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Posts Tagged California

Paul Is Dead

Jul 19

Posted by val in Asia, Tasty Animals | 2 Comments

Live octopus

Korea

The chef at Beverly Living Fish Center prepares our live octopus

The chef at Beverly Living Fish Center prepares our live octopus

Octopus Paul has been eerily accurate in predicting the World Cup winners; his cousins in fish tanks throughout Korea would do well to develop enhanced psychic abilities or they could end up segmented and writhing on a plate. Fortunately for Paul, he is too large to end up as sannakji hoe (a Korean dish involving the quick dismemberment of a small octopus with the severed tentacles delivered in a squirming mass to your table). Opponents of this type of cuisine argue that it is cruel to eat a live animal, but rest assured that Otto is very dead while his limbs are playing angry cobra on the plate. The octopus’ nervous system functions differently than in higher life forms – it is the same kind of reaction as an insect’s lost leg continuing to dance or that frog drowned in formaldehyde in biology class that starts kicking when he’s dissected. The hope is that the chef is talented and lighting fast at dispatching the octopus, but if you decide to try this unusual cuisine, you’re better off not knowing. Read the rest of this entry »

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All We Are Saying Is Give Pizza Chance

Jul 11

Posted by val in Europe, Tasty Animals, USA | 7 Comments

Pizza

Italy and the world

The amazing pumpkin and prosciutto pizza at Lucifers

The amazing pumpkin and prosciutto pizza at Lucifers

Although we have a tendency to think of pizza as a modern fast food phenomenon, it has been with us for centuries (if not millennia). Although other ancient cultures have had some sort of pizza-like dish, it was the Romans (later Italians) that tossed the disk of dough into our hearts and the annals of culinary history. Perhaps you’re thinking that pizza isn’t particularly trippy, unless you’re driving 90 miles per hour in order to deliver it in under 30 minutes, but consider those who take the food of the commoner to a whole new level. There are far too many variations and novelty concoctions to mention in a single article, but I’ll highlight a few of them here briefly and then defer to the visual podcast that I and friend Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining made on a recent trip to Lucifer’s in Los Angeles. It’s up to you to find Geno’s East, The Original Ray’s, Santarpio’s or your friendly neighborhood House of Pizza on your own (but I’m always available to make suggestions). Read the rest of this entry »

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Juice Box To The Rescue!

Jul 8

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 7 Comments

Rescue Juice truck

Ventura County, CA

Rescue Juice, open for business

Rescue Juice, open for business

In the 1990s, Megan Jackson’s primary concern was not which taco truck had the best tacos al pastor, but how she was going to beat leukemia and stay alive. Chemotherapy just seemed to make her sicker, forcing her to make a truly life-altering decision – she was going to heal by stopping the chemotherapy and through nutrition, with the focus on natural juice. Her doctors warned her against it, and asked her to sign a waiver stating that she was resorting to untested methods against their wishes (presumably to absolve them of any wrong-doing and prevent legal action after what would undoubtedly be Megan’s demise). Not only did her health improve, but also her leukemia went into remission (and has stayed there). Megan’s husband Tom became a man with a mission – to spread the news and pass the juice; he was only lacking a means to do so. Read the rest of this entry »

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Up

May 31

Posted by val in Events | No Comments

Temecula, California

Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival

Claudia and I wave from a tethered balloon

Claudia and I wave from a tethered balloon

Think of an annual festival where huge numbers of hot air balloons take to the skies and what comes to mind? OK, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, sure, I get that. But what if you add in the celebration of wine to the mix? Well, since 1983, that’s exactly what’s been on the bill at the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival at Lake Skinner Park in Southern California. The festival has all the trappings you would expect from an outdoor festival – a variety of food, entertainment on multiple stages and rows of vendors selling crafts, wine and food – but the big draws are the balloons and wines representing the finest Temecula Valley wineries. To get the most out of the festival it is highly recommended that you get there early. Since the festival is held annually in June, the balloons take off early in the morning while the sky is still cool (the trick to getting them airborne is getting the air inside the balloon hotter than the air outside). When the air is too warm, the balloons have difficulty getting airborne. Don’t bypass the Temecula event simply because the New Mexico festival gets more press – I easily counted almost a hundred balloons, with most of them airborne at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »

