I recently got hacked.

Thanks for those who are patient enough to keep checking up on my food loving welfare, as I continue to get on top of the game and figure out how to speak this language of love.

We are so engrossed in this info-saturated world these days.  Really, I don’t care about every single little bit of information out there on everyone’s status that is costly and inefficient to sort through.  I’d invite you out to coffee or give you a phone call at the very least if I wanted to catch up on what kind of cereal made your poop five different colours last night.

Or at least in the realm of a blog, I am persuaded to think that I still have a bit more choice in the matter whether or not I want to follow the evolution of your thoughts.

Is this how we’re slowing everyone down these days? By giving them tabloids for the normal people and allowing hyper realities to rule our real world conceptions of politics, infrastructure, and economics?  I know we talk about the SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT all the time, but stop FORCE FEEDING ME BYTE AFTER BYTE of a clusterfuck of useless gossip about drama that didn’t happen an hour ago, four seconds ago, at exactly what location and time zone.

You own the online world G – x to the ten, ten to the hundred.  Now what are you going to do with it?  Online monoculture of droids that input technology and spit out more droids to do more of the same work in order to feed the growing masses? How much more power do you want? and what’s the point?  With that much power, people start acting like bullies, like kids who think life is unfair on the playground.  Can I choose not to play this game anymore when either team doesn’t play fair?  Fighting fire with fire.  Disaster is bound to explode.  And what gets me the most is that choosing to be ignorant now means that I give up my cultural consent to be manipulated and to be treated like a number.  Moreover, in a forceful way that masks my idea of freedom as a national and cultural duty to comply to the capitalistic way of believing my world to be in order to survive.

So excuse me dear reader for my hiatus lately.

I’ve had to redefine my idea of staying on top of it all, and I’ve decided to maintain the safe space that I do have in the privacy of my lil apt in order to stay on top of my game, and it’s one that’s worth playing lately — one that actually keeps me alive in the physical world — and that’s the game I play in my Kitchen.

I protect my right to eat and enjoy my food every day, and sometimes I am more verbal about it than others.  I have been very private at that recently because I am getting tired of the public fight.  It’s the same shit once you understand the system.  The same fights against the same people.  I’m not arguing to be right, I’m not arguing to be heard.  I stir the pot to generate awareness, so it bubbles over enough to make a real mess in order for action to take place.

I have an internal strength, by being sensitive to my surroundings and am learning everyday about what [TO EAT] that works for me.  I feel as though this trust and privacy is what’s lacking in our culture these days.

Every morsel that dances down my throat reminds me that I am alive, that I am here, and am here fighting the good fight.  I appreciate not knowing exactly what happens with the science of my food, but instead trusting my instincts of what’s good for me.  More and more each day I am learning to listen to my body and feed it what it wants in order to feel like I’m conquering my health, myself, and my world by gaining strength in body, mind, and soul.

I inspire you to introspectively appreciate your body too.

Stop pushing it to it’s limits.

and like this blog,

It needs a bit of rest, extra care, and a detox of known toxins.

You need to identify the toxins, and prevent them from entering the system to begin with.  Too often do we think that feeding our body something good after a night of mayhem will balance the damage done.  Perhaps, if you are resilient.  But what about the philosophy of saying No to something you know is so messed up?  What about choosing what’s best and what you need, instead of fulfilling a moment of want and instant gratification?

This is my food space. Here me roar, and I will defend every morsel and byte, like it depends on my life.  In a way, it does, isn’t that what FOOD is for?

Feed your soul something good tonight, whether that is creative or cathartic or just a pure space for you to let it all go and be in the moment.

I appreciate you.

xoxo J xoxo

Fo Serious. I felt like all I did yesterday was SNACK. Which in my mind is like a tease, a way of food shopping where I can never really find what I’m looking for unless I make it myself.

Munch munch munch.  I woke up feeling yucky :(  I really don’t like snacking, but when I eat meals that don’t satisfy my nutrient cravings, I get sad and search for munchies that will.  You know, it’s that weird full feeling, the empty calorie kind of full, where I need energy, and I’m trying a lot of different things to find the right kind :P Bleh.

