Time for a Linda Vista Holiday Tradition?
Plus: Total Wine grand opening in Mission Valley, Mural restoration, Kearny High Basketball off to successful start, and Truffle Dog poses an LV mystery
It’s the holiday season and I can’t wait to take part in all of the traditional Linda Vista holiday activities that mark this time of….WAIT A MINUTE!!! What traditional Linda Vista holiday activities am I talking about?
You were probably thinking I was experiencing a moment of serious delusion when writing that opening sentence, because the truth of the matter is that Linda Vista doesn’t seem to have any notable holiday traditions.
My intention with that opening sentence was not to appear delusional, but to awaken my fellow Linda Vista residents to the possibility that we might be missing out on a way to build a greater sense of community spirit by continually ignoring the need to establish some fun holiday season activities that generations of young and old LV’ers can share and build memories upon. Yes, the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center does run a string of garland across the top of its shops each year (as shown above), but shouldn’t we aim for something more spectacular and engaging?
Of course, there are plenty of traditional holiday season activities throughout greater San Diego—activities that we look forward to every year. We have December Nights at Balboa Park, the lighting of the Christmas tree at Sea World, the San Diego Bay Boat Parade of Lights, the Holiday Bowl football game, and as mentioned in a previous issue of this newsletter, the JOY lighting at the Mission Valley Hilton.
But all those activities still leave plenty of room for developing some traditions closer to home right here in Linda Vista. I got to thinking about Linda Vista having some traditional activities upon seeing NBC’s latest Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center on TV earlier this month. At this event, thousands of people gathered around a giant Christmas tree, and they watched as an impressive list of celebrities (to include Harry Connick Jr., Brad Paisley, and the Radio City Rockettes) performed and made guest appearances, while a couple of well-known NBC hosts coordinated the activity. After watching, I found myself asking…”Why can’t Linda Vista have a similar type of event?” and “Why does New York have to get all the holiday season glory?”
Imagine a community Christmas tree lighting event occurring in the parking lot of the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center! Hundreds of LV residents would gather around the tree, and talented performers could entertain us before the actual lighting. And then the tree would remain lit for the rest of the holiday period, attracting numerous visitors to “ooh” and “ahh” and say, “Linda Vista is so nice this time of year.” Linda Vista would surely be the place to visit for the holiday season. If conducted year after year, perhaps this Linda Vista Christmas Tree Lighting Event could one day make it on local TV, and eventually on one of the major national networks. And hopefully, one day Mariah Carey herself would be one of the featured celebrity entertainers performing at the event, singing her popular Christmas anthem.
However, if a community Christmas Tree lighting with plenty of celebrities is not your idea of a traditional activity, then please take a look at the following alternative recommendations and see if you are willing to start planning for next year:
1. A Linda Vista Fruitcake tossing competition.
2. A Linda Vista Holiday parade down Linda Vista Road (let’s make it interesting and conduct the parade during a weekday afternoon rush hour period). This parade could serve as a warm-up for the LV Multi-Cultural Fair and Parade that occurs in April.
3. The establishment of an outdoor Linda Vista holiday ice-skating rink. Then we would probably be the only community in the country to have an indoor skating rink (Skate World), a skateboard park (LV Skatepark) and an outdoor ice-skating rink—all within a mile of each other. Take that, New York!!
4. Hold a Linda Vista Christmas tamale festival (any activity involving food is sure to become popular).
5. Erect a sign that says LINDA VISTA (similar to the famous HOLLYWOOD sign) along the Linda Vista rim overlooking the Fashion Valley Mall. Each year we can decorate the sign with festive Christmas lights. The sign would be a comforting sight to all the frenzied shoppers fighting for parking spaces at the Mall.
6. A Linda Vista Santa Fun Run, in which competitors would race up Ulric Street from the Friars Road intersection dressed in full Santa Claus costume regalia while carrying a large bag loaded with wrapped fruitcakes.
7. Truck snow in from Julian and place it on Ulric Street, then conduct a Linda Vista Christmas sled race that would allow residents to speed their way down to Friars Road. A wall of fruitcakes could be used at the bottom of the street to bring the sledders to an abrupt but relatively cushioned stop.
Tell us what you think about these proposed Linda Vista holiday traditions. We have plenty of time to plan for next year.
Total Wine Opens in Mission Valley
As readers know, we like to write about new restaurants in the community. Often we are asked if that particular business serves beer, wine, and other spirits. We admit that we do not always put that information in the article and we apologize for that. Today, however, we are writing about a new establishment that you will not have to wonder for long to see if spirits are served because it is a store called Total Wine (Spirit-Beer & More) which recently located in Mission Valley at the site of the Office Depot, next to Living Spaces, in the Rio Vista Shopping Center.
