This thing was big, baby. You’d have need about four hours to check everything out:
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“Top Five Food Trends Spotted at Winter Fancy Food Show
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 17, 2012 — The top five food trends for 2012 have been identified by a panel of trendspotters at the 37th Winter Fancy Food Show, which ends today in San Francisco. It is the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages on the West Coast, with 80,000 products on display from 1,300 exhibitors from the U.S. and 35 countries.
The trends are:
Pickling 2.0 — Unbound Pickling: Pickled Peas and Carrots — Boat Street Pickles: Pickled Golden Raisins — Sonoma Brinery: Raw Sauerkraut
Drinks Go Nuts (and Seeds and Grains) — Victoria’s Kitchen: Almond Water — Simpli: Chocolate Oat Shake — Chill Drinks: C+Swiss Hemp Iced Tea
Gluten Free Grows Up — Cup4Cup: Gluten-free flour blend from Thomas Keller — Stonewall Kitchen: Gluten-free Herbed Pizza Crust — Love Grown Foods: Sweet Cranberry Pecan Granola
Coconut Cracks Open — Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss: Ginger Cookie Caramel Coconut Ice Cream — Noh Foods of Hawaii: Coconut Pudding Mix — Hey Boo Jams: Hey Boo Coconut Jam
Ancient Grains — Culinary Collective Zocalo Heritage Grains: Pink Amaranth — Al Dente Pasta: BonaChia Pasta — Origen Chilean Gourmet: Quinoa Puffs
Other trends identified at the Winter Fancy Food Show include savory sweets such as bacon brittle, mindful snacks such as raw bars, bean chips and seaweed, cocktail mix makeovers, new takes on chai, and everything fig. Read more about these trends and their related products on foodspring.com.
The trendspotters are Stephanie Dean, Sunset Magazine; Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker; Nancy Wall Hopkins, Better Homes & Gardens; Kara Nielsen, CCD Innovation; Evan Orensten, Cool Hunting; Jennifer Pelka and Ruth Reichl, Gilt Taste; Denise Purcell, Specialty Food Media; Kalena Ross, Blackboard Eats; Stephanie Stiavetti, contributor to NPR, KQED, Huffington Post; Susie Timm, Girl Meets Fork; and Joanne Weir, PBS television host, cookbook author and chef.
About the NASFT The NASFT is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Based in New York City, is a not-for-profit trade association established in 1952 that fosters trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food trade. The NASFT’s website for consumers, foodspring.com, provides an insider’s look at specialty foods and the entrepreneurs and artisans behind them. For information about the NASFT and its Fancy Food Shows, go to specialtyfood.com.”
Like this. Can you see the Canadian Pavilion and the German? This is less than 10% of the exhibit hall space. It would take you hours to check out all the exhibitors:
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Now if you want, you can pay your $60 to check things out for yourself, but expect to find a trade show – it’s not oriented towards consumers at all. But every last food trend you could imagine (and some you could not) is in the house and everybody’s handing out samples and related swag.
And every last nook and cranny of Moscone North and South is filled up. The place is hopping. I expected to see at least a few attendees bummed out over the state of the economy, but I didn’t. The Great Recession is Over, people.
This truly is a world-class* event, as defined.
Bon courage, people of Fancy Food Fest ’12!
*The tedious cliche “world-class” was overused in the 415 already by former Mayor Gavin Newsom and those in his administration and, now, the current Ed Lee holdover administration (which is basically the same people but with rearranged titles) has stepped up its use. IRL, not everything what touches the City and County is “world-class,” capiche? And, IRL, not everything what touches San Francisco needs to be “world-class.”
“Joel Zimmerman doesn’t like being called a DJ. The 28-year-old dance music phenomenon from Toronto, better known as deadmau5, rolls his eyes at the description, which he sees as a hopelessly outdated way of describing what he does. His sets are closer to live performances. He plays mostly his own material, assembling tracks on the fly, using cutting edge computer technology, including software he’s helped write himself. read more“
Now, last year, back in 2010, the rides were free, so people were lining up at 3:00 AM. But this year, the cost will be $29, so that will certainly cut down on the riff-raff, and therefore surely shorten the queue.