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Dim Sum To Go

Apr 2

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 4 Comments

The Dim Sum Truck

Los Angeles County, California

Alex Chu opens for business

Alex Chu opens for business

Those of us who have enjoyed dim sum can vividly picture the shiny stainless steel dim sum cart coming up the aisle loaded with steaming hot bites of savory goodness. If you saw this 26-foot long GMC dim sum truck coming up the aisle, you’d be vividly picturing your own demise. Owner Alex Chu’s take on dim sum replaces the cart with a truck that roves Los Angeles County. L.A. has always been famous for its taco trucks (what we Boston ex-pats used to refer to as “roach coaches”), but recently these moveable feasts have been diversifying, introducing pedestrians to Korean fusion, Indian food and now dim sum. Chu has been operating the truck for about a month now, but its popularity is growing in leaps and bounds. Dim sum is typically a light Chinese meal served with afternoon tea, but Chu is introducing it to the late night party crowd who can regulate the amount of small portions that will stay down alongside their Jell-O shots, margaritas and Corona long necks. Read the rest of this entry »

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Extending The Olive Branch

Mar 22

Posted by val in Events | No Comments

El Paso del Robles, California
Paso Robles Olive Festival

It is difficult to miss the Olive Festival entrance

It is difficult to miss the Olive Festival entrance

It’s hard to imagine a festival centered on the humble olive, but since 2004, the city of El Paso del Robles, California has taken celebrating the Middle Eastern fruit tree to extravaganza status. The inhabitants of the town (generally referred to simply as Paso Robles) needed something to help them recover from a devastating magnitude 6.6 earthquake that struck on December 22, 2003. The quake destroyed a historic clock tower and the Mastagni Building, as well as creating serious damage to other structures including the 1908 Carnegie Library building in City Park. The clock tower was rebuilt, the library restored and the park was selected as the site of the Olive Festival. The festival increases in popularity each year – the region has the perfect climate for growing olives and grapes, resulting in the participation of a slew of olive orchards and vineyards. You would think the festival would focus on selling jars of little green olives with their tiny pimento turtle heads sticking out, and you would be partially right, but it is dedicated to all things olive. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Story That’s Not Hard To Swallow

Mar 18

Posted by val in Events | Comments off

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 fill 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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Through The Looking Glass

Mar 15

Posted by val in Trips, USA | No Comments

Fort Bragg, California

Glass Beach

People scavenge for glass on Glass Beach

People scavenge for glass on Glass Beach

There are some places on earth that blur the distinction of what is natural and what is man-made; other places where mankind’s disregard for the environment results in the creation of a place of unusual beauty, where one man’s trash truly becomes another man’s treasure. One such place is Glass Beach, in California’s Mendocino County. In the 1940s, residents used this small stretch of shoreline as a dump, a practice unimaginable today. Household items were discarded into the sea, from bottles and dishes all the way up to old cars. In the 1960s, the dumping was stopped and the state closed the dump, making efforts to remove what large waste items they could – nature took care of the rest. Over the years, the surf rolled and pounded the trash against the rocks and tumbled them in the sand until there was not much more than pebble-sized items left. Since a great deal of the trash was glass, it is the primary component of the pebbles that cover the entire beach, giving the beach its recent name. 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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Cock-a-doodle-doo

Feb 22

Posted by val in Asia, Tasty Animals | 4 Comments

Rooster Testicles

Mon Land Hot Pot City, San Gabriel, CA

Fresh rooster testicles

Fresh rooster testicles

Although I’ve never seen a rooster strutting around the barnyard “balls-out”, I was surprised to learn that they actually have testicles. As a food adventurer, it occurred to me that after having had just about every part of the chicken, I was missing out on this delicacy. Desperate to find them locally, I turned to friend, writer and fellow blogger Eddie Lin who had the balls to suggest Mon Land Hot Pot City in San Gabriel, California (and no, this is not the last of the puns). I enlisted Josh (Trippy Food’s webmaster and usual partner in crime), as well as a few friends to join me in San Gabriel for a sack lunch (I warned you).

