Two Meals and a Mechanic February 13, 2009

Bakesale Betty's Fried Chicken Sandwich - photo by e.t. under Creative Commons license

I was walking to the bus stop after dropping our car off at the mechanic’s.  Judy Mayne has been our mechanic for over ten years.  Cars are one of the many things that we – or I – really don’t want on a worry list.  Computers, kitchen appliances, cars: things I don’t want to put any thought into, I just want them to be there and ready when I am.  And when they are not, it always makes me philosophize about how complicated our lives have become, about our dependencies, and begin calculating how much of our lives we spend taking care of our stuff.  This is time and money that I don’t want to burn.  The best thing with cars is to have a mechanic who keeps your car running and makes the process effortless.  We have not had to give our cars a second thought since Judy became our mechanic.  They just keep running.  Our van is a 1997; our Nissan is a 1994.

Near the bus stop, I passed a restaurant that I want to try.  It is Sunrise Donuts in the Harbor Center.  I want to try the Chinese food here.  I do not have high expectations: there is just something that appeals to me about a donut shop/Chinese restaurant in Marin County.  There are a number of donut/Chinese places in San Francisco, and probably elsewhere, but this is the only that I know of in Marin.  The grease factor has me holding off on this place for a while.

Another restaurant I want to try is Bakesale Betty in Oakland.  Why Bakesale Betty?  All I can say is: look at the picture.

Judy’s Automotive, 155 Alto Street, San Rafael
Sunrise Donuts, 175 Belvedere Street, San Rafael, in the Harbor Center
Bakesale Betty, 5098 Telegraph Ave., Oakland