I’m happy that this March we are offering a special to people who work in the food service industry: waiving our $15 paperwork fee for patients coming in to our clinics for the first time and dropping our sliding scale down to $10 for our food service follow ups. My support for our March special comes from two places: first, I love to go out to eat; second, I used to work in the industry and appreciate how hard it is.
Oakland is a wonderful place for food and drink. Working at our Grand Ave. clinic location, it’s dangerously easy to find myself indulging in the deliciousness of local establishments. Strolling down Grand Ave., I have developed an unhealthy addiction to the “East Coast” sandwich at The Star, and my favorite way to celebrate the end of the week is to enjoy a robust glass of wine at Ordinaire wine bar. While I love the coffee at the Boot and Shoe, I usually cast a wider net for my direct trade beans and hearty cup of joe, ending up at Timeless on Piedmont, Modern Coffee in Downtown, or Subrosa on 40th. If I could, I’d go out to lunch every day. I would fill my week with a bento box from Mijori, a sandwich from Clove and Hoof, Mac n’ Cheese from Homeroom, fish tacos from Baja taqueria and Falafel from Liba.
During and after college, I worked as a server, busser, host, baker, and line cook. While each position had its grandeur and folly, the common theme shared by all of them was intense, focused, and draining work. It’s a little known fact that most acupuncturists who work in a community style setting have significant experience working in the foodservice industry. The connection is not surprising if one considers the similarities in the work flow.
When you come in to OAP, I greet you as your host, carefully listen to your order as your server, and, as your chef, I create the perfect “special of the day” treatment to nourish with needles your mind, body, and soul. For regulars, I can whip up “the usual.” I often remember one’s particular tastes and preferences: who doesn’t like needles on the brow, or on the ear, or wherever. When you’re well done, I come by as your busser to clear the table and take out all the needles. In the back of the house, we often refer to the time one remains in the chair with needles in as “cook time,” and being done with one’s acupuncture treatment as being “cooked.”
It’s an honor for me, this month, to cook up some homemade acupuncture for all of you enriching our city with so many tasty treats. Come by and simmer in the warm bliss of our clinics.