Mon Land Hot Pot City - we sat outside

Mon Land Hot Pot City - we sat outside

Since it was a warm, sunny day we opted for the patio and were seated at a table with a stone top, a circular opening neatly cut into it (reminding me of a Korean BBQ). Instead of the familiar grill, our waitress placed a heating unit under the table and into the hole a huge metal bowl partitioned in the middle in the “ying/yang” style of Yunnan Province. One side was filled with a milky, beige broth and the other with a menacingly red one. These were heated to a rolling boil, and the steam coming off the liquid was pure, intoxicating, aromatic bliss. The red broth was spicy, with what appeared to be Tien Tsin chilies drowning in the oily abyss; both sides were flavored liberally with garlic, cloves, ginseng, ginger, goji berries and other unidentified spices. We had ordered our dishes from a pick list, and I was transfixed by the vapor when our food started to arrive. Read the rest of this entry »

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In Defense Of The Twinkie

Jan 25

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 2 Comments

Deep fried Twinkies
The Chip Shop (New York City), The Dessert Factory (Pasadena, CA)

The taste sensation sweeping the nation - fried Twinkie

The taste sensation sweeping the nation - fried Twinkie

How can something so wrong be so right? Just the thought of eating a Twinkie sends a chemically-induced sugar rush up the back of my spine, so what would prompt me to brave the cellophane-wrapped snack that looks like Sponge Bob’s coffin? The opportunity to have it deep-fried. There was still a high degree of risk, but I wanted to see what the frying process did to make this foam brick from Hell edible (or more inedible). The invention of the deep fried Twinkie in 1992 is said to be attributed Shea Apple, a transplant from Great Britain who opened a chip shop in Brooklyn, New York (appropriately named “The Chip Shop”). Unlike your neighborhood chip shop (or “chippy” in the UK), The Chip Shop batters and fries everything that will survive the Frialator including pizza, macaroni and cheese, and Mars Bars. After experimenting with various snack items, he found the Twinkie to fry up quite nicely. They use the same batter used for frying fish (for the fish and chips); it is served sliced lengthwise, dusted with powdered sugar, sitting on a berry sauce-drizzled plate. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tastes As Great As Its Name

Jan 4

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 4 Comments

Alhambra, California
Stinky tofu and blood soup (Lee’s Garden)

Stinky tofu, no further description needed

Stinky tofu, no further description needed

Think of the gleeful cries of joy when you tell the kids to get in the Wagon Queen Family Truckster for a road trip to get some stinky tofu just like momma used to make. I know, the wave of excitement is indescribable, after all, who wouldn’t want to try the Taiwanese taste treat without having to fly there? If this sounds like you, then I have the answer to your culinary prayers at Lee’s Garden in Alhambra, California. Lee’s Garden is in a storefront of a strip mall that you might drive past several times without realizing it’s there. Hui, a friend who turns us on to some amazing and unusual Chinese cuisine told us about the place and mentioned that they had other food unusual to our Western sensibilities that we might enjoy. The sign is slightly smaller than its next door neighbor, Dr. Lee’s Family Dentistry – I’m not sure if there is a link between the two but I feel not knowing in this case makes me a happier person. Inside is a testament to simplicity – no cork sculptures or laminated panels on the wall here, just tables, chairs and a hand-written menu on a big whiteboard that changes daily. We knew we wanted an order of the stinky tofu (which was listed on the menu as “fried odor bean curd”, a delectable title to be sure), but when I saw pork blood soup and chitterlings with garlic sauce I was sold. Read the rest of this entry »