We visited Total Wine recently and had a very nice conversation with John, an Italian wine expert and sommelier who trained for years in Rome. He was very helpful and knowledgeable in our quest to find good wines from the Abruzzo region of Italy (where my family hails from), and also other regions of Italy. There is a wide selection of wine from all over Europe and the world, as well as domestics. We read on the website that they have over 3,000 different wines, as well as over 5,000 kinds of beer and over 2,000 other spirits. They had an excellent selection of champagne and other sparkling drinks.
In honor of our carnivore sidekick’s recent visit to Belgium, Steve sought out Belgian beer and was not disappointed with the selection. Lots of other interesting beer selections—both craft beer and imports—were to be found.
The store is humongous and very well laid out. I was marveling at how long it must have taken to stock the many shelves in the store. Also to be found were snacks such as cheese, crackers, salami, gift bags, wine openers, and many other accompanients to wine, beer and spirits. There are wine selections for every occasion, any price range, and any taste. Whether you are a wine connoisseur or an occasional imbiber, you can definitely find something you’ll like.
One interesting feature of the store was a classroom that will be used in the future for wine tasting classes (see photo above).
Total Wine is having their grand opening now and you probably received a coupon for $10 off on a $50 purchase which is a good deal but ends January 2, 2022.
Now we are not advocating drinking, but if you want something to toast in the new year or have with your holiday dinner, you may want to try Total Wine. They also sell soft drinks. Remember, drink responsibly. Happy holidays!
Linda Vista Mural is Restored
We are happy to report the mural off of Linda Vista Road (on the side of The Soapy Ferret laundromat) has been restored. As reported in a previous issue of this newsletter, the mural was recently the victim of a mindless act of vandalism.
Congrats to everyone involved in the restoration effort! I am sure the entire community appreciates it.
Kearny High Boys B-ball Off to Successful Start
The Kearny High boys varsity basketball team has enjoyed a very successful start to the 2021-22 season, posting a 6-2 record against a series of non-conference teams.
Last Friday, the Komets scored an exciting home court victory over the Brawley Wildcats, winning with a score of 75 - 46. Brawley tried to stay close to the Komets in the first part of the game, with the first half favoring the Komets 32-26, but Kearny began to decisively pull away in the third quarter. The leading scorers for the Komets included Ubay Hussein with 32 points, Isaiah Sutton with 15 points, and Devon Dennis with 10 points. Hussein’s scoring included 7 three-pointers. As noted by head coach James Cevallos, “Devon Dennis had a monster dunk and an amazing block in the air. It was his best night as a Kearny Komet.”
This victory was followed by a Tuesday night (Dec 21) victory over Classical Academy (Escondido). In this home court contest, Kearny High won by a score of 62 to 45. Coach Cevallos commented “We were led by Ubay Hussein 22 points, Devon Dennis 13 points and Yacqub Hussein 10 points. The Komets led from the beginning and never relinquished the lead, pulling away in the fourth quarter.”
The Komets will now play three consecutive away games in the coming days, visiting Hilltop High School tonight, then San Pasqual on December 28, and finally, Castle Park High on December 30. They return home on January 4 for a game against Escondido Charter.
Kearny Komet Spotlight
The Kearny Komets varsity basketball team has been able to take advantage of the excellent scoring of Ubay Hussein. Our Kearny High reporter Nicole Phakdy recently sat down with Hussein to ask him a few questions. Here is what he had to say:
—How many years have you been playing basketball?
13 years.
—What do you like most about playing basketball?
I like getting buckets.
—Do you plan on playing basketball after high school graduation? If so, at what school?
If I get the opportunity to play basketball after high school I would take it.
—What are your goals for this year’s basketball season?
My goal this year is to get a ring.
—What are your professional or career goals?
I want to get into SDSU and continue playing basketball.
—Do you have a professional athlete that inspires you/that you follow?
Kobe Bryant.
The Linda Vista Update wishes to thank Ubay Hussein for participating in the interview, and we wish him and his team good luck for the rest of the season.
Truffles in Linda Vista?
Digging for Answers to a Mystery Dog Story
A few weeks ago, we published an article about a very large Newfoundlander dog in the community named Wyatt Slurp. This article had wide readership and generated lots of commentary. Much more than we usually receive. Accordingly, in preparation for this issue, I set out on a quest to find a pet story that would generate similar attention from our pet loving readers.
