Hi, it's Jen Chian, director of KQED's podcast department.

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Have you ever heard a Bay Curious episode that you just had to share? One you wish you could

bottle up and give to someone because you know they'd enjoy it? Well, the Bay Curious book

might be just the ticket.

This snappy little paperback features 49 stories about the San Francisco Bay Area,

and it makes for a lovely and affordable gift this holiday season.

Find it at a Bay Area bookstore near you or online.

Details at KQED.org slash Bay Curious Book.

From KQED.

Let's take a moment to consider Monterey Jack cheese.

Decent cheese. Probably not my first choice for a cheese plate. I'm more of a

good a girl, but I'm not going to turn it down if someone offers.

It works well in a cassidia, melted on nachos in a grilled cheese sandwich. You might guess with a name like Monterey Jack that it hails from the beachside town of Monterey, just south of the Bay Area.

But a listener named Kathy wrote us because she heard something else entirely,

that Monterey Jack was actually created in Pacifica.

...