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Wendy McDonald Can Barely Afford a Burger King

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By Bob Dorn

Debby, or Debra, Flores is 20 and has a 2-year-old daughter. She works at Wendy’s downtown, First and Broadway from 11 am to 3 p.m. only four days a week, which means she’s part-time and enjoys no company benefits. She makes $8 per hour from the Wendy’s she’s part of. So, during the week at Wendy’s she’s making $32 a day, taking home $128.00 per week, less taxes.

She pays taxes because she has ANOTHER job at a hookah lounge delivering food and tobacco starting at 7 pm and continuing through the night to 6 am.

Think of it. This slight, lean young girl human on a typical day of the week puts in 15 hours of work a day, commutes to her mother’s home and spends just about 3 hours a day with her child, starting at 3 pm. Sometimes, on a good day, she grabs maybe five hours of sleep, if she can sleep.   [Read more…]

Why Coca-Cola’s New Ad Campaign May Be Dangerous to Your Health

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Coke has rolled out an ad campaign, disguised as public service announcements. Here’s what you should know.

By Katherine Paul, Ronnie Cummins / AlterNet 

It was laughable when Coca-Cola launched a campaign to fight obesity. And even more laughable when the king of soda’s anti-obesity campaign shifted all the blame for those extra pounds to lack of exercise and chairs (yes, chairs).

But now, the company that donated $1.7 million to defeat last year’s GMO labeling initiative in California has gone from laughable to dangerous. In the wake of declining sales of its Diet Coke brand, Coke has rolled out an ad campaign carefully and deceptively crafted to convince consumers that aspartame, the artificial sweetener (whose patent was at one time owned by Monsanto) in Diet Coke, is a “healthy alternative” to sugar.   [Read more…]

City Heights’ & Little Saigon’s A-Chau

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By Beryl Forman

Since the end of the Vietnam War, many Vietnamese families began settling in San Diego. In City Heights, families were welcomed with settlement programs, which is why there is a large cluster of family-owned Vietnamese businesses along El Cajon Boulevard.

A Chau, which means Of the Orient, has had their stake in this community since 1986. A Chau was first at 54th and University, but when it was time to expand, they moved to El Cajon Boulevard at Menlo Avenue. This is in the center of what today is being branded as the Little Saigon district.

When the Nguyen family first arrived in San Diego, Hoa, the mother of the family, had a dream of owning her own business. She refined her skills in Vietnamese cooking, particularly on a selection of meats such as ham, head cheese and pâté, traditionally suited for the Vietnamese sandwich known as banh mi.   [Read more…]

The Fake Thing

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With a newfound exercise obsession, Coca-Cola and other companies are trying to shift the blame for what they’re doing to our health.

By  / Other Words

New rule (as Bill Maher would say): If you make billions of dollars a year selling unhealthy food, you don’t get to tell us to work out.

It was one thing when Cookie Monster began telling kids to eat vegetables. Cookie Monster doesn’t earn a living by selling cookies, and vegetables are a fantastic alternative to cookies.

But it was a totally different story when Ronald McDonald went all Richard Simmons on us, visiting schools to tell kids to work out.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review “El Borrego”

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El Borrego
4280 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92105
619-281-1355

In March of this year, I received an invitation from a restaurateur to enjoy a meal at her restaurant. I tried to visit the day before Easter but they were closed and did not get back to it until today.

I really was not anxious to try it because their focus is on lamb, and I have not eaten lamb since 1956. (I got sick on the smell of it while pregnant and have never had it since.)  However, the invitation and the recommendation of one of SDFP writers – Anna – made me decide to “bite the lamb” and give it a try.

I called Joe, my friend from on-line dating days, and he agreed to go with me to try it out. He lives in the neighborhood and was looking forward to another restaurant to add to his walking tours.   [Read more…]

More Than a Market: Exploring City Heights’ SuperMercardo Murphy

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SuperMercado Murphy
4580 University Ave.
City Heights, CA

By Judi Curry

One of the best times of my life was from 196­7-1980.  Every summer we would pack up the boat, the cars, and head to Mexico to camp in a very primitive area opposite Estero Beach in Ensenada.  I could regale you with tales of our annual visits, but this review is not about Tony’s Camp. Rather it about the wonderful experience my youngest – Stephanie – and I had today visiting the Super Mercado Murphy.

When we ran out of food at Tony’s, we had to take the boat to the mainland and shop in Ensenada. We usually shopped at “Lemon” and it was always fun.  The items offered were different than the ones in the US, and we would spend many hours just looking around.  Today took us back to those days in Mexico.

