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.

Michael Bauce cooks and Kaare Bursell lectures at a monthly macrobiotic dinner and lecture in Berkeley at Michael's home, on August 15 (Spleen/Pancreas and Stomach) and September 12 (The Mystery of Money), 6 pm; by Tuesday morning. Information on this monthly Wednesday event: http://berkeleymacrobiotics.blogspot.com (see the August 19, 2011 entry in Older Posts).

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.

Suzanne Olson, one of our most loyal and supportive Monday Dinner patrons, passed away on July 28 at Sequoia Hospital. She had been dealing with cancer.

Blessed with a delightfully quirky sense of humor, Suzanne wrote and directed a musical play, Home on the Range, The Real and True Story of Gary Alinder, An American Hero, featuring a stellar cast of Monday Dinner hams (see photo). The production was a smash hit at the 19th Anniversary Dinner on May 8, 2006. She also wrote and delivered The Ten Worst Things About Monday Night Dinners for the 2005 Comedy Night a year earlier (see photo), reproduced in a sidebar below.

For our 25th Anniversary Dinner this May 7, Suzanne wore a lovely family heirloom dress, seen in the photo above by Sky Ann McGrath.

As a sufferer herself, she was very active in the communities of people affected by multiple chemical sensitivities and chronic fatigue syndrome. She also contributed to a health blog for the San Francisco Examiner.

A Celebration of Life was held on August 4 in San Francisco. Suzanne is survived by her mother Isabelle, sisters Cheryl and Elise, brother Mark, nieces Kathleen and Christine, and many friends from the Monday Dinner community who will miss her.  

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.

Marin-based cookbook author, lecturer, and macrobiotic food coach Meredith McCarty teaches a cooking class, Vegan Appetizers & Soups, on Tuesday, September 18, 6:30-8:30 PM, $50; and lectures on Healthy Eating for Healthy Aging, Thursday, September 20, 6:30-8:00 PM, $25. To register or get location and other information, call 415 945-3730. For other activities by Meredith in Marin, call 415 272-5525 or visit http://healingcuisine.com.

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

Macrobiotic Counselor Julie Ong teaches macrobiotic cooking classes and does macrobiotic consultations in San Francisco; visit http://juliesong.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).

No speaker is scheduled for August.

On September 10, Tia Rich, Ph.D. will guide us in breathing practices to relax, unwind and thrive in her presentation Breathing for Longevity, Love & Livelihood™! Oxygen-rich breaths are the perfect complement to delicious, nutritious food. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs and large intestines are seen as related. The function of the lungs impacts the function of the large intestine so that skillful breathing improves digestion. Breathing techniques that have played an integral role in Eastern traditions of mind-body health are now being recognized by western science as effective for reducing stress and alleviating physical and emotional health problems.

Dr. Rich teaches breathing for the Stanford Health Promotion Research Center. She will guide you in techniques that infuse vitality into your body after a demanding day, bring pleasure into an intimate moment, or focus concentration in the midst of frenzied activity at home or work. You will learn the science of breath and the specific benefits of a variety of practices including diaphragmatic breathing, warming versus cooling techniques, and calming and centering skills. Diaphragmatic breathing has been recognized for its importance for stress reduction and relaxation. Let your INSPIRATION begin! Experience the pleasures of breathing.

Dr. Rich, founding Assistant Director of the Stanford Health improvement Program, has been teaching breathing, mindful yoga, meditation, compassionate communication and stress management at Stanford University and Stanford Medical Center since 1982. As a psychotherapist and executive coach, Dr. Rich helps individuals to enjoy optimal health, fulfilling relationships and successful careers (see TiaRich.com). To register for her four week class Breathing for Longevity, Love & Livelihood™ (Wednesdays at noon, Sept 26-Oct 10, Education Bldg Room 334 at Stanford, open to all), call 650 723-9649 or visit http://hip.stanford.edu (search on the class name).

On October 1, Kevin Strong, M.D., will speak on A Pediatrician from Maine Battles the Obesity Epidemic with DunkTheJunk.org and Macrobiotics. The problem of obesity has grown to epidemic proportions--a recent study predicts that 50 percent of adults will be obese by 2030. Current day calculations estimate an annual cost of 180 billion dollars in obesity related morbidity expense. The epidemic has far reaching and severe consequences, including the following: obesity is now the leading cause of liver disease in children--1 in 10 now suffer from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes; and when considering Americans over the age of 65, the occurrence of diabetes jumps to 1 in 4.

Dr. Strong is a pediatrician in Maine who has firsthand, daily dealings with the effects of junk food and the obesity epidemic. He decided to do something about it. In 2011 he founded the nonprofit Dunk the Junk (DunkTheJunk.org), a digitally evolved, science based, nutrition education program captivating youth through street art, hip hop, and hoops. And to complement the trendy Dunk the Junk, Dr. Strong is expanding his education program to include the centuries-old approach of macrobiotics, which emphasizes eating traditional, whole, unprocessed, and local foods to move towards a balanced lifestyle which sets the stage for and encourages health and happiness. It is impossible to overlook the overwhelming volume of research, both old and new, which validates the macrobiotic approach.  

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 

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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.