Noshtopia Phoenix

Our @skinnyjeans Fun "Meet New Friends" Tweetup: Drinks, Music, and Lots-o-Good Times

It's time to have fun and meet some new friends this Friday night, August 6th.

I have officially been a resident of Phoenix now for 9 months and one of the challenges when you are new in town is making new friends. One of the beautiful things about Phoenix metro is that people are soooo friendly, and we are one of the largest cities in the US made of transplants, so many of us are in the same boat - trying to meet new people!

So, as a way to help people meet some new friends and have lots of fun, me and my friend Kristin Cregar have arranged for an impromptu @skinnyjeans (my alter tweet ego) "Meet New Friends" tweetup this Friday, August 6 from 8pm-midnight at O'Donoghue's Irish Pub in North Scottsdale.  I say impromptu because this all came about just Saturday night when friend Kristin and I went out and had an awesome time at Prime Bar listening to the band Easton Ashe.

I had so much fun I wanted it to continue :-D

There will be cool drink specials just for our tweetup:

• $3 Beer on Tap - Honey Moon and Blue Moon brands
• $5 Absolut cocktails - think Cosmos, Martinis, Mixed Drinks
• $2 Kamikaze shots

And playing their awesome music live at 9pm til closing will be the band Easton Ashe. I'm telling you all, these guys are really talented and nice guys. They are based here so I say let's support our local talent while we drink, chat, dance, and be merry!

Here's the tweetup sign-up. It helps to give us head count. If you don't tweet, it's alright just show up and make sure you look for me. I want to say hello to everyone who shows up. And don't be surprised if I hug you as I am a hugger!

See you Friday!

 

Plate Peek: Eating Healthy BBQ

This weekend, friend @josephranseth invited me to a BBQ at his friend Kristin's house. I'm so glad I went not only because of the fabulous company, but because I had one of the healthiest BBQ meals I've had in eons. So, I thought I'd share a peek at my plate...but you'll have to keep quiet because I did promise Kristin that I wouldn't take any pictures as she was nervous that me the food blogger might not be happy with the food.

Sorry Kristin, some of the food just looked too darn good so I just had to snap a few :)

Here's one of the tables with food on it. I noshed on some radishes and olives. There was grilled chicken, sausages, and hamburgers with blue cheese crumbles mixed in. I was so tempted to take a bite, but maybe next time we can mix in goat cheese instead of blue cheese so I can partake.

 

Here on my plate, we have a bountiful green salad, grilled asparagus,grilled artichokes, grilled orange peppers, 1/2 of a grilled chicken sausage, some olives, and some watermelon. I was so excited to see so many grilled veggies. Kristin's friend Michael is a chef and he did most of the cooking. I went back and got more asparagus.

 

A nice surprise, Beverly Kidd, news anchor at Channel 3 was at the BBQ too, and I got to get a picture with her and Joseph. She's a really cool chick!

 

Along with the healthy stuff, there was also a plethora of the fun junk BBQ foods, and I ate a couple brownie bites because well, ahem, how can anyone say no to chocolate, right? My first summer as an Arizonian was kicked off in an awesome way!

For Cinco de Mayo: Playing For Change, Stand By Me

This global version of Stand By Me always swells my heart. My dedication for Cinco de Mayo, and down with SB 1070, let's stand together and overturn this law!

From An Everyday Arizona Citizen: Before You Boycott Our State...

...I'm asking...no actually, respectfully imploring...that you stop for a moment and think about and consider this before you boycott our state.

People before politics.

The ones who will actually suffer from your boycott are the citizens, us the everyday people like me, of Arizona. The media and the other politicians across the nation keep focusing on the Arizona politicians who voted this bill in but what about the voice of the people here? Who in the media and in Washington is thinking about us because I can tell you from ground level that all my friends here are so against this bill. Thankfully, there are blogs and social networking sites where we the people can speak up and be heard.

So today, thank you for taking a moment to listen to a resident of Arizona and not a politician. People before politics.

Because my heart is in such pain over this, for the first time in my 5 year blogging career, I'm talking politics on my blog not because I care about politics but because I care very much in fact about the people of Arizona and how we are going to suffer the financial and economic fallout of the very narrow minded and self-serving actions of certain politicians who currently have power in office.