I’ve been playing around with my eating habits since undergrad, and as my appetite has really been fluid in changing to my healthy requests and needs, I’m learning to take the “what does my body want today” approach to eating. Considering that I get hungry every two hours if I eat the wrong things, like snacks that only hold me over till the next meal – even if they’re good snacks like fruit, veg, or nuts, I still find that I need a least one substantial savoury protein : carb : veg ratio-ed meal all doused in saucy saucy goodness once a day.

The more I learn about food and what I should be eating that feeds my body the best, the more I like to challenge the idea of having three square meals a day versus the coveted BRUNNER nowadays…

Come on, it’s so college to only eat one meal a day because of time,

and I hear it all the time, I even hear myself say it in grad school now – “I don’t have time to eat”

well, “MAKE TIME!” said just like my momma.

yes. very important folks. Hence I plan my day around my meals now, really, who doesn’t? And I must admit, most of the times when I’m bored or stressed it’s because I can’t find something that tickles my fancy, when I’ve been snacking all day just to satisfy the mouth feel of chewing and wanting to eat, but not knowing exactly what it is that my body needs really bugs me too.

It’s like going on the perfect search, trying everything on for size.  And when I finally find that  meal that just tickles my tongue with excitement and flavour, it is so damn rewarding like finding the perfect sexy dress after a whole day of shopping!  Mmmmmhmmmm!

As of late, since I’ve been gorging on food and was utterly gluttonous for the last month and a half, (and enjoying every bit of it mind you, I even boast about my food poisoning bout that I had in LA, like I went through battle or something!) I have been craving some good ol HOME COOKIN. :)

aka my own. hahaha.

Mainly also, I’m really tired of eating out lately.  I miss my mommy’s liquid home soupie, and I feel fat and heavy from what I do eat when I go out.  If I have salad and soup for lunch as an attempt to find that balance from the heavy ass meal from the night before, I’m usually hungry again within the hour, and find myself snacking because my body’s like — I need energy!!!  I usually like to save my big savory moments for dinner too, although many people who believe that the largest meal of the day should be breakfast or don’t eat past 9pm because the three hours before you sleep should be reserved for your body to rest instead of busy digesting through the night given that you actually sleep before midnight – frown upon this request.  Aghh, sleep.  It goes hand in hand with food doesn’t it.  Especially now, during winter when all I want to do is snuggle up in bed, wake up excited to eat like it’s the first day of spring, and then go back to bed again because it’s cold outside.  All comfy like an animomo.

Ever wake up completely starving though, when you’ve gone to bed completely over the top full?? Woowee, damn those stomach acids are strong!!! Go tummy go!

So, “What should I have for breakfast/lunch/dinner today?” and “What will feed me the most nutrients, be tasty, and excite my tongue — and get me through the week so i can focus and study???”

Hmmmm…?

Usually when I don’t know what can satisfy my cravings with, I’m very satisfied with a whole day trip to Wholefoods where I get inspired to cook.  I pack my reusable bags in a backpack and rolly suitcase (oh NY, how you are le suck for my favourite activity of supemarket hording), and I make it a day.

Yes, I was hesitant to reveal this as my supermarket of choice because I admit, I feel good, calm, and happy when I shop there knowing very well that I pay premiums for the convenience and the niche, although I feel like some of my colleagues might spearhead me with an artichoke if I admit these things in class…

Anyway, I am planning a whole week’s worth of meals right now, and am making my second shopping trip today.  Yes yesterday was the first, and I was maxed out.  What else can you do without a car in this damn city?

Do I pay extra for delivery sparing my arms from falling off while lifting rolly suitcases and granny carts up and down subway stairs? Do I order online and not get to smell touch and play with my food before I choose it? Do I seduce a man to come with me just to use his chivalry and strength to my advantage?  Hahaha, it’s like eating out anyway, but knowing and getting exactly what I want since all the effort is still there, while there’s no time to relax in New York without feeling guilty…

Hmm, let’s just bank on the payoff that is definitely worth my fight to find the right kinds of foods that feed my bodily functions at all costs!

Ok, trip number two. Let’s go hiddy ho!

Happy Food Shopping,

xoxo J xoxo

‘Proof’,… Please.

Add to the conversation instead of making people more confused by just ‘proving’ a point with research that is now obsolete.

