The Wake-Up Call: Cooking Class, Soul Train

Here's what we learned at the state fair this weekend: chocolate-covered bacon plus a ride on the Ferris wheel can make for a stomach-churning mix. (And we were too chicken to even take on the faster rides.) If you're still recovering from your weekend, here are a couple of events to get you up and at 'em. Or take a cue from Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault accuser Nafissatou Diallo, who struck back at her naysayers today with two dramatic media appearances.

In the Patch:

. G.O. may not seem like the right place to learn about haute cuisine, but the American comfort food menus of Golden Gourmet, the caterers hosting this class, look enticing. It starts at 11:00 a.m.; call 916-689-6437 for details.

. Spend your Monday night getting a workout at Laguna Town Hall. This 6:00 p.m. class, taught to R&B and hip-hop tunes, is aimed at beginners. Call (916) 405-5600 to register.

Outside the Patch:

Hotel housekeeper: Here's what DSK did to me. Though prosecutors have been reluctant to pursue sexual assault charges against former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the case isn't over yet. In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, published last night, 32-year-old hotel maid Nafissatou Diallo tells her side of what happened when she came upon Strauss-Kahn inside his room one night in May. Diallo also appeared on Good Morning America this morning, saying of DSK "I want him to go to jail."