Betty's Bakery

Ironing boards. Kitchen appliances. 70’s dance funk. Am I watching Alice on an episode of the Brady Bunch? No! I’m getting breakfast at Betty’s Bakery! I forgot to get the news first I was having so much fun ordering my coffee (don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s strong and dark) and dancing with the dozen bakers behind the counter. There were so many people working the kitchen it looked like a keg party. I’ve biked past so many times but never stopped; what a loss! It’s that busy corner of Telegraph and 51st St, just south of Claremont where one side of the street seductively boasts an amazing video store, Betty’s, an Aikido studio, and Asmara’s Ethiopian food, while the other side languishes under the behemoth eyesores of Walgreen’s and Check Cashing. In many ways, such is Oakland, straddling its two sides, such is breakfast at Betty’s, and such is the front page today. The state’s “decision makers” (emphasize your fingers as you make the air-quotation marks) argue over who is responsible for migrant criminals, each seeming to comfortably deny any ownership. On the other side, the headline refreshingly makes a declarative statement: “Obama opposes ban on gay marriage.” This is as exciting as breakfasting at an ironing board for most of us in the Bay, but anyone who brushes morning shoulders with politics, agree or disagree, has to appreciate this guy for not acting like Newsom and pretending like everything is somebody else’s problem. And, tucked away in the bottom corner, “Starbucks to cut back.” I will not comment. As Mr. Newsom said, “I don’t have the authority here.”

Sitting on my stool at my ironing board, out walked an endless stream of hipsters: girls in striped leggings and sweaters, dudes in sweatshirts and mustaches. When I felt myself mellowing out a bit, out walks a mom with neon blue hair and a baby strapped to her chest. The only thing that didn’t happen was someone using an ironing board for their laundry. On the great side, I got to dance while I ordered, sip my coffee feeling like a piece of installation art, and smile at the eclectic crowd of customers going in and out. On the other side, there was nowhere to sit inside and most tables were in the shade early, no WiFi, and there is a lot of noisy, dirty traffic stopping at that light. That’s the straddling part. Here’s the straight ride: Betty’s is at the corner of Oakland’s heart and soul. Go there, get a pastry (all freshly baked and looking on the A+ side of Amazing), sip some coffee, and enjoy a place that takes responsibility for a good breakfast. And while you’re there you can finish your laundry.

Enjoy your break slow and with artistic flare, dear readers. After all, if the front page takes charge of our morning, nobody but Obama will be responsible for anything. I’ll be ironing my breakfast.

Breakfast in the Bay: Making sense of waking up since Tuesday, 2008.