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Thanks for posting it. It reminded me of Oakland-SF when I was still doing deliveries early last summer, I got very similar reactions, from very similar sounding people. Everybody here went for Obama in a big way. Any place I stopped I could bring up Obama and get great and cheerful reactions. (I was doing my own ad hoc survey to see what people thought) There was a real sense of solidarity and community. It just knocked my old political socks off.
Then I'd go home at night, read LBO, and catch myself. Wake up. Obama ain't FDR and no LBJ either. I'd remind myself, we are not going to get the New Deal and the War on Poverty all rolled into one, Then I'd get dower...
Anyway, I enjoyed the mention of the food. I like to cook. Not the fancy stuff, more the hardy lines. I think the yellow rice was made with turmeric. I tried a few recipes using turmeric. I followed the cast iron pan rice method, added chopped onion, tomato, bell pepper, browned in beacon fat, pour in chicken stock, simmer with a tight cover. This goes a lot better with my black beans than plain rice. It looks prettier too. The little pieces of red and green against the yellow brighten it up.
The mention of a Cuban ham and cheese reminded me of another discovery made while driving. I stopped at a deli I liked and one of the women behind the counter who knows I like more spicy stuff, fixed me a Cubano, as she called. It was made with a baguette, ham and salami, swiss, condiments, medium browned on a grill and squashed down with something.
Anyway, it was nice to read, I could picture the people, the reactions, and taste the food
CG