Food blogger sends some love to Pyrenees Cafe and Saloon, a dangerous new outbreak in crime locally and some really good form at Mossman's

* … CRIME: What would you do if someone started pounding on your door in the middle of the

night? If you said call 911, you are right. Across town people are reporting an alarming crime trend in which someone starts pounding on your door screaming that his life is in danger.  If the door is opened, two or three young men force their way inside and rob you blind. Wisely, the people who this happened to called 911 and allowed the police to deal with it. So unless you have your pit bull on a leash or a Glock in your back pocket, be safe and don't open the door.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Taking shots of Tequila is just another way of saying, 'I like where I wake up to always be a surprise.'"

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: A restaurant posts this sign inside: "We Do Not Have WiFi. Talk to Each Other. Pretend it's 1995."

 * ... FOODIE: It's always nice when folks from out of town discover the uniqueness of our Basque heritage, particularly when it comes to the eateries on the east side of town. That's the kind of love Pyrenees Cafe received when a blogger from Cook's Country came to town to devote his blog to the wonders of Basque food. He sampled it all: from the setup menu of soup and salad to the pickled tongue followed by garlic fried chicken. From the blog: "The Pyrenees Café has changed hands many times since it first opened in 1899, but in recent years, after a period that featured more rival factions, shifting alliances, and hostile takeovers than your standard episode of Game of Thrones, former waitress Julie Crawford and her husband Rod were the ones left standing in charge of this Bakersfield landmark. Since September 2014, they’ve been serving up their take on classic Basque fare, along with some new favorites that devotees claim are too good to miss."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Kelly Giblin sent this shout out to the folks over at Mossman's, which was her mother and father-in-law's favorite restaurant. "Following dad’s death, we began taking mom there for breakfast to keep up an important tradition for her. Our first visit after dad’s death made it clear why they loved it so much. When we walked in, we were immediately surrounded by the entire staff who cried, laughed and shared their memories of dad with us. Since then, we have looked forward to our breakfasts, especially visiting with our adorable waitress Amanda, as well as Mandy, Gayla and Dorette. Without fail, we are always greeted with hugs and laughter. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and it was extremely busy but as always, Amanda took the time to visit with us, share pictures of her family, and then as a Valentine’s gift (and with a sly wink) she told us that our bill had been taken care of. Holidays like that can be a difficult time for mom since dad died, but thanks to Amanda and Mossman’s it was a wonderful day! These are the kind of people and places that make Bakersfield so great!

 * ... KUDOS: Hats off to Cami Privett, a 2011 graduate of Frontier High School who went on to UC Irvine on a soccer scholarship. Privett recently signed a contract with the Houston Dash soccer team, joining the squad after playing for a club in Norway.

 * ... ASSISTANCE LEAGUE: Hats off to the Assistance League of Bakersfield that is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its Operation School Bell. This program has clothed more than 135,000 Bakersfield children and thousands more have benefited from the work these volunteers perform every day.

The brouhaha over Moo Creamery allegedly signing an anti-fracking petition gets more feedback and Dr. Ravi Patel holds a fund raiser to help needy families battling cancer

 * … MOO CREAMERY: The stink over whether one of the owners of Moo Creamery signed a

petition opposing hydraulic fracking continues to resonate. The question: did owner Jessica Pounds sign an online petition opposing fracking, an unpopular position in an oil town where fracking has been practiced for decades without negative consequences? She claims she didn't and in fact had no idea what tracking even was, and even my colleague Herb Benham devoted his last column to a spirited defense of the restaurant. But that triggered this response from an incredulous reader:  "How does anyone with a cursory knowledge of current affairs claim to not no what fracking is? Maybe five years ago you could claim that but not now." If Pounds signed the petition, the writer said, "she should own it."

 * … PATEL: I stopped by a Mardi Gras fund raiser at the lovely Seven Oaks home of Dr. Ravi Patel this weekend. The hosts were gracious, the Steak and Grape-catered food was sumptuous and it all went to raise money for a foundation that helps needy families battling cancer. Patel is a founder and partner in the Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, which does so much good for our community.

 * … INTERNMENT CAMPS: Hugh Murray read with the interest a story in The Californian about the internment of Japanese-Americans at a camp in Topaz, Utah, during World War II. Said Murray: "When i was about 10  years old my brother and I were going to a depression in the canal to swim. There were two Japanese men approaching at the same time and scared the daylights out of us due to the war. We lived in Abraham, Utah, when this  occurred. The summer of 1942. This small town is about 40 miles west Fillmore. The mention of Topaz brought back happy memories for me and bad ones for Mr. Nishiyama. I am 82 and thanks for the memory."

* … KINDNESS: Gary Christiansen over at the Bakersfield Adult School tipped me off to another example of the base goodness of people. "A recent phone call to my room at the Bakersfield Adult School was from a GET bus company employee. When I answered in the affirmative that Maria Garcia (a fictitious name) was one of my students, the woman said someone had turned in Maria’s wallet, which had been left on one of their  busses. Not only was the wallet intact, but it also contained several hundred dollars in cash. A special 'thank you' and congratulations to the honest bus rider or employee who turned in the wallet. My student was very happy to get it back."

 * … SALAD BOWL: To the reader who asked about the old Salad Bowl restaurants, Patt Mossman had the answer. "All the other Salad Bowl restaurants were owned by my father-in-law, Clarence Mossman. I don't remember the exact address, but it was on the northeast corner of Chester Avenue and l8th Street. The building is still there, but sadly, the Salad Bowls are gone  My son, Rick Mossman, still carries on his grandfather's tradition of good food at reasonable prices at Mossman's Coffee Shop at the bowling alley in Westchester (1819 30th Street) and at Mossman's Coffee Shop and Mossman's Catering Company at the Southwest Lanes Bowling Alley (3610 Wible Road)."