Make a date with a friend to meet at a Monday Dinner, or come by yourself and make new friends! Either way, you'll get a great meal and a lot more--everyone wins!

Help publicize the Monday Dinners! An easy way to spread the word about our weekly community gathering is to click on the Tell-A-Friend link in the upper left of this page. Just fill out the form with the email addresses of up to two friends, along with any personal comments you'd like to add, and click Submit--this emails your comments along with pre-written details of the Dinners and a link to this website!

Another way to help is to post a copy of our Dinner Menus in public locations. For a pdf file suitable for printing, click here.

Chuck Olson, a kind and friendly presence at our Monday Dinners and monthly potlucks for many years, passed away on April 29. For more on Chuck, click here.

Join our new Meetup Group, to receive email reminders of each Monday Dinner and reserve: http://www.meetup.com/Peninsula-Macrobiotic-Community-Vegetarian.

The 41st Annual French Meadows Summer Camp, sponsored by the George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation, takes place July 17-25 in the majestic Tahoe National Forest. Teachers include Dr. Will Tuttle, David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, Bob Carr, Melanie Waxman, Sheri DeMaris, Meredith McCarty, Dawn Pallavi Ludwig, David Jackson, Kaare Bursell, Mary Lore Simmons, Bob Ligon, Carl and Julia Ferré, Mike and Maria Chen, Kerry Loeb, Karen Garvey, Shirley Tung, Christy Morgan, Julie S. Ong, Jeanne Beveridge, Len (Lenny) Rubin, Claudia Delman, and Bob Ruggles. Delicious macrobiotic meals are prepared by Packy Conway, Susanne Jensen, and staff over wood fires. Also included are children's activities, campfires, cooking demos/classes, hikes, volleyball, variety show, and more—for a truly unforgettable experience!

Fees are $890/adult, $450/youth aged 3 to 18; 5% discount for full payment by June 1. Partial stays and work exchange are possible. For information, call Carl Ferré at 800 232-2372, pick up a camp brochure at Dinner, or visit http://ohsawamacrobiotics.com.

Chef Gary Alinder has started a blog at http://macrochef.wordpress.com. Tune into Gary's views on a variety of subjects including food and health, and leave your comments! He has also posted a recipe archive which includes soups; main dishes; sauces, gravies, and dressings; and desserts and snacks.

Monthly Vegan Potlucks! The Peninsula Veggie Potluck People, a spinoff of the Monday Dinners, sponsor monthly vegan potlucks; for details, visit http://pvpp.org. To host a potluck, call Diane Wohler at 650 704-0669, or Harold Stephenson at 650 856-1125.

For an interesting view of current health topics, check out the examiner.com online articles written by Suzanne Olson for the San Francisco Examiner. Suzanne is a regular at the Monday Dinners.

The North Bay Macrobiotic Potluck Group usually meets the first Sunday of each month in Santa Rosa, contact Stephen Starkweather ( ), 707 542-9739, http://www.northbaymacro.org. 

Chuck Olson, a kind, friendly, and fun-loving presence at our Monday Dinners and monthly potlucks for many years, passed away on April 29. He often hosted the potluck from his home in Santa Clara. He was also a regular at meetings of the Widows and Widowers Association in Los Altos. He often came to dinner dressed in a suit, looking very dapper.

Chuck was a retired electrician. He served in the Air Force in Germany, flying in the B-36 bomber, one of the largest warplanes ever built. He often mentioned the fun that he had with his buddies in the Air Force, which was obvious from the way he told his stories.

From Newsletter Editor Gerard Lum, "Chuck was very helpful to me when a room in my house lost electrical power. A friend and I tried to figure it out, but we got nowhere. When I asked Chuck if he was an electrician, his eyes lit up and he asked, excitedly, 'You got a problem?' The problem was mysterious, requiring several visits; each time he came with a different piece of test equipment, which he really knew how to use. On the third or fourth trip, as some kind of test, he connected a long wire from the circuit breaker on the first floor to the room on the second floor. Something popped--whatever his test was supposed to do caused the power to come back on. He never did figure out what the problem was or how he solved it, but it has stayed on ever since. We laughed about it."

An avid member of the Electric Auto Association (EAA), Silicon Valley Chapter, he drove a 1965 Saab that had been converted to run on electricity, and which he modified to run on a higher voltage. He participated in the EAA Rallies, gave rides in his Saab, and displayed the vehicle when requested. He was recently in the process of converting a 1969 Saab, but heart problems prevented him from finishing.

Chuck is survived by his three daughters, who had arrived from out of state one day before he passed. He hadn't seen them in a couple of years and was really looking forward to their visit. From his friend Terry Wilson, "The last time I saw Chuck, his daughters had just arrived at his hospital bedside. He was grinning from ear to ear. That was the last image I have of Chuck."

A memorial service is scheduled on Tuesday, June 15th at 10 AM, at Mission City Memorial Park, in Santa Clara.

Thanks to Terry Wilson of the EAA, who contributed much of the above information.

James Holloway, frequent Guest Chef at the Monday Dinners, does personal home cooking in Palo Alto, in macrobiotic and classical styles, call 650 852-9182.

