If you’re still following TikTok food critic Keith Lee or even still care to hear more about his infamous trip to the Bay Area in January, it seems he’s talking about it again. In January, Lee traveled to the Bay Area to check out the food scene but wound up cutting his trip short due to a meal being cross-contaminated with shellfish (which he’s allergic to), and subsequently landing in the hospital. At the time, he said that “the Bay is not a place for tourists right now,” referencing unhoused people living in tents and cars that he witnessed during his trip.
In a recent episode of the podcast Club Shay Shay hosted by NFL pro Shannon Sharpe, Lee talked about his food tours in several cities, including the Bay Area. Lee referenced the closure of Oakland’s In-N-Out, calling it a testament to the crime and the “overpopulated drug use” in the Bay. Bipping also became a topic, with Lee saying the number one advice Bay Area residents give to visitors “has nothing to do with the food, has nothing to do with the experience — it’s take everything out your car the second you get here, because you’re gonna get robbed.” In response, Lee said he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if anyone was injured visiting the restaurants he recommended. And while he praised the diversity of the food and the fine dining scene of the Bay Area, safety was his main concern. “I was okay with people from the Bay being mad at me for saying it,” Lee says. “Somebody had to say it.”
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Hugel
Saturday, Nov 7 @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley
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Saturday, Nov 14 @ Fox Theater, Oakland
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Thursday-Sunday, Nov 19-21 @ Fox Theater, Oakland
Ozomatli
Saturday, Nov. 21 @ UC Theatre, Berkeley
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