It's been a little cold here in the Bay Area recently. When I get chilled, my favorite warm up food is ramen. In Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, a favorite is Marufuku Ramen on Telegraph. If you sit at the bar, you'll get to watch the ramen chef work their magic.
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| Marufuku Ramen Oakland, 1/2026 |
Stay warm folks and enjoy your ramen.
CoWaBunGA!
HaPpY NeW YeaR!
Enjoy the new year with a pistachio latte and Dubai Chocolate cheesecake at Sana'a Cafe in Oakland. Inspired by Yemeni culture, Sana'a Cafe serves authentic Yemeni coffee, tea, sandwiches, and desserts. There are two Sana'a Cafe locations in Oakland; the Temescal location features comfy banquette seating with fluffy throw pillows that you can form into a cozy niche for yourself and your laptop. However, it's the cheesecakes that are calling me back...
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| Sana'a Cafe, Temescal Oakland, 1/2026 |
CoWaBunGA!
Unfortunately, our local Chinese restaurant "Little Shin Shin" closed during the pandemic. In its place, Mensho, an award-winning ramen chain from Tokyo, opened up around 2023. We were reluctant to try Mensho because of its association with the loss of Little Shin Shin and the huge crowds waiting in line to get inside. But, we decided to give it a try this month and we were pleasantly surprised.
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| Mensho Ramen, Oakland, 12/2025 |
CoWaBunGA!
The DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, presents a survey of Manga art from the 1970's to recent works. The art of manga encompasses many genres, from sports to fine dining to historical mythology. One artist that caught my attention is Araki Hirohiko, whose manga "Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure" is a mix of contemporary fashion and 1980's music with an action-adventure storyline.
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| Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure, Part 5 Golden Wind, Hirohiko - 12/2025 |
CoWaBunGA!
A relatively new cafe opened in the SFMOMA, Jane on Third. The cafe is part of the Jane the Bakery chain of bakeries and cafes in San Francisco. Several iterations of restaurants occupied the space that Jane on Third is currently located, but I found Jane on Third to be the most welcoming and comfortable of the lot. The seating, decor, atmosphere, and food are very welcoming to visitors of SFMOMA and the public in general.
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| Jane on Third, in the SFMOMA, 12/2025 |
This is definitely a must-stop whenever I'm in downtown SF.
CoWaBunGA!
Revisiting KAWS Exhibit at the San Francisco MOMA, it was interesting to me how KAWS has his characters holding smaller versions of other characters. It's very human in how children hold small versions of themselves, as dolls.
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| Take, KAWS at the SFMOMA, 12/2025 |
It reminds me that beings unlike ourselves can experience emotion and be very human.
CoWaBunGA
Looking closely at Berthe Morisot's paintings, they are very different than Manet's. She used color to define her compositions and there doesn't seem to be distinct outlines. The results are beautiful.
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| Eugene & Julie, Morisot, Legion of Honor, 12/2025 |
Go see for yourself at the Manet & Morisot Exhibit, Legion of Honor, San Francisco.
CoWaBunGA
