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A Story That’s Not Hard To Swallow

Mar 18

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San Juan Capistrano, California

Fiesta de Las Golondrinas

Close up view of the swallows nests

Close up view of the swallows nests

In 1776, while the English colonists were throwing down with the British in the east, Spain was having its way with the Acjachemen band of native Americans in the west, founding a mission in the place now known as San Juan Capistrano, California. San Juan Capistrano was the 7th mission founded in Alta California, and boasts the oldest structure still in use in California (the Serra Chapel). When the stone church was built (a departure from the adobe used in the other mission churches) it was one of the tallest structures in California, making its high walls an attractive substitute for the cliffs where the Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) had built their homes for milennia. The swallows built their mud nests at the mission, flying off to the western coast of South America in the winter, returning again in the spring to procreate.

Ruins of the old stone church

Ruins of the old stone church

The mission inhabitants noted that the swallows “miraculously” returned to the mission on the Catholic feast day of Saint Joseph (March 19) each year, giving the event divine significance. Not being naturalists, they failed to realize that the reason the pagan feather dusters returned on March 19 was not because of Saint Joesph, but because of the vernal equinox – spring. Yes, spring, when thoughts of procreation filled their pointy little heads. Swallows reuse their nests year after year (not surprising knowing the amount of time it takes to make them, one beakful of mud at a time), so returning to the mission or any tall cliff-like structure where they had previously built their dream home is a foregone conclusion. The odd fact is that the individual bird does not reuse the same nest; the colony shares the nests, and it’s first-come, first-served. Their aerial dance when choosing their nests is a sight to behold; solo pilots drop out of the swirling cloud to claim the choice real estate. Read the rest of this entry »

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I Think I’ll Go Eat Worms

Mar 14

Posted by val in Events, Tasty Animals, USA | No Comments

Eat Bug Eat Event

Machine Project, Los Angeles, California

Cooking the wriggling superworms

Cooking the wriggling superworms

Miriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a worm as “any of numerous relatively small elongated usually naked and soft-bodied animals (as a grub, pinworm, tapeworm, shipworm, or slowworm)”. In my mind, I picture the night crawlers I used to get to go fishing in Barton Creek, but since the term applies to the shape of these invertebrates, it also covers the creepy crawly larval stage of beetles, butterflies and moths. When I heard that Machine Project (a storefront space that experiments in technology, science, and the arts) was holding an event entitled “Eat Bug Eat”, I was intrigued. Although it sounds like the title of a Japanese monster movie, the event was held to educate people in the culture and custom of eating insects. Although I’d eaten insects many times before, from the crunchy snack-like hormigas culonas to the grassy-tasting silkworm pupae, I succumbed to the come-hither of wax moth larvae tacos. Read the rest of this entry »

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King For A Day

Mar 1

Posted by val in Events | 3 Comments

Pismo Beach, California

Monarch Day

No expense spared to herald Monarch Day

No expense spared to herald Monarch Day

Europe has its crowned heads, and North America has is own monarchs – the Monarch butterfly. Probably the most recognizable butterfly in North America (or at least a close tie with the yellow and black tiger swallowtail), the Monarch’s reign ranges from the southernmost parts of Canada in the summer to Mexico. Unlike other American butterflies that can survive the cold weather, the Monarch migrates south to Mexico and in the west congregates north through California along the coast. One particular vacation paradise for the Monarchs is the Pismo Beach Monarch Grove, located in a thick stand of eucalyptus at the south end of the North Beach Campground. The Monarchs begin arriving in October, and the height of their population is at the beginning of February, prompting February 5th to be declared Monarch Day by the California State Legislature (California Western Monarch Day Bill/SCR 66). Read the rest of this entry »

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O What A Glorious Sicht

Feb 8

Posted by val in Events | 2 Comments

Scotland, UK

Burns Night Supper

The guest of honor - the haggis

The guest of honor - the haggis

Few events celebrate both a famous poet and a national dish quite like the Scottish celebration that is the Burns Supper. The event is traditionally held on the birthday of “Scotland’s favorite son” and national poet, Robert Burns. Burns was born on January 25 in 1759 and on that night it is not uncommon throughout Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom to gather to memorialize not only Burns, but also haggis, the national dish of Scotland he made famous. The annual Burns Supper generally follows a particular structure, with the dish immortalized in Burns’ “Address to a Haggis” being the guest of honor. A true Scotsman would either be touched by Burbank’s Buchanan Arms holding a Burns Supper, or recoil in horror of having Americans give it a go for olde Rabbie Burns. Read the rest of this entry »

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Spam, Wonderful Spam!

