i had a moment not long before i left LA where everything was perfect.
i was at huntington beach, at night, with some friends, sitting against the lifeguard station, staring out into the black ocean, with the full moon behind me and the sound of ocean waves crashing against the sand around me.
everything in that scene was perfect and epitomized everything i thought about LA.
it's weird to think that four years ago when i first landed in LA, i didn't want to stay. everything was too southern california, where there is only one season, where people are so healthy and only eat organic, and where you can't get anywhere by bus or subway.
flash forward four years and everything has changed. i love this city. there are lots of flaws about it (public transportation could get better, things could be cheaper) but it's become my adopted home and i love all the different neighbourhoods. now that i don't really know where i'm going and where i'm headed, i know i'm going to miss my adopted city, the city that helped me overcome my canada withdrawal.
i think my move to LA really shows the three steps of acclimation to a new environment:
1) excitement - i was beyond excited to move to southern california
2) shock - why did i move here?! i don't like LA!
3) acceptance and assimilation - alright, since i'm so savvy with the bus and subway, let's go to monterey park by bus and eat at this awesome vietnamese restaurant, maybe later we can go to the tar pits and get in for free with our student IDs, then we can get some awesome dessert in koreatown and catch karaoke in little tokyo...
i know when i first left, everyone back home said i would just become a socal girl and not want to go back home and i scoffed at them. and while i love home, there is a part of me now that's in LA.
i'm starting my new life as a vagabond now and i'm excited for it! but i'll still call LA my "american home", just like how toronto is my "canadian home".
so here are some final tips about living in LA:
1) a car is great but you don't need it all the time - take the bus or subway, it'll surprise you how convenient it can be sometimes
2) the coolest stuff isn't where you think it is - beverly hills and hollywood can be great...but it's exploring places like downtown where you can find some of LA's gems
3) there are more free things than you think - free movie screenings at the grove/century city/universal citywalk, free tapings of jimmy kimmel/price is right/conan o'brien, free visits to museums, free performances of shakespeare plays...
4) JUST EAT! food is honestly the gateway to this city and without further ado, here are my final food suggestions:
- square one dining - for french toast
- spitz - for kebobs and gyros
- haus - for light korean desserts and cakes
- fat fish - for cheap sushi after 9 pm (only $2/plate! mind you, i never said it was quality sushi)
- lucky boys - for breakfast burrito
- banh mi che cali - for BOGO vietnamese food (BOGO - buy one get one)
- the griddle cafe - for decadent pancakes and gorgeous omelettes
- fritto misto - for authentic italian pasta
i have a lot more but i just can't think of all of them right now. for all those food lovers out there, i hope this helps! and if you don't love food that much, give one of these a try, i hope they provoke more gastronomical desires.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
a carnivore's dream come true
the first ever korean bbq festival took place last week in los angeles. i almost cried when i saw posters for the event because i love korean bbq. but a whole festival just for korean bbq? i had to calm myself down and take deep breaths before i could speak again. i love korean bbq that much.
when i arrived, the first thing i saw was all the smoke. i could SEE the smoke a block away. it was a column of smoke with the wonderful sweet and crisp korean bbq smell intertwined within the smoke.
there were about 10 booths of korean bbq restaurants just grilling away and there were tons of people packed into that small LA city block (i had to include that it was an LA city block because LA city blocks are about one third of the size of a normal city block). lines for each korean bbq restaurant snaked around and beside each other. when i got into line, i was praying that it was the correct line for the restaurant i wanted to try since the lines were so intertwined, i couldn't tell one from the other.
then it was the waiting game. i waited for ONE HOUR for a plate of korean bbq. mind you, it was awesome when i got it but i almost didn't get it! after waiting for an hour, when i got to the front of the line and the ordering table, the woman behind the table said their barbecues were out of gas! i almost had a heart attack...but thankfully there was just enough meat on their grill for three plates and mine was the last plate.
i should have felt bad for the people behind me, but i really didn't. i was too hungry and so desperately craving for korean bbq to feel bad about having a plate of the most delicious food. the bbq was exactly what i hoped it would be - sweet, tender and delectably delectable. though it was hot, the line was long, and i almost didn't get a plate of food, the korean bbq festival was worth it. i'll definitely be back next year (if i'm in LA that is).
when i arrived, the first thing i saw was all the smoke. i could SEE the smoke a block away. it was a column of smoke with the wonderful sweet and crisp korean bbq smell intertwined within the smoke.