The politicians who voted this unwise bill in will continue to pound their chests and keep fighting their position to the nation while in the meantime, the people and our families of Arizona will suffer economically as a result.

Who actually voted this bill into law?

The media has focused on the politicians and whatever inciting information they can get their hands on to make our state and everyone who lives here look evil. In your decision to boycott our state or not, please consider this information too:

The people, the citizens of Arizona, did not vote this bill into law. The politicians did. And when I say politicians, I'm not talking about leaders who think of the higher good for all concerned, I'm talking about politicians who are focused on agenda...and their own agenda to be specific. In this case, it was politics before people.

What this bill is actually about

In my opinion, and you can disagree with me, this bill is not about what is best for the people or state of Arizona, it is about frustration and a fight of power and control with the Obama administration. This is about politics and power not people. This is about ego not heart.

Yes, we have serious problems with the border, Yes, there were promises made to make immigration a priority. And yes, this is the best solution the current politicians of Arizona could come up with. Yes, it is all bad and frustrating, but this bill and boycotting the state are not the solutions to make a bad problem become better.

Gandhi fought a war with no guns. He's proven that humans can find peaceful solutions to really bad situations. I believe we can evolve and stop fighting ego against ego. I believe we can stop doing the same old thing and making this about who's right and who's wrong, and simply focus on what is the right thing to do for all concerned. No one will get everything they want and this immigration situation may never be ideal but I believe we can be rational and compromise.

Help us rather than punish us. Compassion before combating.

Within over a week this bill passed the House, the Senate, and was signed by the Governor. What say or influence did the people have in this process? Obviously, very little. Again, the people, the voting population of Arizona did not vote this bill into law, our politicians did, and as a citizen I can tell you that these politicians absolutely do not speak for me or the many, many others who live here.

So please, do remember to separate the people of Arizona from our politicians when saying that Arizona sucks. Because in this specific situation, I agree with you, our politicians totally suck on their problem-solving ability related to immigration and problems at the border. We the people who live here are doing what we can to get this bill overturned and get back some kind of power because this bill is wrong on so many levels, but mainly it is just wrong on a human level, on a heart level.

What we the people of Arizona need is not for you to boycott our state, and combat anger with anger but for you to help us find ways or spark ideas to get this bill overturned in a way that does not make innocent everyday people suffer in the process.

I get that you're all pissed and want to do something, I'm with you! If you gotta punish someone, punish the actions of the politicians not us the people. We're struggling to live right now, and boycotting is going to make it worse for us.

Please have some compassion for the people who live in our state. People before politics. If you say you're about humanity, than also think about the humanity of the everyday people who live here and how we are supposed to eat, pay rent and mortgages, buy gas and basically just live. I gotta believe that you also can't support actions to punish the people along with the politicians. I gotta believe that we as a nation and as a world can be way more creative and smarter than to fight this bill with economic starvation of the state because again by taking that route we are putting politics before people.

Why I a minority, female, small business owner love Arizona

I can share with you personally, I am feeling enormous pain in my heart because the people here are so warm and friendly. I moved here from California, Silicon Valley to be specific, and I can tell you that my experience here has been nothing short of wonderful and amazing. Moving to Phoenix is one of the best things I've done in my life. I've made more friends here in 6 months than I have in the last 3 years living in California.

As a single, minority female, small business owner related to social media and healthy living, I have also experienced more economic opportunity here than I did in Silicon Valley. Why? Because there is less competition and more opportunity. The cost of living is 1/2 of what I was paying before so my run rate is much longer and less stressful.

The people here actually care about you the person, not who's funding you, who's your power friends, or how your agenda can facilitate their agenda. And yeah, you get to wear shorts and t-shirts on Thanksgiving and Christmas day because it's 75 degrees, and the desert is beautiful with the red rocks and rich Orange sunsets.

Don't take to heart all the statistics the news is feeding you

This statistic and similar ones like it that has been widely used in the news that says to the effect, "Arizona Voters Favor Welcoming Immigration Policy, 64% Support New Immigration Law" is sourced primarily from Rasmussen Reports, a company that does public polling. The analytics geek in me always wants to know the source and specifics of any statistic I see especially when it's an alarming stat because stats can easily be manipulated to be made much worse than in actuality.

