San Mateo's Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival

Saturday, May 9, 2009, was a bit of an odd day. I went to the farmers market for breakfast, intending to figure out while I was there what else I wanted to buy to cook the following couple days. The farmers market was packed! I imagine it was a combination of factors: last week's attendance was sparse because of rain, this day was beautiful; the day after is mother's day; and the market began exploding with summer produce. For instance, cherries and peaches just arrived. My plans, however, turned out for naught when I discovered I had only enough cash in my wallet for a muffin, nothing else.

Leaving the market, I headed to an ATM to withdraw cash and to a bookstore to look at some books on a topic I was researching. I got distracted and was there longer than I realized. Though I intended to return to the farmers market in time to shop properly, I made it there at closing and only managed to pick up some cherries and peaches.

I decided to continue my errand at another bookstore, then returned home (an hour and a half later), thinking that the length of my bookstore excursions implicitly meant I couldn't make it to any of the day's festivals.

I was wrong. When I arrived home, I noticed I left on my desk a postcard describing this day's Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, located right here walking distance way in a park in San Mateo. I'd been thinking about the festival earlier in the week, thinking that'd it be nice to go sit in the grass in the park. I'd forgotten about it.

A short walk later and I was in Central Park. The festival was much like it was when I went two years ago. In addition to sitting in the park and watching performances, including a good Korean drum group (similar to taiko), I stuck my head in the main building and also wandered (again) through the nearby Japanese tea garden and the rose garden, noticing the fragrant air and how everything was in bloom.