Finding pieces of SF in Asia
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Sourdough home away from home. Photo: Courtesy of Shawna Chen
You can take the girl out of San Francisco, but you can't take San Francisco out of the girl. That old adage was apparent to me during my recent trip to Taiwan and South Korea.
State of play: I spotted several glimpses of our city in the unlikeliest of places, a comforting reminder that home has a way of following you, even halfway across the world.
Here are a few notable moments:
This replica of the so-called Russian Embassy is tucked away in the basement of a nondescript office building that houses Taipei's Miniatures Museum.
- Created by Jim Marcus, the miniature honors the historic Westerfeld House, an ornate wood palazzo in Alamo Square with over 20 rooms.
Fun fact: It was nicknamed the Russian Embassy in the 1920s after a group of Russians bought the Gothic mansion and turned the ballroom into a nightclub.
- It's also considered one of San Francisco's haunted houses, though the museum's display text didn't allude to that.
Another dollhouse miniature at the museum also featured a scene from the city.
- Made in 1997 by Ray Whitledge, "Glorious Sunset" is modeled after Victorian-era architecture and includes nods to the city's multicultural legacy.
- Peep the Chinese folding screen peeking out from the corner — the display text noted that it would've been a much more common household item in San Francisco than it would in other U.S. cities.
Probably the biggest surprise of all: Running into a Tartine Bakery in Itaewon, a Seoul district known for its international flavors.
- This one was massive, filled with cozy lounge chairs and its famous sourdough bread.
- A quick Google search informed me that it's one of six Tartine bakeries in Seoul — its only overseas presence thus far.
The water was warmer and the skies clearer at Wai'ao Beach, but surfing there felt just as familiar as my turns in Northern California's choppy waves.
- Even across a different continent, surf culture — and etiquette — transcended time and space.
The bottom line: I may have left for a couple weeks, but between the miniatures and sourdough, the city never really left me.