In their polls about this immigration law, Rasmussen publicly reveals the questions asked of the respondents and how many people they polled. In the latest poll about this immigration law where the claim that 64% of Arizona voters support this bill is actually 500 "Likely Voters"...yes only 500 Arizona citizens were polled by Rasmussen on 4/27/10.

So essentially, only 320 people who live in Arizona, who may or may not vote, support this bill, according to this poll. The city of Phoenix alone is 1.5 million people, and the 5th largest city in the U.S. 320 people does not represent the entire voting population nor the voice of the people of Arizona.

Is it time to boycott?

Thank you again for taking the time to read this, just one voice of an everyday person who lives in Arizona. If you choose to boycott our state, I may not like your decision but I can accept it. We can't change people only ourselves. But before you make that decision and take action, I ask you again to think about people before politics. The great leaders and people of our generation are the ones who will be able to affect change and transform people's hearts because they have transformed their own heart. Let's seek our hearts to give us the wisdom we need to make things right.

Did This Cultural Creative Make A Mistake Moving To Phoenix?

 

Sunday marks my official 6 months as a Phoenix resident. This week Arizona's House of Representatives passed an immigration bill that makes it a crime to be in the US illegally. The police here would have the right to ask anyone they "suspect" is illegal for documentation proving that they are in the US legally.

Basically it's racial profiling because really what non-stereotypical clues would you look for in someone you "suspect" of being illegal. It's not like you can see some big bulge in a pocket or catch a certain twitch in the eye that says, "Hey, I'm illegal!" What does the "I'm an illegal" walk of guilt look like?

Some of my friends wonder out loud

Some of my friends back in the San Francisco Bay Area where I used to live asked me what kind of gun-carrying backward state did I move to. For a moment, I started to wonder too because technically under this new bill if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, I could get pulled over if I look suspicious to a cop for whatever reason and get randomly asked for my papers since I'm Asian and could be an immigrant. I would be very pissed if that happened.

How could you tell by looking at me that I was illegal or that I was born in Connecticut, and have lived in this country my entire life like any other white American? Would my Canadian or European friends ever be "suspected" of being illegals because they too could have ditched out on their Visas or skipped the border. I realize the intent behind this bill is to target those from Mexico, but the bill is written as a general statement to anyone who is illegally here in the US, so technically anyone could be deemed suspect.

Indeed, the news of this bill un-nerves me because it could personally affect me, but mainly it is just wrong on all kinds of levels. I get that there is a very big and serious problem in this state dealing with the border and illegals, but a law like this isn't going to fix the problem, and in my opinion is going to make things worse. I would really hate to be a cop right now because they are being put in a really bad place.

Are we helping or hurting our state?

My two cents, this law will not help the reputation of our state, but instead hinder it. Those for the passing of the bill will argue that it shows we're being tough and not taking it anymore. In reality, it shows that we think the only solution to the immigration issues is through force. Is force really the only solution? 

Gandhi fought a war with the British and won without any guns. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired people to look at their humanity and see beyond color. We may not have great leaders like those two here in Arizona, but I'd like to think we can be level-minded, and can collectively figure out something more rational and neutral to solve our problems here without force. I realize that I'm being idealistic in a state where it is legal to carry a gun into a bar, but again America was built on and thrives on dreams.

The news of this bill is creating PR for our state that is painting a really ugly one-sided picture of really a beautiful and friendly place. In my 6 months here, I'm still happily amazed at how friendly everyone I've met here is. In fact, I've made more friends here in 6 months than I have in the last 3 years in California. Here I see plenty of opportunity.

The awesomeness that is Arizona

 

There is a reason Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the US and one built mainly because of people moving here. It's rare to meet a native born and raised here. Not all is backward and effed up in Arizona or else no one would move here. In fact, [via CNNMoney], here are the top 7 states in the US that people are leaving more than coming in and Arizona is not on that list. California, my former home state, is #1.

In the bigger scheme of things, Arizona is no different than any other state in the US that has problems and has leaders that are making ridiculous decisions. Yeah, this bill is a doozie, but we can equally point the finger to any other state who's done backward things.

