Hello, hello! It’s good to be back. Holy har gow, it’s literally been years since our last post.

For ages, Jenne and I had been chatting about an idea for a new project — one that would highlight the diversity of food that we can find here in San Diego. It was hard to find time though … We were on opposite work schedules, focusing on projects for our second blog, and we wrote a book!

And then, 2020 and the pandemic hit. Though we are isolated from each other and our friends, Jenne and I are privileged to have jobs that have remained stable throughout this time. We’ve been frequenting our favorite foodie spots with both great affection and worry for their owners and staff.

On Inauguration Day, my wife and I celebrated a new presidency with excellent food from countries that are no longer to be on a racist travel ban (see above):

• Kibbeh mahliek from Mal Al Sham (Syria)
• Chicken suqaar with pasta from Faridas (Somalia)
• Ash reshteh from Darband (Iran), and
• Baklava from Shakira Pastry (Iraq)

Immigration makes the U.S. stronger. We’re very lucky to live in San Diego, where our community includes immigrants and refugees from all over the world.

This seems a perfect time to finally start our project: Where in the World Can We Eat in San Diego! Each month, we’ll each be trying cuisine from a different country or place, going in alphabetical order by the beginning letter (hi, we’re still librarians). Despite this lockdown, one way we can travel is through our tastebuds, and trying more of our incredible, local, immigrant-owned restaurants.

If you have recommendations, we would love to hear them. In February, we begin with the letter A.