Why You Should Eat Here – Part 2

Keeping up with the theme of Japan Town and staying close to home, I would like to talk about another great local eatery. Not too far around the corner in the deep depths of Broadway, another great locale is sitting there ready to be picked a part. Dedicated to another of Sacramento and Japanese American history, the nature of our produce industry was founded on the back bones of hard working immigrants. Cesar Chavez is the general face of that time period when he organized our Produce Unions and is seen as a great hero to many Hispanics. One of the things that gets overlooked though is the integral history of Japanese produce workers and how hard they fought to be unionized as well. Many Japanese workers fought alongside their Hispanic brethren in search of equal rights. They work hard, they deserve to eat hard. I recommend Market Club.

Pork Steak and Eggs at Market Club

Good eats, large portions, and early hours all play into what’s so great about this little greasy spoon located in the middle of a produce shipping yard. From Pork Ribs, Fried Pork Steaks, BBQ Chicken, and an awesome Corned Beef Hash, the typical fare is all there. But the mixture of Japanese and Mexican influences don’t stop from just the owners and the history surrounding this place. The great Chorizo Scramble or Loco Moco feed into the appetites of those who not only seek the goodness of greasy, but the historical mixture of what it meant to grow up in an industry of culture. Make sure to stop by, enjoy the fare, and leave a little sleepier then when you got there.

Market Club Sacramento 2630 5th St # 16  Sacramento, CA 95818 To call: (916) 498-9953Open: Tuesday through Friday, Sunday

Why You Should Eat Here – Part 1

They say culture and food are the spirit of life. Not sure who “they” are but I can see where they are coming from. Lately though, it seems as if food and culture go hand in hand. When people think of culture, they go for the food and how it defines that aspect of life. People see fortune cookies and chow mein and automatically identify Chinese and what it means to them. You would be hard pressed to call it stereotyping, more so just an entry way to the culture being described. Using this logic, I am reminded why we choose this route in the pursuit of culture. I look no further then the neighbors to my local JACL (Japanese American Citizens League), Junes Cafe.

Bacon Fried Rice at June’s Cafe

Harken back to the good ol’ days of Japan town in Sacramento, right there on the outskirts of midtown lies this quaint cafe. The menu is a throwback to simpler times, as in Japanese Internment. Items like the “Weiner Royale” and “Loco Moco” speak more to history then to cultural cuisine. You won’t find sushi, sake bombs, or even fresh fish for that matter. What you do get is a humbling experience to what many nisei and issei grew up with and still go back to for more. If you get a chance, please patron this local business and keep the history alive.

June’s Cafe located on 921 V Street  Sacramento, CA 95818 To call: (916) 447-2264

Why I Don’t Lie

So last week I had an interview with this really amazing Non-Profit Organization. They are located right on the outskirts of the Pocket area and serve the greater and not so well to do Asian American community for Sacramento. What I love about this organization is the establishment has grown up with me serving somewhat as the initial community to be helped. My first experience here was as a youth growing up and attending this area with a group of my friends. My vaguest memory was of Pumpkin Carving and having our work of art donated to the local nursing home only a few blocks away. This has been almost a decade.

For a while now, I have always looked at this place from the outside. Driving by the community center seemed like a pipe dream to me as I started attending college and growing into the person I wanted to be. I call it a dream more so in the sense that I never knew what I could be with my life but I knew that I needed to start with my roots. I think it’s important to remember where you come from and how you can always give back to what has given you so much growing up. I won’t lie, I was one of those spoiled, entitled kids who was sheltered from most of life and only expected hand outs in the form of life expectations. Regulating myself and what I truly believe in makes me truly appreciate what I never realized what had been in front of me and offered to me my whole life. It isn’t my job to just assume that my social status is entitling me to some lifestyle that I could never achieve. I need to remember for myself that why I exist is to help others. I wouldn’t go so far to say that I am a selfless person, but i do care to make the lives of other’s easier. No lie, I’m a nice guy.