Garlic & Gastronomy

As I happen to live in the (very blue) San Francisco Bay Area, Mrs. Gankomon and I, accompanied by another couple attended the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, held (as one might suspect) in the city of Gilroy, approximately 45-60 minutes south of San Jose and two hours south of San Francisco. While the food and beverages were well up to my high standards, I found the trip down to be wearing, as traffic moved at about 2 miles per hour for a good portion of the journey. I might suggest that Gilroy give some thought to expanding the access roads, particularly the Monetery Street exit off from Highway 101.

That being said, I found the food, especially the garlic ice cream and the stuffed mushrooms to be delicious. And we were extremely grateful for the cooling spray in the wine-tasting tent. the walnut-flavored champagne was an eye-opener as well. i cannot remember the maker, but will post if I do. The music and entertainment, provided by apparently local groups, was determined, and was at least not annoying. And there was a plethora of things to observe, not least the other attendees of the Festival! I have not seen that many short skirts (not that I am complaining) in quite some time.

After we partook of the offerings at the festival proper, we moved over ot the nearby Outlet center, containing a large number of name-brand shops offering merchandise at low prices. Mrs. gankomon and I were able to secure some apparel for the coming addition, and our friends found some things as well. We topped off the day by eating taiwanese noodles at a small shop not far from our domicile. All in all, it was a very rewarding day, and I highly recommend it to any passers-by who have any interest at all in garlic and good food, drink and an all-around fun time.