SQUIDFRY 03.02.23: Buzz Off

BUZZ OFF… Where Squid lives in an undersea lair, there are no mosquitoes to contend with. Sure, sea stars can be annoyingly slow-moving, but it’s nothing compared to those terrestrial pests. Squid does not envy the humans deemed responsible for mosquito control, but that is the job of the Monterey County Mosquito Abatement District and the board that oversees them. Sometimes a public servant takes great interest in mosquito control, however, as happens to be the case with James Tashiro, who has served on the district board since 2009 with a nearly 100-percent attendance rate at meetings. He applied to be reappointed to another four-year term.

But Tashiro was going to have to fight for the role if he wanted to keep it. The Salinas City Council was set to consider reappointing him on Feb. 21, but Tashiro faced a challenger in Chris Barrera, a local real estate broker and the president of the local chapter of LULAC. During councilmember comments, it seemed like it was less about mosquitoes than process; councilmembers Andrew Sandoval and Anthony Rocha said it was essential to get new representation on boards and raised questions about term limits.

The ordeal took over 30 minutes. “I had no idea how this request would draw so much attention,” Barrera said, then announced he was withdrawing his application.

Squid’s not sure if there’s a winner in this saga, and if it’s mosquito or human.

SEEK, FIND?… As a doting relative, Squid is on occasion called upon to squidsit for a brood of hungry squidlets. And as anyone who has catered to youngsters of almost any species will tell you, children can be picky eaters.

So Squid turned to the internet for help. In response, Yelp offered guidance on restaurants with the best children’s menus within oozing distance of Squid’s lair. The “sponsored content” at the top of the page should have given Squid pause. On one attempt, Whisky Club popped up. The next time it was the Fieldwork, a beer garden. (Not either establishment’s fault; Yelp sets the algorithm.)

The proper list, once Squid scrolled down, proved no better. According to Yelp, the second-best kids menu at a Monterey County restaurant is Old Fisherman’s Grotto, known for its motto of “no strollers, no high chairs, no booster chairs.” The Fisherman’s Wharf destination does not even have a children’s menu (and to Squid’s chagrin, it does serve calamari). Number six on the list, Monterey’s Fish House, earned its top 10 spot based on this from a Yelp post: “Small downside was no kids menu.” In fact, at least four of the top 10 in Yelp’s “best kids’ menu” search offer nothing of the sort.

Squid wonders how we found reliable information before the internet.