I grew up in San Jose. Every year we would go to SF on the day after Thanksgiving to check out the crazy Christmas displays in the department stores of Union Square, and then the touristy Pier 39. At a Boudin sourdough bread place I had a simple meal of cheese pizza, minestrone soup, and sour dough bread and butter. It was rainy, the soup was hot, and I was a care-free kid...
My current drink of choice:
Cheap domestic beer over ice, with fresh lime juice, iced coffee with whole milk, vodka and soda, with more lime.
My favorite comfort food:
saltine crackers and swiss or extra sharp cheddar cheese
My most tattered cookbooks:
How to Cook Everything - Mark Bittman, Cook's Illustrated; The New Best Recipe - from Cook's Illustrated Magazine