Jan 18

Posted by val in Events, Tasty Animals, USA | 6 Comments

SPAM (Honolulu, Hawaii and Austin, Texas)

SPAM, wonderful SPAM

SPAM, wonderful SPAM

What do you mean, “Ech”? I’m not sure where Spam gets its bad reputation; perhaps it’s because it comes in a can. Food snobs turn their nose up at it, likening it to the meat version of Cheez Whiz. Even the great food explorer Andrew Zimmern expresses his disdain for it. You know a food is feared when people prefer blowfish to it, but Spam also generates somewhat of a cult following. We’ll talk about where Spam gets elevated to cause célèbre status, but first let’s discuss its humble origin. Spam was originally made by Hormel Foods of Austin, Minnesota way back in 1937. Although alternating versions of the name attribute it to an alliteration of “Shoulder of Pork and hAM” or the simpler “SPiced HAM”, Hormel maintains that the name is an adjective, and insists that it is spelled with all upper-case letters. One of my personal favorite plays on the acronym is “Something Posing As Meat.” The ingredients state it is chopped pork shoulder with added ham meat. It gained a surge in popularity during World War II, especially in Hawaii where fresh meat was difficult to come by. American soldiers ate it with most of their meals, and it continues to be eaten by more Hawaiians that anywhere else on earth per capita. As I discovered on a trip to Austin, Minnesota (for non-Spam purposes), you can smell it throughout the town (those of you living near Heinz in Pittsburgh or General Foods in Woburn, Massachusetts know what I’m talking about). Read the rest of this entry »

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Camptown Racers Sing This Song

Dec 21

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Pasadena, California
The Doo Dah Parade

The world-famous Hibachi Drill Team

The world-famous Hibachi Drill Team

What if you lived in Pasadena, California and woke one Sunday morning on New Year’s Day to take in the annual tradition of the Tournament of Roses Parade only to find out that it wasn’t being held? This isn’t unusual, since the parade is never held on Sunday when New Year’s Day falls there (it is held January 2nd). In 1978, that exact situation occurred, and several friends who were regulars at a now-defunct bar called Chromo’s took advantage of the situation to present what would amount to the anti-Rose Parade, the Doo Dah Parade. Although the Rose Parade is something everyone should do once in a lifetime (and probably only once), there’s only so much flowers, happiness and joy you can take while nursing a Gran Patrón Platinum hangover. Sometimes you just want Rickey Rat instead of Mickey Mouse, and when that happens, the Doo Dah Parade is your ticket to paradise. For the Doo Dah, there’s no need to do the overnight street camping required for a good free seat at the Rose Parade, but you also don’t need to worry about getting covered in eggs, tortillas, shaving cream and Silly String (if only I were making this up). The worst that could happen is getting dragged into the action on the street or getting hit with a meat projectile (more on this later). Read the rest of this entry »

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Vampires, Beware!

Dec 12

Posted by val in Events | 2 Comments

Gilroy, California
Gilroy Garlic Festival

Herbie, mascot of The Gilroy Garlic Festival

Herbie, mascot of The Gilroy Garlic Festival

There are several urban legends about Gilroy, California: that you can smell the town before you get to it, and that you can marinate a steak simply by hanging it from a clothesline. Although neither of these is true, Gilroy is renowned for its claim of Garlic Capital of the World, and its annual Garlic Festival. Held the last weekend in July since 1978, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is the brainchild of Dr. Rudy Malone, president of Gavilan College. After hearing about a French festival that drew 80,000 people, Dr. Malone was determined to wrest the title away from the French and bring it to Gilroy, nestled in the green hills of southern Santa Clara County in California. Although they are not the world’s leading producer of garlic, they are probably the most famous, presumably because of the Garlic Festival.