(And oh, our friends from up in the Great White North just told me that they will be highly disappointed if Edwin Lee, San Francisco’s once (and future?) Mayor chickens out, if he blows off his obligation. Other Mayors have done it and it all worked out fine. See below for one example…)
Hours: Open daily (7 days a week!) from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.*
Price: $29 (all ages)
Age: 6 years+
Weight: 65lbs – 275lbs
First come, first serve
All guests are required to sign an Assumption of Risks and Release of Liability Agreement (coming soon) before zipping. Under 19 requires signature by a parent or guardian.
The ziplines are gravity fed, so guests do not have to worry about controlling their own speed. Guides are stationed at each tower to connect (launch platform) and disconnect (landing platform) each and every guest. Age restrictions apply and guests must weigh more than 65 pounds and no more than a maximum of 275 pounds.
When: Summer 2011 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. *
Where: Justin Herman Plaza at Embarcadero Square, San Francisco, California
* times may vary on certain days”
Will you have the guts to climb a temporary tower (80 feet tall!) just like this one from 2010 to earn the right to tell your friends you rode the Justin Herman Plaza Zip Line?
But first, you’ll need to wait in line next to the abysmal Vaillancourt Fountain, sign a waiver, and get harnessed up.
Le mise-en-scene.
You’ll ascend the 80 foot tower and encounter a friendly Canadian guide at the top. If you need a pep talk, you’ll get one:
You’ll soon be steadying your nerves by glancing at your jump buddy…
…and then you’ll be off, into the wild bleu.
Sisters doing it for themselves:
Can you see the nervous giggles? There’s your team bonding right there.
And this is what it felt like last year. Everything zooms by with a quickness, and there’s a loud buzzing above your noggin. Some people go upside-down even.
And they’ll totally let you bring a camera to make your own YouTube:
You owe it to yourself to try.
Don’t dissappoint lovely Ashleigh. She brought her Olympic Gold all the way down here last year just so you’d consider Vancouver as the starting point for your next vacation:
“Last week, we unveiled our brand new Green Steam Machine, an eco-friendly alternative for weed control that eliminates the use of pesticides in and around children’s play areas. Purchased with help from the San Francisco Parks Trust, the Green Steam Machine is the first of its kind here in the United States and I can’t be more thrilled with the potential of this new machine. We are going to put one in every Park Services Area (PSA) around the city so that our gardeners and supervisors have regular access to this new machine.”
This machine certainly looks like it can kill weeds.
And yet, almost 1000 souls enjoy its charms every day. Mmmm. It wasn’t impossible for allthose people to ride, right?
(In other news of the day, here are NBCBayArea’s random photos of Playboy bunnies and Hooters Restaurant employees. That’s got to be pure gold, trafficwise, in’nt.)
Are we saying to get there way early in the day? I think that’s what we’re saying.
Irregardless, NBC’s accounts of when people got into line and when they were able to ride that day (if ever) are enlightening. And, agreed, it’s probably not a good use of time to drive all the way up from San Hoser just to try to go for a 20-second zip.
But this zipline is leaving on April 18th, 2010, so don’t delay.
Get on down there. This could be you:
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But first, you’ll need to wait in line next to the abysmal Vaillancourt Fountain, sign a waiver, and get harnessed up.
Today’s mise-en-scene. From the left: the temporary Peter Pan (opening April 27th!) tent from England, the temporary zipline tower from British Columbia, and the permanent(?) Vaillancourt Fountain from the bowels of Hell:
You’ll ascend the 80 foot tower and encounter a friendly Canadian guide at the top. If you need a pep talk, you’ll get one:
You’ll soon be steadying your nerves by glancing at your jump buddy…
…and then you’ll be off, into the wild bleu.
Sisters doing it for themselves:
Can you see the nervous giggles? There’s your team bonding right there.
And this is what it feels like. Everything zooms by with a quickness, and there’s a loud buzzing above your noggin. Some people go upside-down even.
And they’ll totally let you bring a camera to make your own YouTube:
You owe it to yourself to try.
Don’t dissappoint lovely Ashleigh. She brought her Olympic Gold all the way down here just so you’d consider Vancouver as the starting point for your next vacation:
Will you have the guts to climb this temporary tower (80 feet tall!) down near Embarcadero Station to earn the right to tell your friends you rode the Justin Herman Plaza Zip Line?