there were about 10 booths of korean bbq restaurants just grilling away and there were tons of people packed into that small LA city block (i had to include that it was an LA city block because LA city blocks are about one third of the size of a normal city block). lines for each korean bbq restaurant snaked around and beside each other. when i got into line, i was praying that it was the correct line for the restaurant i wanted to try since the lines were so intertwined, i couldn't tell one from the other.
then it was the waiting game. i waited for ONE HOUR for a plate of korean bbq. mind you, it was awesome when i got it but i almost didn't get it! after waiting for an hour, when i got to the front of the line and the ordering table, the woman behind the table said their barbecues were out of gas! i almost had a heart attack...but thankfully there was just enough meat on their grill for three plates and mine was the last plate.
i should have felt bad for the people behind me, but i really didn't. i was too hungry and so desperately craving for korean bbq to feel bad about having a plate of the most delicious food. the bbq was exactly what i hoped it would be - sweet, tender and delectably delectable. though it was hot, the line was long, and i almost didn't get a plate of food, the korean bbq festival was worth it. i'll definitely be back next year (if i'm in LA that is).
welcome to the fair
i had never been to a fair before (we don't really have fairs in canada) so this summer i went to the orange county fair. as soon as i walked in, i had a couple of thoughts:
1) there was so much stuff! there was an overflowing amount of food, cute little farm animals to look at, games to play and prizes to win, exhibits, a 3D exhibit, dance shows, a hypnotist performance etc etc...
2) everything was fried
fairs are great because they are excuses to eat unhealthy food and to eat lots of it. huge turkey legs the size of my face, foot long hot dogs, fried avocado strips, chocolate covered bacon...now i'm not going to say what i ate and what i didn't...but let's just say going to the fair really pushed me into physical activity after a summer of without physical activity.
while i was chowing down on food, i took in the sights of the fair. there were huge trailers supporting roller coasters and other rides (i questioned their safety). there were enormous booths for carnival games like throwing rings over bottles and throwing balls through wooden panels with a small hole in the middle (i questioned whether the games were rigged). there were cute farm animals such as little pigs and then gigantic farm animals like the cow the size of a small car (i questioned their hygiene, particularly when a pie eating competition was held inside the pig petting area).
the fair was a feast for my stomach as well as a feast for my eyes. i took it all in because it was my first american fair! i spent more money than i would have liked as i tried lots of different food but in the end, the fair is a great place to hang out with friends and watch people become hypnotized, watch as your friend gets her face shoved into a bosenberry pie, watch two pianists play almost every song requested (except for journey - don't stop believin'), watch a 3D weird al yankovich talk about the brain...
you never know what you're going to get at the fair. that's why we ended up staying there for over 8 hours. and even though we do know what will be there next year, we'll be back...you couldn't keep us away from all that fried stuff even if you tried.
1) there was so much stuff! there was an overflowing amount of food, cute little farm animals to look at, games to play and prizes to win, exhibits, a 3D exhibit, dance shows, a hypnotist performance etc etc...
2) everything was fried
fairs are great because they are excuses to eat unhealthy food and to eat lots of it. huge turkey legs the size of my face, foot long hot dogs, fried avocado strips, chocolate covered bacon...now i'm not going to say what i ate and what i didn't...but let's just say going to the fair really pushed me into physical activity after a summer of without physical activity.
while i was chowing down on food, i took in the sights of the fair. there were huge trailers supporting roller coasters and other rides (i questioned their safety). there were enormous booths for carnival games like throwing rings over bottles and throwing balls through wooden panels with a small hole in the middle (i questioned whether the games were rigged). there were cute farm animals such as little pigs and then gigantic farm animals like the cow the size of a small car (i questioned their hygiene, particularly when a pie eating competition was held inside the pig petting area).
the fair was a feast for my stomach as well as a feast for my eyes. i took it all in because it was my first american fair! i spent more money than i would have liked as i tried lots of different food but in the end, the fair is a great place to hang out with friends and watch people become hypnotized, watch as your friend gets her face shoved into a bosenberry pie, watch two pianists play almost every song requested (except for journey - don't stop believin'), watch a 3D weird al yankovich talk about the brain...
you never know what you're going to get at the fair. that's why we ended up staying there for over 8 hours. and even though we do know what will be there next year, we'll be back...you couldn't keep us away from all that fried stuff even if you tried.
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