OK all you crazy food lovers out there: Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced the tastes of San Francisco! Raise both hands if you’ve walked the Wharf and Union Square under sun-shiny blue skies, breathing in the scents of the sea, and stopping here and there to sample some of the gastronomical bounty at the revamped Ferry Terminal (hello Uta!). Raise both hands and one foot if your husband handed you the airline tickets and said “just have fun – don’t worry about it.” Trust me when I tell you I was bouncin’ around on my ass, hands and feet in the air, all over the glorious city of San Francisco and the Fancy Food Show for three glorious days.

Every mouthful of that San Francisco fare is imprinted in my mind and–as long as we’re being honest—my body.

Can you say “TOO MUCH CHEESE???!!!!” and for some strange reason, aromas of the diverse selection of foods I sampled are emanating from my pores. I know–I’m a freak.  But seriously, my left hand smells like Vietnamese Green Curry, there’s an essence of chocolate I can’t (and really don’t want) to shake on my right. My clavicle is some sort of tomato-based sauce and I have an overall truffle oil aura. Yes, I washed my clothes, and no, I haven’t been going out.

The Fancy Food Show (NASFT) occurs twice per year. Each January, distributors, brokers, purveyors, and other food enthusiasts gather in San Francisco to see and be seen, and each summer, a similar gang heads to New York (D.C. this June) to do it again!  It’s a gastronomical playground where the big-boys (Roland, Jelly Belly, and ‘Don’t Forgetta Mezzetta!’) and those stalwart newbies exist harmoniously as they present their latest and greatest products to brokers, media reps, and gourmands. They keep the market (and your pantry) alive, well, and exciting.

There were raisins macerated in wine and coated with chocolate; Kookaburra Licorice with the perfect soft-but-chewy texture (get it now at Ace Hardware!); an oncologist who wanted to pair chocolate with wine (I hung there for quite some time).

The air was so thick with the smell of European-aged cheeses you could almost taste them even if you weren’t sampling. Girls in mini skirts helped me clear my palate with shots of cocktail mixes that were packaged in handy-dandy carrying cases (The Modern Cocktail).

Instant Asian foods were being prepared and served ala minute (darned tasty!) as people wandered the aisles nibbling Sukhi’s “Naanwich” (es).

From any spot in the convention center, a 360-degree turn revealed olive oils, vinegars, soups, sauces, and confections. At times the whole scene caused some serious sensory overload, but seeing the pride in the faces of these folks– the love and care that they put into making their products–I couldn’t help but think: “I LOVE my job!”

Now this might take a bit of stretching before grocery shopping, but I assure you that my next request is well-worth the effort: please stop and take a look at some of those products below your eye level. You might just find something you like!