Where did all the tahini go?

I love grocery shopping more than the average person I think. I like the whole process of it - making my list, adding to it throughout the week. I like the feeling when you first walk into the store of embarking on a mission - everything is colorful and organized, picking out the perfect fruits and vegetables and meat, reading labels. And in about an hour you have accomplished this important task and leave with a basket full of possibilities. It's also a way of guilt-free shopping - I mean, you have to spend money on food right?

And you'd think that grocery shopping in San Francisco, food mecca of the US, would be an especially enjoyable experience for me. Which it is...for the most part...except apparently nobody in this city sells tahini, which is driving me crazy. We've already come to terms with the small Lebanese population here, and the lack of good Middle Eastern grocery stores, but tahini? I mean, they serve hummus in the middle of Iowa for God's sake (sorry Carla!). Google "tahini recipes" and you get 293,000 of them. Do none of these people live in San Francisco? So after an afternoon of grocery shopping yesterday and still no tahini, I'm off to the organic grocery store where, if they have it, it will cost $15 and last about 3 days in this house. Wish me luck!