I am here endearingly referring to this article on Slate’s “green” section of their online publication.
(sent to me by simon, and linked to me on facebook where ppl don’t want to hear me politically soap box about food.  But herr, hahahaha — this is where jloeats it all up… ;) Thanks,  by the way, for keeping me on my toes friends.)

entitled: Beware the Myth of Grass Fed Beef – Cows Raised on Pasture are Not Immune to Deadly E.coli Bateria

My initial response is two fold.

a) Hmm, who wrote this article?  Seems like he’s already picking a “side” to the argument that’s for or against an issue that isn’t black and white.  It isn’t even giving the idea and philosophy of grass fed beef a chance.  (umm, aren’t cows naturally designed to eat GRASS?!)

b) DUH! that’s like arguing that humans won’t be completely immune to swine flu after the H1N1 vaccine even if they’re are completely healthy.  — E.coli has become a SUPER BUG. it’s a virus that’s getting stronger by the day.  That’s the problem.  People are just trying to attack the problem in different ways, find a quick fix to the system, and then mass produce it so it applies to everyone.  Am I the only one seeing red flags here?!

Ten years ago, advocates started pointing out this problem of grain fed vs. grass fed on all sides of the issue before e. coli was that prevalent of a problem.  The fact of the matter is, that it’s getting worse, and costly recalls are happening more and more frequently.  All sides of the issue need to be looked at in terms of beef production here  – health of consumption, health of the environment, health of the animal, health of the economy with government grain subsides, etc… The movement was mainly advocating for awareness and change, and today, it STILL IS.  We are at a cultural turning point now because it’s not enough for people to just “know” where their food comes from.  What are you doing about it? is the question when you find out how messed up it all is.

Food ‘fads’ that most people react to so strongly against “calling them elite” have developed from this movement, which I believe is what this slate article is really doing since his main point in the end is ‘watch out for these foodie fads that could kill u– “foodie” here used as an against “them” term mentioned at the end.  Sorry but the last time I checked, people respond to people with money, people with resources, and people who are educated.  Isn’t ‘elitism’ in the food movement just another form of ‘glamour’ and stardom’ spun into spaghetti?  A celebrity chef’s recipe mind you…

It just seems so emotional, like he just wants to be heard, that he’s not happy with a counter cultural movement that he doesn’t understand.  (Most slate articles I’ve noticed lean very conservative and always play devil’s advocate for the conventional side – which is great for freedom of choice / freedom of voice, but is now becoming an obsolete argument that just confuses consumers even more about what to eat, since current food education advocacy is all about EQUAL access to JUST food nowadays.  The author has a very “see it’s not better for you argument” instead of stating an alternative, or discussing why beef is a “green” issue right now to begin with.  He also doesn’t mention why conventional beef has been spurring E.coli problems in the recent past, why it’s such an issue of food safety now, which leans towards the huge issue of FOOD SAFETY REGULATION and the sustainability of MASS PRODUCTION, which are the REAL problems in the system, instead of “foodies” trumpeting about grass fed beef.  Simply stating that the other side of the debate as bad, is not a good argument.

And the NEW message for beef? — Whether you eat grass fed or grain fed, everyone should try eating less meat in general.  Both consume tons of energy, both have environmental health costs which subsequently affect all of our health as a meat eating society, and either way you spin it, there are problems in the system that are starting to kill more and more people.  Come on man, get on the bandwagon if you’re going to be dogging on beef.

Also, of course the cows that eat grass fed beef are susceptible to disease (who isn’t?!)

He doesn’t even link any evidence that the recalled meat were pastured cows, only that “research shows” blah blah blah that cows that eat grass can get sick too – well Duhhhh!

Fact of the matter is that the system that humans have practiced for years has now bred superbugs that are immune to our own quick “fixes”, and that the real problem is still finding a soultion to how cows are raised from the demand for feeding so many mouths with meat everyday in this country.  Also what the cow eats, is what we eat.  GMO corn, soy, and other crops are leaking into the system more and more everyday, which decreases the biodiversity and immunity of nature to fend off superbugs through natural selection.  Radiation is killing off any sign for us to identify when foods are going bad.  Short of the long, we are killing all the clues that help us naturally defend against evolutionary changes that are inevitable, and there’s nothing that the average consumer can do about it unless they use their buying power to shift the demand for better meat or demand alternative practices.  Meat has always been a luxurious item, and demands for meat have increased since the beginning of time, since man starting hunting.

