Highlights of a fall Saturday in Portland

1) PSU Farmers Market

A) Discovering I can walk there faster than I can drive and park.
B) Hot fresh Pine State Biscuits with shiitake mushroom gravy.
C) Visiting with the soup lady and being interrupted by the bearded lady. I've never seen so much facial hair on a woman. It was dark and long and wiry. I wished I had a Lady Bic to offer her.
D) Realizing the streetcar stops right behind the market and takes me all the way home.

2) Cooking class at Sur La Table

A) Walking through the first big rainstorm in Portland to get there.
B) Getting stuck in a lake while crossing the street and soaking my shoes and socks in freezing cold water.
C) Cutting my pinky finger on a paring knife five minutes into class and spending the next hour hiding it from my classmates.
D) My comment while beating the cream for the lemon mousse about being "the man to turn to for " 'stiff peaks' " which silenced the class.
E) The teacher looking at me when instructing the students to please not refill their own wine glasses during class.
F) Learning not to salt the water until it's boiling.
G) Learning that it's much easier to cut root vegetables if I have created a flat surface on one side first. This also helps me avoid further finger cutting.
H) Shopping on the sales floor for some new pans and having no fewer than four salespeople, inside of twenty minutes, ask if I "need some help."
I) Learning that it is not only acceptable, but advisable, to oil the pan when cooking bacon AND salt my food more liberally while cooking.

3) Ben Franklin: Unplugged

A) Josh Kornbluth's uncanny resemblance to Jay Sherman (aka Jon Lovitz's alter ego).
B) Kornbluth's incredible story-telling skill.
C) Kornbluth's ability to keep an audience rapt for 2.5 hours.
D) Walking home and just happening to walk by Cool Moon, which just happened to be open, and supporting a local business by purchasing a bowl of Cereal Killer (butterscotch ice cream with grape nuts).