Starting close to home was a no-brainer. Our neighborhood is full of dogs. Every size, shape, color you can imagine. However, most are very ordinary in appearance. No two-hundred pounders, no 5 oz ones. I started to panic.
Then I finally saw someone walking a very strange looking dog. A breed I had never seen before. It was all white, with a very dirty face. I decided to approach the owner and ask some questions.
Turns out this dog is an Italian Truffle Dog. It is officially called a Lagotto Romagnolo. Her name is Bellini. Now, I am Italian and I had never heard of this breed. What is a truffle dog? I didn't think it meant this dog was fond of chocolate truffles, so I had to find out more.
I learned that Lagotto Romagnolo dogs have been used for truffle harvesting for hundreds of years in northern Italy. But do any of us really know what a truffle is?And why do they need their own dogs? Have any of us ever tasted a truffle? You’ve probably heard that they are expensive. But why? And most importantly, if there are Truffle dogs in Linda Vista, might there be truffles growing in this area? I decided it was time to get some answers.
Here’s what I found out about truffles. A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus of the genus Tuber. There, don’t you feel better now knowing that? Truffles are first mentioned in inscriptions dating to the 20th century BC. I could tell you what Plutarch and Cicero thought about them, but I will let you look that up yourself. Truffles are a type of mushroom, but grow underground and don’t have the typical mushroom stem. Truffles cannot be cultivated and are only available a few months out of the year.
Truffles are not cooked like regular mushrooms by frying, baking, or boiling. Cooking destroys the truffle’s characteristic flavor and aroma that render it a delicacy. Chefs use a metal slicer or shave them over pasta, risotto, polenta or eggs.
The flavor of a truffle is apparently unique. Umami, hints of garlic and nuttiness. From what I researched, the aroma of a truffle is a sensory experience like no other. They cost so much for various reasons – they are not easy to find, difficult to store, and difficult to grow. Because of their shape and being so well hidden, the human eye cannot spot a truffle, therefore the need for an animal to find this delicacy. It used to be that pigs were trained to find truffles in the Umbria and Toscana regions of Italy. Unfortunately when pigs are used, they often eat the truffles which kind of defeats the purpose and makes for very expensive pig food. Nowadays, highly trained dogs are used and often rewarded with cubes of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Truffles can take up to 7 years to be ready to harvest.
So let’s talk cost. I checked out the Eataly.com web site, and came across the page on truffles. So here are some prices. Fresh white truffles – 1 oz. $330., 2 oz. $660. 4 oz. $1,320. Truffle olive oil $47.50, Truffle salt 3.5 oz - $39.90. On another website black truffles were $124..95 for 1 oz. Williams-Sonoma has a gift box you may like which includes small black truffles, truffle butter, truffle salt, white truffle olive oil and a truffle shaver for the low price of $249.95.
I might add at this time, that these truffles are not to be confused with chocolate truffles. Though while they too are expensive, they are a lot easier to find, and even Costco sells them.
Now, you might ask what have truffles to do with Linda Vista and why are we writing this? Well, back to Bellini, the Lagotto Romagnolo in our community with the dirty nose. This got us to thinking. Why is this dog’s nose dirty? Why do we see her rooting around in the ground while on her many daily walks. Why does her owner always carry a bag that has the following Italian words written on its side…”mettere i tartufi all'interno del sacchetto.” And why is she constantly giving Bellini treats as if the dog has found something remarkable? Could it be? Have truffles been found in this area of Linda Vista? Is there indeed a secret treasure trove of rare truffles in our neighborhood?
The dog’s owner has been coy about addressing our speculation, saying “I can neither confirm nor deny any trifling talk about truffles in Linda Vista.”
However, if our speculation turns out to be true, imagine what truffles could do for our local economy. Just think how the cuisine of Linda Vista could be enhanced. Truffle tacos, truffle pho, truffle banh mi, and Mr. Peabody’s truffle burgers. The opportunities are endless. Our community could be on the way to becoming a world class gastronomical destination.
So we want you to know that we are determined to stay on this case We will scrupulously keep our eye on Bellini and see if we can find the secret stash. We are including a couple pictures, so you too can be on the lookout. Keep tuned. (We are also including a picture of chocolate truffles so you don’t get confused.) Happy truffle hunting, readers.
Hopefully you find this story as interesting as the one on Wyatt Slurp.
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If you have your own dog story that you want shared with our readers, let us know. We are always sniffing around for good stories.
Holiday Greetings to All of Our Readers!
We wish to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season with friends and family.
The Linda Vista Update will take a one-week holiday hiatus. Our next post will come out January 6.
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