PS — His cooking temp argument is also only half correct which again frustrates me because it confuses consumers – all hamburger meat should be Well Done. Any Chef can tell you that. hamburger or “ground meat” is all scrap meat and chances of E. Coli contamination are of course higher since that shit is or has been touching shit literally since slaughtering.  Other parts of the cow butchered for steaks is when you ask for different colours or cooking temps under 160 degrees (well-done).  So whether grass fed or not, considering the average guest at steakhouses ask for 135 -145 degrees (medium-rare), I’m pretty sure that steakhouses order all conventional meat from feedlots unless otherwise noted and the customer is charged for the ‘better’ meat.

again, sure there haven’t been any major recalls for grass fed beef yet – but a return to the grass fed philosophy and practice also calls for better treatment of the cows, their farms are naturally smaller, and where conventional practices lack in regulated checkpoints for E. coli testing is currently where the problem is leaking out into the markets… I can only say that Costco, right now, is the only major business that voluntarily does checks their meat shipments for E. coli contamination.

So…What if this bug keeps mutating and getting stronger? What if it gets worse, because it’s getting worse, and people are still choosing to be blind to it.  What if other viruses haven’t been discovered yet?  What can we do about our practices now that expand our knowledge of food safety for everyone and how do we implement changes in a sustainable way?  Fuck the quick fix.  I want my kids to be able to enjoy food the way I do, and I want them to be smart about it too.  Don’t you?

Let’s work together, for grass fed or not, who cares, the real problem are these superbugs that we’re making stronger.  For food safety and health for all, my goodness.

Choose better beef,

xoxo J xoxo

this is what it means…(more or less)

studying everything related to food nowadays in the academic realm means everything from seed to plate minus the cooking.  All the processes, systems, and politics, all the cultural and scientific battles through personal, financial, ritual, and media relations, and oh yea the cultural act of EATING too.

It’s like studying computer science and the idea of the internet in 1978.  We’re just a bunch of people who have banded together in foreseeing a cultural movement that’s been long coming, and by studying the cultural effects of science and technology through the lens of food, we are pushing new counter cultures out of the closet, and shaping a social movement against ‘the man’ and ‘the system’ through food.  We believe, I believe, that every packaged tiny morsel of food has the ability to change and impact you as much as vitamins and minerals did when they were first discovered as nutrients back in the 1910-20’s.

And as I get more and more into the medical, economic, and business/entrepreneur spirit of the food industry this semester, a realm I am endearingly referring to as more “practical” in nature, I can promise you a lively discussion on my developing theory that food education is becoming more and more interdisciplinary, and more and more prominent.

Through exercising our right to chose what we can and cannot eat, what we should and should now eat, and what we want to eat, we as a society are exerting our power to manipulate the course of our lives.

Oh and we sure know how to throw damn good parties too. ;)

“Food, it’s what we do, we know how to make people happy” and we know how to stir up the pot too…

Cheers! to a new semester full of brain farting, mind blowing, scintillating and effervescent conversations ;)

xoxo J xoxo

Gimmick after gimmick, they pulled all the stops out to make the message family friendly and digestible. I give it two yum yums and one healthy high five ;)

Also, who doesn’t want to play in 3D Jello?  It’s bouncy fun and funky stuff.  My fav part — the giant fortune cookie that falls on the Great Wall, cracks open and says “you will die from giant corn” right before a giant corn on the cob literally rolls into the picture crushing the wall and the screaming animated bystanders.  HOW AWESOME.

my food flurry heart was dying from laughing and jaw was dropped wide open in sheer surprise and delight at how clear that message was.  Like Wall-E., Avatar, and Princess Mononoke, I watched movie after movie this week about our cultural commentary on humanity’s manipulation over nature, and how disconnected we are as society from our lands.  What will happen if we keep ignoring these issues? Is it even possible?