Gilroy Garlic Queen (center) and her court

Gilroy Garlic Queen (center) and her court

Should your love of all things garlic convince you to attend the festival, keep in mind that it draws in people from all over the world – it is best to get there early, and when I say early, I mean when the gates open. Local hotels sell out fast, but the drive into Gilroy is picturesque farmland and wild scrub, and not far from the rugged California coast making the journey worth the destination. Admission to the festival is currently around $12, worthwhile just for the sights, sounds and smells. Don’t worry too much about following directions to Christmas Hill Park, for as soon as you get into Gilroy you will hit traffic being diverted to festival parking. The entrance is a short walk from the parking area, but as soon as you arrive you are hit with the smell of food being broiled, fried and otherwise cooked with varying degrees of garlicness. Read the rest of this entry »

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Pie Are Round, Not Square

Dec 3

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Canoga Park, California
KCRW’s 1st Annual Good Food Pie Contest (Westfield Topanga Mall)

A chicken eye view of the pie judging in progress

A chicken eye view of the pie judging in progress

Friend and fellow food blogger Eddie Lin posted on his blog (Deep End Dining) that he was going to be one of the judges of the 1st Annual Good Food Pie Contest (an all around optimistic title.) The nature of the contest wasn’t completely clear – visions of sugarplum pies danced in my head, then were hurled into someone’s face; I also envisioned a pie eating contest (always fun if a contestant overdoes it and causes a chain reaction of sympathy blowing of the groceries.) After reading through the information I deduced that this was a pie making contest and the only ones who had the potential of projectile vomiting were the judges, including food writers, bloggers and chefs. The real draw for me was the tantalizing come-hither of free pie (the crowd gets to devour the winners and losers). I could only imagine the diversity of pastry oddities contestants might come up with.

I could grab a pie and be past The Gap before they noticed

I could grab a pie and be past The Gap before they noticed

When I arrived at the Westfield Topanga Mall’s food court, a huge crowd was gathered around the velvet ropes, paper plates and plastic forks in hand. The contest had already started, and so I joined the crowd in eager anticipation of the names of the winning pies (who cares who baked them – tell us about those rich, decadent pies!) Judging was already underway, and it looked like the bakers, judges and crowd were all having a great time – hopefully KCRW will be able to pull off a 2nd Annual Good Food Pie Contest next year. I watched the slow process of tasting and judging – Eddie was taking sips of water in between forkfuls, presumably to assist in the pie consumption. I said a brief hello, but his face gave away that he was more stuffed than the animals mounted on the wall at the Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. I stood in eager anticipation while the winners and their creations were announced in different categories by Evan Kleiman, Master of Ceremonies and host of KCRW’s Good Food program and blog. I kept waiting – where was the durian pie? Certainly someone made kidney pie? Oh, the horror! Apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream, Boston crème – no! This can’t be (well, they did look good)!  My ears perked up at chicken tarragon, but that was as risqué as it got. Finally the winner (Barbara Treves) was announced – for her apple pie. Read the rest of this entry »

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To Hell With The Devil, Let’s Rock

Nov 25

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Anaheim, California
Stryper’s 25th Anniversary Tour (House of Blues)

House of Blues welcomes 80s legends Stryper

House of Blues welcomes 80s legends Stryper

When you’re planning a trip, how often can you make the destination the 1980s? Stryper’s 25th Anniversary Tour afforded just such an opportunity. Stryper entered a genre (glam metal) better defined by sex, drugs and rock and roll than Christianity, but they took it and made it their own. Their videos were put in regular rotation on MTV (does anyone remember when MTV used to play music videos?) alongside the likes of Mötley Crüe, Poison and Ratt and enjoyed airplay and record sales, quite an accomplishment for a band with a religious message – they paved the way for a wider audience for Christian music.

Kenny Lewis (good friend and former drummer for several bands I sang with in the 1980s and early 90’s) informed be that he was going to be in Southern California as soundman for the Stryper tour, and I took the opportunity to spend some time with him and bother him while he was working. House of Blues in Anaheim seemed like the logical place to see the show – a glam metal band, playing in a venue that’s supposed to look like a giant Deep-South roadhouse, at “the happiest place on earth®” (where old Walt apparently invented illusion) – definitely falls under the ‘trippy” category. Keep in mind that you will need to take out a small loan for parking unless you pay attention. Parking at Downtown Disney is $6 per hour (charged in 20-minute increments) up to a maximum of $36 (which is easy to attain if you show up early and stay until the end of the show), but read the fine print – the first three hours are free, and the next two are free if you get validated (which House of Blues does.) I showed up very early – so early, in fact that Will Call didn’t have my tickets ready. Kenny came out and got me and brought me in to wait at the sound booth until the ticket window opened. The fun part of this was watching how a show gets set up; I tried not to bother Kenny too much while he did the sound check, and I certainly wasn’t going to touch the board. Michael Sweet, guitarist and lead vocalist did an extremely thorough test of all the microphones, monitors and speakers – the rest of the band appeared to do a cursory check of their instruments in a fraction of the time. Read the rest of this entry »

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