The Super Mercado Murphy is a market; an eating establishment; a butcher shop, etc.   [Read more…]

Out to Lunch in City Heights: Awash Ethiopian Restaurant

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AWASH Ethiopian Restaurant
4947 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
619) 677-3754

By Judi Curry

For someone that has not had Ethiopian food for many years, I wondered the wisdom of having dinner last night at “The Red Sea” and lunch today at “Awash.” While pondering what to do, I called my friend Joe and asked him if he would like to have lunch with me and he readily agreed. (Of course, we had discussed this already before I ate at the Red Sea.)

The outside of the restaurant is non-nondescript. It almost looks like a store front rather than a restaurant. Upon entering, the image changes dramatically. The first thing that you smell is incense – a pleasant odor, not over-powering. There are two sections to the dining room – one by the window that is very bright; the other in a more secluded area, and consisting primarily of individual booths rather than table.
  [Read more…]

The Red Sea Restaurant Reviewed: Delicious Ethiopian Food in City Heights

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The Red Sea
4717 University Avenue
San Diego, CA
619-285-9722

In keeping with the spotlight theme this month on City Heights, I gathered together a few friends to meet at “The Red Sea” for dinner.  Anna and Rich live in the City Heights neighborhood, and this restaurant was one of her recommendations.  Roshne was born in Ethiopia and just recently came back from a vacation to her country.  Although she was raised in Canada after the age of 5, her mother cooked the traditional Ethiopian food and she was anxious to try it here.  Bette had never had Ethiopian food before, and was game to try it.   [Read more…]

Sex in San Diego: Porn Sex vs. Real Sex – the Differences Explained With Food

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By Emilie Astolat

I don’t mind the fact that my hubby watches porn, partly, I guess, because it’s inversely related to how often we have sex. Just because I’m not in the mood doesn’t mean that he has to remain sexually abstinent. Plus, I watch it, too, when the mood strikes.

What does bother me, however, is the often unrealistic portrayal of sex that pornography perpetuates for men and women. Being a woman, I can only speak for my gender and, while porn can be fun, it definitely has the potential to take its toll on the self esteem. I mean, there are just some so-called standards I just can’t live up to.   [Read more…]

Restaurant Review: Bay Park Fish Company

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By Judi Curry

Bay Park Fish Company
4121 Ashton Street
San Diego, CA
(619) 276-3474 (FISH)

One of my best friends from Massachusetts is visiting me right now, and she wanted to take me out to dinner. Her 27 year old son is with her, and he said he would really like to have some fresh fish, so I called my daughter and asked her for suggestions as to where to go. Her recommendation was the Bay Park Fish Company right off of Morena Blvd., (next to Siesal’s Meat Market) and after checking to see if they were open on Monday night – they were – we made plans to eat dinner there. Unfortunately, her son Dan was not feeling well so just Susan and I went alone.   [Read more…]

Review: You Can’t Go Wrong with a Sunday in Old Town

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Miguel’s Restaurant
2444 San Diego Avenue
San Diego, CA 619-298-9840

Stephen Sondheim’s “COMPANY”
Cygnet Theater
4040 Twiggs St (at San Diego Ave)
San Diego, CA  (619) 337-1525

By Judi Curry

Candy, one of the members of a Widow’s Support Group that I belong to is the only one of us that is not a Pisces or Aries.  Works out fairly well for the rest of us, because all of our birthdays seem to fall in February and/or March and although we do not need a celebration to get together it makes it more fun.

Ro, a member of my other support group, volunteers as an usher for many of the playhouses in San Diego, and she had 4 free passes to see “Company” at the Cygnet and generously offered to “donate” them to us for Candy’s birthday celebration.  As we frequently do, we decided to go out for lunch and take in the 2:00pm matinee.   [Read more…]

Porkyland Catering Falls Flat

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By Michele Ebbert

This is specific to Porkyland’s catering, and not the restaurant itself. I contacted them via email asking whether their 4th of July special would be available throughout the month, since I was hosting a dinner party on the 9th. Two days later they got back to me & confirmed that it would be, so I sent another email asking whether they delivered. I never heard back from that email – not a good sign.

I called on July 5th and left a message – again, no response. I know I should’ve looked for another caterer, but I’d been in Australia for 6 weeks & was really craving carnitas……..! Called again on the 6th and talked to a man who assured me they do deliver and took my order……..but asked that I call back later that day to talk to the Catering Manager to confirm. I left a message for her but was more than a little nervous when her voice mail instructions say that she would try to return calls within 1 business day……..and now my dinner party was about 1 business day away!   [Read more…]

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