By popular demand, Marin-based cookbook author, lecturer, and macrobiotic food coach Meredith McCarty teaches Saturday cooking classes in nearby Menlo Park:

• April 24, Tempeh Temptations: The Super Soyfood
• May 15 (and May 11 in Marin), Low-Acid Eating: The Best of Macrobiotic, Vegan, and Raw
• June 12, Light & Luscious Summer Desserts
• Healing Cuisine flier (pdf) describing the three classes above
• July 31, Healthy Thai Cuisine
• Healing Cuisine flier (pdf) describing the July-December classes

$60/class or $55/each for two or more. To register, contact Patty Evans at 650 988-9342 For other activities by Meredith including events in Marin, visit http://healingcuisine.com or call 415 272-5525.

For information on macrobiotic activities in the East Bay, contact Macrobiotic Health Counselor Michelle Nemer in El Cerrito, or 510 527-4367.

Macrobiotic Counselor Julie Ong teaches macrobiotic cooking classes and does macrobiotic consultations in San Francisco; visit http://www.everythingmacrobiotics.com or call 415 312-0241.

Speakers receive a gratuity from the audience; please show your support and appreciation with a donation ($5-10 suggested).

On June 28, Holistic Nutritionist (Diet Counselor, Nutrition Educator) and Cookbook Author Meredith McCarty will speak on Low-Acid Eating: The Best of Macrobiotic, Vegan and Raw. Eating to balance your pH to slightly alkaline is a fascinating journey of self discovery. Macrobiotics is based on the values of proportion and balance for health and longevity. Macrobiotic teacher Herman Aihara's book, Acid & Alkaline, is a classic in the field. Learn how to make delicious and digestible cooked, as well as raw, sprouted and fermented foods. Learn which whole grains are the most alkaline forming, which sea salt is most mineral-rich, and how to reformulate your favorite dressings with significantly less fat.

Meredith became involved in macrobiotics in the 1970s, and worked as an Associate Editor for Natural Health magazine and a co-Director of the East-West Center for Macrobiotics in Eureka. She has written three very popular cookbooks: American Macrobiotic Cuisine, Fresh From a Vegetarian Kitchen, and the award-winning dessert cookbook Sweet and Natural. Meredith studied macrobiotics with Michio and Aveline Kushi and with Herman and Cornellia Aihara in the 1970s. She has a Senior Certificate in the Art of Cooking from the Kushi Foundation. She is an associate of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and has worked in educational programs with Drs. Benjamin Spock, Dean Ornish, John McDougall and Neal Barnard. Visit http://www.healingcuisine.com.

On July 12, longtime student and practitioner of macrobiotics Maral Haddeland and current Newsletter Editor Gerard Lum will host A Health Show-and-Tell. Join us for an informal community gathering, with more participation than our usual monthly lecture. We will ask each person to introduce him/herself, then share something health-related with the group—a cooking tip, a book you like, a favorite restaurant, a health practitioner you'd recommend, a service you provide, a cause you're involved with, etc. Health questions are encouraged-perhaps someone in the group can help. The idea is to build connections, share knowledge, draw upon the group wisdom of our community—and have fun!

In the 1970s, after watching a friend use macrobiotics to overcome a chronically tired condition, Maral immersed herself in studies with teachers Michio Kushi, Herman and Cornellia Aihara, and Patrick and Meredith McCarty. Gerard has been Newsletter Editor since 1990, sets up speakers and other activities of the PMC, maintains the website, and photographs for Macrobiotics Today magazine. He has worked as an engineer and currently designs and maintains websites. 

The Community Connection feature appears when an author is inspired enough to produce an interview or profile for publication.

Enjoy these past features on community members by Denise Huajardo Springer, Sky Ann McGrath, and Gerard Lum:

• Simply Paul Schmitt
• Life Really Does Begin at 40! An Interview with Diane Wohler
• Eating Mother's Chicken: Making Choices in Life, An Interview with Gary Alinder
• Plain Miklane? An Interview with Miklane Janner
• Ken Becker on Macrobiotics, Part One
• Ken Becker on Macrobiotics, Part Two
• Passionate About Growing Healthy Food, An Interview with Patricia Becker
• By Having Hope, What Are You Going to Lose? An Interview with Geneva Page and Baron
• You Can Really Fly with It, An Interview with Gerard Lum
• An Evolving Vision of Community, An Interview with Miklane Janner
• Making a Difference Through Cooking, An Interview with Susanne Jensen 

Email Notification of Newsletter: To receive an email notification each time the Newsletter and Dinner Menus are published on this site (every two months), .

 

Mailing List Policy: To get a printed copy of the Newsletter and Dinner Menus delivered by postal mail, or call the phone number below. To offset the expense of producing the Newsletter and Menus, we suggest a contribution of $10/year or more. The date and amount of your last newsletter contribution appears on your mailing label. Write checks to "Peninsula Macrobiotic Community", and mail to Gerard Lum, 101 E. Middlefield Road #9, Mountain View, CA 94043, 650 903-0447.

We periodically review our mailing list. Those who have not made a recent contribution are subject to removal.

Tax-Deductible Contributions: We welcome and can use additional contributions to the Peninsula Macrobiotic Community, as income from the Dinners does not pay all of our expenses. We are a nonprofit organization, so additional contributions are fully tax-deductible. Send contributions to the address in Mailing List Policy above.

Back Issues of the Newsletter and Menus: Click here.