It’s a spectacularly beautiful day in Southern California. The perfect weather for a walk down the hill to the Hollywood Farmers Market. I was especially excited about the journey because I already knew what seasonal item was first on my list of must eats this week. You see, I had a hankering for oysters.

I was recently invited to Public Kitchen & Bar in the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, to have a sneak peek at the special Oyster and Champagne Menu they plan to have available every night throughout December. I am already a big fan of Public Kitchen & Bar, but the lure of a seasonal, sophisticated spread dominated by bi-valves kicked my holiday season into high gear. They have a large selection of choices which vary daily according to availability. But you can expect to see some combination of Belon, Coromandel, Fanny Bay, Hood Canal, Kumamoto, Malpeque, Phantom Creek, Raspberry Point, Well Fleet, Salt Pond, and Kusshi.

At Public Kitchen & Bar they are served with Champagne by the glass or by the bottle– of which, they have a substantial selection. Many more bubblers than you would expect to see on most bar menus. Making a quick bite at the bar a festive occasion indeed.

Do you read SpinachTiger? If not you should. Her blog is sophisticated, witty and honest.

These are great reasons to read her blog 364 days a year. But there is a 365^th day and on that day there is an even more compelling reason to make the time to go there.

Tuesday December 1 is World AIDS Day. Angela at SpinachTiger is asking us to Cook Red To Remember.

Now, I am going to say something that may seem controversial. I am a gay man, old enough to remember the shell-shocked days of the early epidemic. I don’t need a special day to remember the death, the sadness or the fear.

So when I hear about these special days set aside for remembrance there is a part of me that bristles up and thinks, “what about every other day in the year?” It sometimes almost offends me that one day a year needs to be set aside so we can “remember” that 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and there is still no cure.