccoli. as well as a flavorful Brazilian black bean stew with collard greens and brown rice. Dessert was a coconut sour cream cake from Black China Bakery. Yum.
Before we met up with everyone for dinner, we walked around Chinatown. Some fireworks went off across the street, and for a moment I wasn’t sure if it was fireworks or a shooting. Either way, I was glad to be indoors when it happened. We also stumbled across the Layonna Vegetarian market, which is well known for their variety of vegetarian meats. I’m not sure how they will taste, but we’re adventurous.