Let's remember we have democracy here and if we put those leaders in, we can take them out and put new ones in. We as a people here can take action and say no to this kind of behavior from our leadership. This bill hasn't passed the Senate nor has it been signed by the governor yet, so there is still a chance to put the major squeeze on and get this bill denied. I say we do that. How is the next question.

I made the best decision for me 

 

Me, a cultural creative, left California for a multitude of reasons, and even though there are things and ideologies I don't agree with or support here in Arizona, I am still glad I moved here. At the end of the year, we'll see, but for now I'll focus on why I came here to Phoenix in the first place and what I enjoy:

• I love the beauty of the desert and the magnificence of the mountains.

• There is plenty of wide open space, and the traffic here is minor compared to California. You can turn left almost everywhere, and "expensive" parking downtown is $12. In SF, you'd easily pay $35 for downtown parking.

• The cost of living is 1/3 that of the Bay Area...at least what I was paying. I have almost all the same stores and quality of life I had back there without the stress of having to work to live. I get to have a life here, and can buy a house as a single person. There is no way I could afford to buy a home on my own in the Bay Area without breaking myself working to afford anything decent. I don't have the culture of San Francisco nor the multitude of food options the Bay Area provided, but there are plenty of great places to eat here and it's expanding as more culture creatives and city folks move here.

• It doesn't snow here unless you go to the outer parts of the state, and it's Spring weather on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. This year I wore shorts while I was cutting the Thanksgiving turkey. When it rains here, it's not freezing cold and doesn't last long. Yeah, it gets Africa hot here in the summer, but I'd rather deal with the heat and wear shorts, then have to shovel snow, drive in ice and dress for the freezing cold.

• The social media community is very supportive and growing, and everyone I've met has been very open. This is key for me since I am a professional blogger and publisher of content.

• The New York Times is going to be opening a bureau in Phoenix later this year. This is really exciting from a journalism standpoint. The NYTimes could have easily put a bureau in much bigger media cities on the west like LA, SF, or Seattle, but chose our Phoenix.

• Because I'm into health and wellness, Dr. Andrew Weil is based here and is part of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at The University of Arizona. The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine is one of the top 5 Naturopathic Schools in the US and Canada. The Mayo Clinic has their west coast facility based here.

• It's spa and resort mecca in Arizona. In fact, one of Oprah's favorite spa resorts in the US is Miraval in Tucson.

• If you're into sports, we have six professional teams including women's NBA, Spring training for several MLB teams, college sports, and golf up the ying yang.

• I'll say it again, people are really friendly here. As my friend @bmok, another California transplant, would say, it's a big town with small town warmth.

Arizona, thank you for being a wonderful place for so many of us. Can we please now find a more neutral solution to our immigration issues besides this bill?

Some Pictures From The Arizona BBQ Festival

 

Let's hear it for the band! This weekend I was able to stop by the first annual Arizona BBQ Festival hosted by @eateraz off the Scottsdale riverfront area. Okay, I must jest a bit about how they call that area the "waterfront" because coming from California, the Scottsdale waterfront is more like a wide canal or "river" in a Vegas hotel rather than an actual riverfront. But oh well, let's just pretend shall we we. It's okay.

First, I will pre-empt the pictures by saying I was wasn't able to take my usual stunning close-up pictures of steamy luscious meat because mainly, I couldn't get close enough to the pans of meat without being a total obnoxious food picture taking blogger. I figure a few pictures are better than none. Here's an aerial shot of almost the whole festival so you get an idea of the space it took.

In almost all the stands, the meat was in those huge silver aluminum Party Palace looking pans, and was just globs of it. I don't know about you, but it didn't look all that exciting to me, but I'm probably totally wrong.

Anyway, let's start with these things which I totally don't remember what they were but do remember that they were wrapped in bacon and that is all we need to know. Bacon = everything is wonderful! The company also sold the green egg BBQ pits which I saw in several booths. Who knew you could grill BBQ in an egg.

 

Here's a random dude just queing in the back of their booth. Guess he didn't want to share with the general public. That chicken looked mighty tasty.