What do you think about the clear messages in Avatar?

key food moments of interest –

1) When the colonel says “let’s make this quick and dirty, i want to be home for dinner” right before the last battle — what kind of celebratory meal is he referring to? What will they eat?! Does this just highlight his old school patriarchal chauvinistic character in expecting dinner to be there after a hard day’s work? and again, seriously what IS for dinner?!

2) When Jake asks mother Ewa for help — “please understand, where they come from there’s no green anymore” — ughhh… heartbreak. such a good line.

3) When Dr. Grace’s team first arrives in the new station in the mountains – Trudy opens the fridge that’s marked “for food only” and goes “eeyuck” at her selection in the fridge. Dr. Grace then later throws down a package to Jake and says eat up it’s energy, while when she likes him, makes him finish a PLATE of food (was it eggs?! it looked like a scrambled breakfast of some sort) before he connects back to the falling tree moment.

4) Also, it never shows the Indigenous people EATING. they HUNT, and are referred to as  ‘good hunters’ but they never eat what they catch.   What do they eat on Pandora?  Have you noticed that too?

Nope just me? hahaha, ok.

What do you think??? :)

But sometimes, when all else has been done as a precaution, all you can really do is

acknowledge the fact that your body is resilient in knowing exactly when

to throw it all,

up in the air.

precisely.

graffic,

disgusting,

and so real.

how incredible and intricate of a system that is our digestive tract.  When does it know what’s good and what’s bad after it’s done all that it’s could working on what it was given? So selfless, so smart, and so hilarious when it goes “GET THIS SHIT OUT OF MY BODY!!! BLEHHHHHHRRRGHHHHH!!”

Perhaps it was also telling my body to slow down a tad.  I was being so gluttonous, so excessively happy and over feeding myself the moment I got to california.  I was such a little piggy the entire first week here, eating till my heart’s content, and not minding how my stomach could handle it.  I’m sorry tummy, i took advantage of you. and boy did you telllllll me.

I guess my body seriously just needed a good 24 hours of rest.  And at 1am, I heard the message loud and clear — “Slow down killa!” your system needs time to relax even if you’re feeding it all the right stuff!

Yes folks, there’s a thing as too much good food.  Something I am still learning to balance.  This is definitely something I heard a lot while growing up, since my Daddy would always try to explain that “too much of anything is not good” and I would always smart assingly respond with my 4 year old voice asking “even ice cream??!?”

so imagine his reaction when I called him to tell him that I was making it to the bathroom literally every two hours in the last 24 hours, and the sheer sight or thought of food just made me want to hurl.  Ughhh so sad.  I believe my Dad just giggled and said, “you got too excited with all the good food in cali, take it easy!”

And I’m almost embarrassed to report that as a dire last resort, I believe around hour 16, I decided to sip one ounce of gatorade. For most people, this just seems logical — I needed the sugar, the liquid, and the eletrolytes again, but for me, it was soul sucking, my ego had to take a hit, while i fed what my body really needed that I could not muster up enough strength at the middle of the night to provide an alternative to.  It was my last resort since I felt like I was dying, and that was the only excuse I gave in order to break two of my food rules –

a) I don’t eat neon food. anything artificially coloured, that is bright, and made to look like it’s been glowing since the late 80’s, is clearly not ‘natural’ and

b) I don’t endorse or consume high fructose corn syrup when I have a choice.  It is listed as the second ingredient on a gatorade bottle.

Thirdly, I had to brush my teeth right after I sipped half that glass warmer (yea, if I was going to drink gatorade, it was going to be in style like I was sipping on brandy, hahaha) that shit coated my teeth quicker than it entered my pores with neon droplets of sugar just like the commercials where the athletes are in such good shape that they perspire that shit straight out of their system. hahaha…

But yes, theoretically, I knew what my body needed, and I fed it.  I was a little numb from drinking just plain water all day anyway, so it did help settle my dizziness and lack of nutrients at that point.

