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Few in the food world want to touch the Palestine issue. Here s why one S.F. bar is speaking up
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Mohamed Dahleh waves the flag of Palestine while on the shoulders of Munir Abughannam in solidarity with hundreds of protesters outside the Israeli Consulate, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in San Francisco, Calif.Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
Two weeks ago, when the current Israel-Palestine crisis began unfolding in the Gaza Strip, I noticed that a lot more people especially non-activists were talking about it in public. But in my part of the woods, the food world, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories hasn’t really been a topic of conversation, though diners have long-embraced the region’s cuisines at Israeli restaurants like Philadelphia’s Zahav and Oren’s Hummus in San Francisco. If there was any conversation about Palestine, it was largely driven by Arab American women like chef-activists Amanny Ahmad and Reem
Bay Area restaurant workers are getting vaccinated ahead of indoor dining. But safety concerns remain
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Server Adrian Lopez waits on Eric Raymundo of New York at Rintaro restaurant in San Francisco. Lopez has received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and says that he feels safe serving outdoors.Marlena Sloss / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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At Waterbar in S.F., Ricardo Torres (left) and Rich Troiani put tablecloths on tables as restaurants prepare for indoor dining in S.F. and other Bay Area counties.Santiago Mejia / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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At Waterbar in S.F., tables are put back in place as restaurants prepare for indoor dining in S.F. and other Bay Area counties.Santiago Mejia / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Strangely emotional : Newly vaccinated Bay Area restaurant workers talk mixed feelings
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Server Jariya Chankham disinfects a table between customers while working a shift at Farmhouse Kitchen in Oakland, Calif., on June 23, 2020. Recently, food and agriculture workers became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in the Bay Area.Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Casey Rebecca Nunes, the general manager at Smitten Ice Cream in Oakland, had signed up for every possible notification to alert her about vaccine appointments. But it wasn’t Alameda County, where she works, or San Francisco County, where she lives, that came through with the critical alert instead, it was a bartender friend on Facebook.
Iyasare’s Osechi Sushi will be available on New Year’s Eve. Photo: Iyasare
We’re more than ready to say goodbye to 2020, and although the new year might not bring immediate relief from the intense, insane and frustrating effects of the pandemic (the recent stimulus package will help small businesses with loans, but it does not offer grants for restaurants), we’re still hoping for better times in the future.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of East Bay restaurants, catering groups and pop-ups that are offering special New Year’s Eve (and in some cases, New Year’s Day) menus to ring in 2021. Use this opportunity to support your local eatery and toast to our health and safety, and the return of a vibrant and diverse local food and drink industry in the future.