Page 12 - Tonilee & Bobbye Social Media Special Edition Oct Nov 2011 (1)

Whats up?Whats up?Whats up?Whats up?

San Diegan Women Share Their Thoughts
Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs 3rd Corner Wine Shop & Bistro
By Persephone Roland-Holst By Charlotte Ljungquist

We’ve all seen those twisty HOURS OF OPERATION
new CFL’s and heard that Wine Shop
they are extremely energy Open from 10 AM to 1:30 AM Everyday
efficient. Being all for doing Kitchen
my part in reducing energy Open from 11:30 AM to 1:00 AM Everyday
usage I bought a package & 10am-1:00am Sundays
of them and promptly broke HAPPY HOUR
one. At the time I thought ALL NIGHT MONDAYS 3pm-close
nothing of it. When i first Tuesday-Saturday 3-6pm & late night from 11pm-close
used one, the glaring white
glow was so disturbing that Although Third Corner Wine Shop and Bistro in Encinitas is
the rest quickly went into first and foremost a wine bar with an excellent selection of
the trash. reasonably priced wines, I find myself repeatedly recommend-
Since then I’ve done some ing it to non wine drinking friends and colleagues. The reason
research on CFL’s and am simply is that the food menu is so well composed and the
shocked that they’re even on the market, let alone will be re- dishes so delicately prepared, that they could well stand to be
placing our traditional incandescents by 2012. There’s some- enjoyed without an accompanying glass of wine.
thing seriously wrong with this picture. The owner of Third Corner has created a formula that certainly
To begin, it seems that CFL’s have a nasty habit of blowing up seems to work. Most week nights the majority of the tables
unexpectedly and on numerous occasions have caused fires are occupied and the bar is pleasantly full, whereas the week-
and deaths. If that’s not bad enough, try wrapping your mind end leaves standing room only if you arrive after seven thirty.
around the fact that these twisty time bombs have 4-5 mgs For a low corkage fee of five dollars you can drink the bottle
neurotoxic mercury inside which the EPA considers hazardous you selected in the adjacent retail section, enjoy appetizers
to health if exposed. Breathing vapors is especially damag- and a main course and still end up being pleasantly surprised
12 ing to children, causing impaired neurological development. when you get the bill.
The menu is fresh and rather diverse, offering some interesting
It’s strongly recommended NOT to use CFL’s in children’s
bedrooms. Of course, for adults it’s not much better. Expo- choices, like my personal favorite: a vegetable risotto made
sure can lead to nausea, respiratory problems, memory loss with Farro, an ancient Etruscan grain. With its lighter texture
(often permanent), kidney and liver damage, heart problems, and nuttier flavor, it’s a far tastier alternative than a traditional
and damage to the central nervous system to name a few. If a risotto.
bulb should break in your house, the extensive EPA cleanup The Pan Seared Sea Scallops is another dish worth trying. With
guideline list includes actions such as: evacuation of area a definite touch of Provence, these scallops come alive in a
for 15 minutes. Open windows. Don’t vacuum, instead use garlicky butter sauce filled with black olives, capers and fresh
cardboard and sticky tape, gloves, mask, safety goggles. Bulb tomatoes. If you are only looking for an appetizer, try the 3rd
remains should be put into a well-sealed glass jar and all clean Corner fries. Drizzled with seasoned garlic oil, sprinkled with
up tools, including any exposed bedding, clothing or carpet- parmesan cheese and served with homemade mayonnaise and
ing, should be sealed in a bag. There’s more to the cleanup ketchup, these French fries are delicious and well worth eating
list and it’s not much different than what a Hazmat team would as an appetizer. The only item on the menu that has disap-
do. Next, because mercury is a bio-accumulative neurotoxin pointed me so far is the Artisan Cheese Plate. Even though the
(meaning that, in living organisms, it increases in toxicity lev- selected cheeses are quite good, the quantity of each one is
els as it moves up the food chain) which can and will cause en- so miniscule that the $ 15 price seems like an insult. It is very
vironment problems of epic proportions, so one must dispose inconsistent with the rest of the menu that is so reasonably
of used and broken bulbs at proper hazardous waste facilities priced that the most expensive dish tops off at $ 20.
which are rare and far between. What a hassle! Consequently All that said, I must admit that I come to 3rd Corner more for
millions of bulbs are being disposed of improperly. According the wine than for the food. The ever changing selection never
to the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, only 2% ceases to impress me and even though I frequently mourn a
of residential consumers and 1/3 of businesses recycle. Real- discontinued favorite, I soon find another wine I never would
istically, will you make that 10-20 minute drive to the hazardous have tried, would my old one still have been there.
waste facility every time you need to dispose of a CFL? Prob- With its casual elegance, friendly staff, great food and wine rea-
ably not, but not doing so can exponentially add to our envi- sonably priced, 3rd Corner will most likely be around for quite
ronmental problems.. Data from Stanford University research a while. But still, don’t wait dropping by for a glass or two or
shows that the mercury in 1 CFL “is enough to contaminate up making it your destination for a fabulous lunch or dinner. You
to 6000 gallons of water beyond drinking levels.” just might find yourself returning again and again.
CFL’s are not only little ticking time bombs within our homes,
but also a massive one for our environment. Until someone
finds a better way of saving energy and the environment while
lighting us up, i’ll be sticking with our old warm incandescent
light bulbs, thank you very much!