Plain congee, rice green tea, bread, and yogurt followed a few hours later, which totally helped, and then it was tea and honey the morning after the 24hr hell period. Oh delirrriuuum.  I’m so glad my system slowly was able to handle food again, and I’ve been feeding it nothing but GUUD stuff since — salads, veg, pure protein, soups, avocados, oranges, bananas, yogurt (need to replenish the good bateria in my tummy)

and funny enough, I got my waist back! haha…Now I understand eating disorders, and am even more saddened by them.  But shit, my six pack cam back from hurling all night. haha, dang. My poor poor body was in such shock. It’s like i t went through boot camp for the past 48 hours.  But it’s good to know that now I’m more resilient to california cuisine than ever! Booya grandma! Bring it!  It’s time to eat again! wahooo!!! and I only have three more days of deliciousness, ohhh how I miss amazing and affordable ethnic food in cali. new york is good for american food, but cali is good for all that in between, I mean, you can taste the difference in the ingredients that don’t have to travel so far…

I’m so grateful for the small things in life. as simple as eating normally and pooping normally again. HAHA.

And all the small things are just so damn tasty ;) Feed my body and feed my soul! :)

so Cheers! to a fully revived digestive system again, to healthy poop, and to happy conscious and healthy eating again! :)

xoxox J xoxo

this place makes me feel like a 4 year old kid with an ice cream cone on a sunday afternoon.  And whether I’m healthy or sick, I still love how I feel walking out of this place, so satisfied that i fed my body good.

I love this buffet chain, and that’s a mouthful to say.  For one, I hate buffets – the idea of them, the management of them, the concept of them usually, because it’s the hording mentality of crossing the financial threshold point whether its good for you or not, that makes me cringe.  I know this is a cultural privilege that I never grew up starving, and the only point of reference that I have with hoarding is the fact that if I moved any slower around my family during dinner time whilst growing up, there would be no food left for me to even ponder over.  At buffets, it’s funny to watch people consume at a rate that is neither good or bad for them. but boy do they feel it afterwards — HAHAHA, again it all goes back to the poop.

But when I have a choice, I would much rather be hoarding what’s good than what’s known crap, knowing that gluttony is also a vice of mine.  I mean evolutionary speaking, don’t people stock up on what’s to get them through the winter anyway?  And when you have fresh produce all year round in Cali – It’s like xmas all year round

So I must tip my hat to this business because what they’ve done right is everything I used to hate, or so I thought…And it’s all so cutely packaged.  My constant cravings for soup and salad are met with yumminess, more so than any other place.  Perhaps it’s knocking down my own elitist interal foodie (YES!) – because what the Soup Plantation is known for is an affordable access to fresh healthy and hearty food in a family friendly, equal environment that just makes you feel so good from the inside out.  It’s the good kind of full, and the yummy kind of full, and the easy on my wallet I did good with my money kind of full.  It’s the hold your belly I can’t eat anymore but it tastes so damn good that I can’t stop eating but I’m going to explode full.  And best part is, after the initial mountainous plate of salad, you’ve already hit your financial threshold point, and thus, everything else like the carbs and the proteins are bonuses PORTIONED properly.  Tiny tiny bowls and plates make you very conscious of the fact that you must go back many times to the buffet style hot line, in order to fill up on goodies.

Honey whipped butter, fresh baked corn bread muffins, and fresh fruit.  Mmm.  When I’m feeling under the weather, the best place to go is a fresh affordable Goodie bar.  I believe I once described their chunky chicken noodle soup as close to “liquid home” as I can get outside of my momma’s own kitchen.  They even help school groups raise money (how philanthropic while spreading a good healthy message), and now even have catering (another awesome affordable way to have access to good food for larger groups), and their seasonal variety themed festivals like “strawberry week!” or tomato month! (to keep you on your toes!) are just fun ways to spice things up, if you’re a poster child like me.

It’s a win win situation!  This place offers me a great option to the wholesome food value driven lifestyle that I have the ability to choose.

I LOVE this place. can you tell? :) New York needs a place like the Soup Plantation.  Fo Realsies… I guess I just haven’t found them yet… although they are popping up in tiny boutique restos… Hmm. need to explore further. note to self.  ACCESS TO HEALTHY AFFORDABLE FOOD. wait, isn’t that my whole schtick in grad school?! Amen.

isn’t that a pickle.

3 solid detoxing poops later.  Yes I said it, (you must be wondering, and most people look at my size after they watch me eat and ask “where do you put it?!” so in entering the TMI blogosphere herr, I must talk a bit about digestion. Let’s keep it real folks, with all this eating and gluttony, I too hope you are regular, since it means that you are healthy, and when you are healthy, that makes me happy.)