Just asking.
The fun starts tomorrow, April 8th around lunchtime and it’ll stay all the way ’til April 18th, 2010.
“The zip line will start from a launch tower 80 feet off the ground and will carry users 680 feet to a 30-foot-tall landing tower. The zip-line will be free to the public and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 18. Thursday’s launch event is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. and will include performances by the Le-La-La Dancers, an aboriginal dance troupe from Vancouver Island.”
Those people in British Columbia, they like to have fun. So, in order to get you to think about taking your next vacay up in the Great White, they’re going to install a 600 680-foot-long zip-line* in Embarcadero Square and run it for eleven days starting April 8th, 2010. And, assuming you meet their physical requirements (it looks like I’ll qualify, but 280-pound Epic Bearded Man Thomas Bruso probably won’t), you’ll be able to harness up and go for a 225-yard ride FOR FREE.
Imagine zooming over the giantwhite tent they’re constructing for Peter Pan (opening April 27th!) at neighboring Sue Bierman Park. You can fly, Wendy, you can fly.
Justin Herman Plaza Zip-Line! Justin Herman Plaza Zip-Line! Justin Herman Plaza Zip-Line!
You’ll also be able to look down over this $1000-a-day monstrosity. (Try not to tell our friends from western Canada the actual name of “Vaillancourt Fountain.” Shhhhh….)
See you there April 8th. (Can you already visualize people using their iPhones to Tweet about how long they have to wait for their free rides? I can. If not for our generous Northern Cousins, this kind of thing should cost about $100 American (or Canadian, don’t think there’s much diff these days)).
“When: Thursday, April 8 – Sunday, April 18th 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. What: The British Columbia Experience, featuring: – Free 600 ft. Urban Zipline: Open to the Public. Note: There are no age restrictions, but guests must weigh more than 65 pounds and no more than a maximum of 275 pounds. The ride will be free of charge. Where: Justin Herman Plaza at Embarcadero Square, San Francisco, California”
“VICTORIA – One of the most popular activities during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is heading to San Francisco as part of an exciting tourism marketing campaign, announced Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. From April 8 to 18, a 183-metre (600-foot) zipline will be set-up in Embarcadero Square in San Francisco as part of the BC Experience showcase. The showcase will feature the Whistler-based Ziptrek Ecotours zipline, free public dance performances by the Le-La-La Dancers – a world-renowned Aboriginal dance group – an interactive video display featuring videos and beautiful images of B.C., a 3-D art installation and an updated version of the “You Gotta Be Here” advertising campaign in subway stations throughout the city.“We’ve just finished hosting the largest and most successful celebrations in the world and the zipline in Robson Square was obviously one of the most popular public activities during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” said Krueger. “We want to bring that excitement to San Francisco, a city that is one of our key markets for attracting new travellers, to show people the diverse range of travel experiences they can find in B.C. and invite them to visit.”The Canadian Tourism Commission is also hosting their annual US Media Marketplace in San Francisco April 12-14, at which over 150 US-based travel writers and editors will meet with Canadian tourism representatives.To help launch the BC Experience, two gold-medal winning Olympians, Canadian ski cross racer Ashleigh McIvor and US speed skater Shani Davis, will be among the first to try the zipline and participate in a public autograph signing.As a result of the Olympic marketing campaign, the number of Americans in the target demographic considering a leisure trip to B.C. has nearly doubled. This increase represents nearly nine million more potential U.S. visitors. Approximately 14 per cent of US visitors to B.C. come from California.The BC Experience is part of a post-Olympic North American consumer marketing campaign that will use online advertising, social media and search marketing to reach potential visitors. The campaign will reach out to consumers who have already expressed interest in travel to B.C., and present customized offers based on their interests.The campaign will focus on a range of experiences, including golf, food and wine, and outdoor adventure to create a greater depth of interest in experiencing B.C.’s tourism products.”
For more information on B.C. tourism opportunities, please visit www.HelloBC.com.
Leaving the final words with Alex P Keaton - in re: British Columbia, “You Gotta Be Here.”