 

There was $20,000 grand in prize money given away to the best BBQers, and here was the table with some of the trophies. I swear I've never seen trophies this big. The biggest ones looked taller than my 4 year-old nieces.

 

My favorite barbecue stand was Big Daddy's BBQ who is opening a new store this month April over on Shea in Scottsdale. I got a taste of their Pulled Pork Shoulder and yum it melted in my mouth. You will see me at their store when it opens.

 

One of the most intriguing things I saw at the festival was in the Whole Foods booth. They had this chocolate mint plant, and I put my nose to the leaves and you can definitely smell chocolate and mint. I'd love to try some of this stuff in a hot chocolate.

 

There were logs of wood everywhere.

 

And lastly, Simply Bread was there with samples of their mandel bread and biscotti, and of course I partook because well I can't say no to cookies.

 

The festival was crowded and had a good turnout of vendors so I have a feeling, the party will be on again next year for another opportunity for meat and to meet. Okay, I'll stop with the corny rhyming now. Call it BBQ smoke haze :-D

Reminder: Meat and Meet At The Arizona BBQ Festival

 If you haven't made any plans for this weekend yet, and you love the taste of barbecue, the Arizona BBQ Festival hosted by fellow foodies @eateraz will be April 9-10 in Scottsdale in a parcel of land near the Olive & Ivy restaurant. Here's directions and ticket information.

With all this beautiful Spring weather upon us, I think it will be a great time to eat some meat and maybe meet a bunch of new people.

Starbucks You Had Me At Plenta

Admittedly, I have only blogged at a Starbucks once since I've moved to Arizona, mainly because you have to pay for WiFi. Once they make that free, I will be back there again like I used to in the Bay Area.

Also, I figure I would help support more local businesses and patron their places. But today, April Fool's Day, I have to admit that the joke Starbucks played just won my heart over a bit more because it made me laugh hysterically especially the picture with the two guys.

If you didn't see the joke, Starbucks' VP of Volume, Hugh Mungis, announced two new sizes to their roster, the "Plenta" 128oz or think theater popcorn bucket size, and the "Micra" 2oz or think the Nyquil cap. The pictures of people drinking from the Plenta and Micra are hilarious. I seriously laughed hard because the people look so serious too.

I LOVE brands who can poke fun of themselves, and Starbucks this was an A+ in my book :-)

Some Up Coming Delicious April Culinary Events

Here's a heads up for some fun food events coming up the first couple weeks of April....and yes, we are heading into April this week. I'm still feeling like we just had New Year's Eve.

• April 8: Forks & Corks

Enjoy delicious bites prepared by more than 25 top chefs from many of Arizona's finest restaurants and resort kitchens. You can follow them on Twitter @forksandcorks.

• April 9-10: Arizona Barbecue Festival

Brought to you by one of our fellow Arizona food sites EaterAZ. Prepare yourself for a grilltopia filled with BBQ as over 50 teams of fierce barbecue competitors take a shot at big money prizes totaling over $20,000! You can follow them on Twitter @AZBBQFestival.

• April 13-18: Scottsdale Culinary Festival

This six days of food is one of the longest running festivals of its kind in the United States. The Scottsdale Culinary Festival draws more than 40,000 visitors looking to enjoy fabulous food, fun and festivities, and yours truly is looking forward to partaking! You can follow them on Twitter @CulinaryFestAZ.

For more food events, check out the Arizona Guide Culinary Events section, the official travel and vacation guide of the Arizona Office of Tourism.

Join Me For Phoenix Twestival March 25 For Fun And A Good Cause: Global Education

On Thursday March 25 at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale will be Phoenix Twestival, using social media for social good. Twestivals will be held in various cities around the world.

I went to my first Phoenix Twestival in September last year and was blown away by how many people were there. Phoenix knows how to show up, and I'm very glad to now be a part of this community!

All the money raised during the Twestivals goes to one cause and this time around the funds will go to Concern Worldwide who helps bring education to children who live in some of the poorest countries in the world.

I'll be there at Twestival, and please do come too! It's fun, there are prizes, food, drinks, and mostly the good feeling of using all our tweeting, blogging, and facebooking to do something to help others. See ya there!