Yang's and De Angelo's

Sean drives me to work a few days a week so he can have the car to get to his chiropractor (R. Bryant Owens at Holistic Xchange - great guy).  This afternoon he surprised me by stopping at Yang's Produce beforehand to pick up some strawberries, saving us the trip on our way home.  We stop at Yang's, a farmstand on McKee Road at least 1-2 times per week to stock up on fruits and vegetables in season.  They have the best heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes I have honestly ever tasted.  So fabulous in a caprese salad!  The family that owns the stand and raises the produce are friendly and kind.  Sean never used to like strawberries, but this spring when we moved here I would bring home 3 baskets after work and then receive a text from him the next day requesting that I stop and pick up more because he had eaten them all.  The summer strawberries are great, but we are already looking forward to next year's spring harvest because they are the sweetest little red strawberries in the world.

My friend Heather, who started the same day I did at UC Merced as the university's Director of Alumni Affairs, had the splendid idea of inviting a group of folks out to dinner at De Angelo's this evening after work.  It was so great to meet others who work in different parts of the university.  There was a fun mix of people from Merced and other parts of California, and some from out of state.  The food was good and the company was great.  We plan to make our meetings a regular occurrence.

The names of these two establishments also highlight one of the things I really love about the Merced area.  Though the city's population is only 80,000, there is such a great racial and ethnic mix.  The food and cultural celebrations are two ways we have already celebrated this wonderful variety.

Yang's Produce Stand
McKee Rd. and Alexander Ave., Merced

De Angelo's Restaurant
2000 E Child Avenue, Merced