Many SF Bay Area residents would agree that upon moving elsewhere, after getting over the shockingly lower housing costs, the main thing they would miss is the vast array of ethnic cuisines available in this global village. Sure, the weather may be right up there on the “hard to forget” list, but with three meals a day (and snacks!), the loss of food choices can easily come out on top. In many areas of the U.S. you get a choice of the typical selection of cuisines (Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean). But here you also end up with concentrated styles within the general cuisine (Szechuan, Hong Kong dim sum, Southern Indian, chaat houses, Japanese noodles, sushi of course, Korean barbecue and tofu houses). It’s not something to take for granted, though many of us do.

The SF Chronicle ran a special last week on “the new ethnic landscape” of Northern California. It goes into detail on subjects such as the Asian supermarket Ranch 99 and the enclave of Indian markets and restaurants that sit half a block away from my condo (they blend in almost seamlessly with a row of Korean restaurants and markets). It says a lot when you can not only pick from multiple ethnic restaurants, but also, with little effort, buy authentic ingredients and recreate the dishes at home.