Oh, the people were dressed finely and when I arrived, I thought, "this ain't no raw fooder party - I don't know anyone here."

Except for the chef, Melissa Davidson, that is - a collected, spiritually mature, recent-transient-now-settled-in-Redondo-Beach with her own raw restaurant, Terra Bella Cafe.

Melissa wore a fashionable mini scarf and this farmtown girl from southern Michigan kinda didn't understand such things. Let's face it: in an area with real winters - I'm talking real winters - scarves aren't worn to look sophisticated, which Melissa most certainly exemplified, but to keep your lungs from getting ice crystals in them. Think about the truth of that, you soft southern Californians bless your souls - real ice in your lungs.

There was fortunately no threat of ice or frost or any kind of inclement weather for four or more months in Redondo Beach, CA, so the well-timed opening of Terra Bella Cafe spilled out onto the after-dark streets. People sipping organic wine paired with sunflower sprout salad and real cacao chocolate tort. I, however, got drunk on the Kombucha, not the wine; a fermented mushroom tea containing trace amounts of alcohol as a zymolisis byproduct. It's a good life when you are so clean you can actually get drunk off of tea. Or get high from a breath of fresh air. Or trip by getting off on the dance floor.

Like last nite at Hollywood's House of Blues... You know, all day I was imagining dancing and then I was finally there - VIPed into the Foundation Room. My mind was crazy free and I left the two captivating men who escorted me to find the dance floor - the center of the dance floor - and start the circle up. And go off like I don't care who's watching because Photek (Photeck! Photek!) was headlining - a Drum and Bass dj whom you can't purchase music from corporately because it's his own label that he records anything and everything on and honestly, why would you want a recording of this anyhow - the art is in the real-time divinatory spinning. Drum and Bass is live, let the speakers move you pushing down to go up grounding in to lift off spending more time in the air than on the floor dancing like Spirit is an old family friend music.

When on the dance floor, Spirit knows me well.

And spirited was the moment, for audience and performer, when I held out my lighter-fluid-soaked wicks for that captivating man to with a lighter set aflame. Right there on the sidewalk, in front of Terra Bella Cafe, with more than 40 jovial people cheering me on. I was pretty sure open flame on Redondo's shopping district sidewalk was illegal, and was also pretty sure the police couldn't catch me in the 4 minutes it takes for that fluid to burn off. Spirit, let's go.

I spun fire fire at the raw food restaurant grand opening. Earlier a musician played an electric set out of his Westfalia - amplifiers on the roof, a nerdy/cool three piece band, The Vaudevilles, strummed in back of the restaurant and a man with a flower tucked behind his ear poured Kombucha shots to raw vegans, drunk on tea, howling at the moon and dancing to DJ Brooke inside the cafe.

Then I saw Ron Gilmore, the producer of The UNcooking Show, a DVD I played a role in. Ron's been working out. Then I hugged Debbie Merrill, the host of the Wacky LA television show I was a guest on. Debbie glitters like Vegas. Then Light, the yoga instructor, poked over for a hug before he left. An event would not be and event without Light's blessing. Suddenly raw fooders were coming out of the woodwork! And to make it official, there was Robin from The Living Temple. It was officially then that I decided this was a raw fooder party ... I knew everyone there.

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