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Right Is Right And Left Is Wrong

Jan 1

Posted by val in Trips, USA | No Comments

Pasadena, California
Fork in the Road

The fork in the road at the fork in the road

The fork in the road at the fork in the road

The road to life often forks, leaving you to wonder which path to take. At the intersections of Pasadena Avenue and St. John Avenue in Pasadena, California you can only go right, but you may want to linger for a bit to admire the fork itself. Local artist Ken Marshall erected an 18-foot tall steel-reinforced wooden fork at the intersection of the two streets as a prank for the birthday of The Ice House founder Bob Stane’s 75th birthday during Halloween in 2009. A permit is required when erecting public art in Pasadena, but men dressed as CalTrans workers erected the sculpture surreptitiously in the middle of the night. Pasadena’s mayor has expressed no desire to have it removed, noting that it brings people to the area and has a positive impact on the community, but the traffic island is under the jurisdiction of CalTrans and may eventually have to be removed. The fork is painted silver, but the fact that it is made of wood may make it temporary anyway.

You can eat a lot of meat with this fork

You can eat a lot of meat with this fork

The fork is not the first of its kind, nor is it the largest. In 2000, artist Stephen Schreiber created a 31-foot tall fork from steel and aluminum, also located at a fork in the road in Milan, New York. A giant steel fork in Springfield, Missouri stands outside an ad agency – it was originally in front of an Italian restaurant but purchased and moved when the restaurant went out of business. Although probably the largest fork in the world, it is disqualified here since it not only doesn’t stand at a fork in the road, but also is hidden behind the building. The Pasadena fork can safely be called the largest wooden fork in the world. Recently a food drive was successfully conducted at the site of the fork, and with all the positive publicity it will probably be around for awhile, or at least until they’re told to get the fork out of here.

Forks in the Road:
Intersection of Pasadena and St. John Avenues
Pasadena, CA 91105
GPS coordinates: 34°7’51.81″N 118°9’17.27″W

Intersection of New York 199 and New York 308
Milan, NY 12571
GPS coordinates: 41°58’13.52″N 73°49’15.23″W

Large fork:
2215 W Chesterfield Blvd.
Springfield, MO 65807
GPS coordinates: 37°8’43.49″N 93°19’23.81″W

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Camptown Racers Sing This Song

Dec 21

Posted by val in Events | 1 Comment

Pasadena, California
The Doo Dah Parade

Senor Groucho performs a public sax act behind a trike

Senor Groucho performs a public sax act behind a trike

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). Of course, this year it appears you need to be good at dodging tortillas and marshmallows. 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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Welcome to The Jungle

Dec 15

Posted by val in Tasty Animals, USA | 2 Comments

Pasadena, California
Turtle and kangaroo (Luigi Ortega’s)

This is a kangaroo taco - you could accidently eat this

This is a kangaroo taco - you could accidently eat this

With Pasadena’s Luigi Ortega’s being located directly across the street from Pasadena Community College, you would expect to see a noisy, college hangout. Sandwiches and pizza come as no surprise, nor does the East Coast atmosphere. What usually causes a double-take is the Exotic Menu; a separate menu offers dishes such as Gator Pie (a pizza topped with garlic-marinated alligator) and Ostrich Quesadilla (exactly what it sounds like.) For a nominal fee, you can also substitute ostrich, kangaroo, alligator or turtle for meat items on the regular menu (think cheese steak sandwich with kangaroo.) The concept is simple – blur the lines between a Philly or New York pizza and sub shop with a California taco stand. The logo features caricatures of what we can assume to be Luigi and Ortega – Luigi looking like one those ceramic Italian chef utensil holders and Ortega being a throwback to the politically incorrect days of the Frito Bandito. One of the house specialties is a foreboding-sounding “Dr. Death’s Suicide Pie”, a jalapeño pizza topped with 6 whole habañero peppers ( a good late-night drunken dare menu item). Read the rest of this entry »

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