I must confess my love for LA, as the best part of coming for vaca was the fact that I had no plans, and a whole lot of awesome people to see, and in my world, all of that revolves around FOOD.

Last night we went downtown LA to Bottega Louie. Which surprisingly for a concept resto, had affordable GOOD FOOD.  That’s what saved the experience really.  The fact that their hand rolled and sauteed to a crunch triangular prism shaped pasta in a braised beof sauce was something I had never had before, and as my friend tried to explain the dish as “fun”, I was delighted by how fun it actually was to eat it.  We paired it with a perfectly seasoned asparagus side dish that was topped with a fried egg that danced down my throat while I inhaled it on a very empty stomach.

It was way past my dinner time, which meant I was hitting a cranky wrath of janet east coast time gutteral haze.  Walking into the hoard of well dressed LA-ers on a Friday night through all the staring eyes was enough to make me feel lost in the giant hotel-museum-esque cafe style type of atmosphere.  For the first time in a while, I was self conscious of how I looked, whether or not I was fancy enough.  HAHA, oh LA…  It was loud, chaotic, and bizarre, like a restaurant trying too hard to create a sense of magic in the “sparkle and vibe” of it all.  Sound familiar?  The kind of nightmare situation where the hostesses smile at you and tell you that the wait at 9:30pm to their 600 seater resto is an hour and a half wait, where they point you over to the ‘bar’ area already crowded with other hungry post happy hour yuppies and hipsters who seem to have been there for hours already.  I looked over at the open kitchen at the surprisingly composed line cooks and couldn’t help but feel sorry for them, with a complete twist of mad respect.  This was a place where urbanites go to be seen, which happened to have decent food, which in my past experience always overrides good service and food as a top priority.  It is after all, a restaurant.   Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for new experiences, but my stomach overrides everything.  and I usually listen.  this is after all jloeats.

An expensive but delicious tiny french passion fruit macaroon later to hold me over, we end up getting a table in the ‘bar’ area after my friend had charmed the dudes sitting there to leave. anyway.  Like the mentioned already, if their food wasn’t good and reasonable, there would be no story here.

We moved on to two more bars, and finally ended up at Corkbar, a new wine bar in a developing / gentrifying area.  The fabulous bartender/sommlier offered me a 2008 Napa muscat that danced in my mouth like a beautiful summer day.  The crisp bite of the apricot notes made my heart sing.  I love it when people know their ingredients.  You can just taste the respect.  It was fabulous…and the cheese they offered us really was the cherry on top of all the winey winey…

1am, J-town. something had to be open.  After reminiscing about my travels over wine and cheese, as wine and cheese often transports me so, I needed to satisfy my oral fixation with something as savoury as the Japanese cuisine offered within the diaspora of Los Angeles unlike any other area outside of Japan. And I knew exactly what I wanted – UNI.

Nothing gives me more joy than watching someone who’s never had Uni before, try it, savour it, and smile.  The sweet golden essence of the ocean made Alex giggle as much as I did.  It was the perfect endnote to a fun food filled day.

Mmm ethnic food in LA. So fabulous, so delicious…

what’s next tomorrow? Indian at Samosa’s, Pho in the Valley, ughhhhh yeaaaa…

happy eating ;)

xoxo J xoxo

I do feel much better, nothing like cali sun sun sun, fun with my friendddddss, and guud food.

nothing like a snow capped white xmas and a hit of relativity reality, reunions, and love.

Best Kuche? Wurstkuche! Exotic Sausages with Veg options. Eat my Veg. Pho now? Bahn Mi later? sure thing. ;)

Sex is food, Food is sex. yes. both is LOVE. this is always true. a framework for survival. both so defined by Science and Culture.

so imagine all the puns and innuendoes at Wurstkuche last night with my dear dear friends who picked me up from the airport in loving arms and charm, exactly a year after they last dropped me off at lax, tucked me under their warm wings and threw food and art in my face. LOVE.

my life has been somewhat uprooted in the past few years, with my heart, my head, my soul, floating about somewhere between three places, and these three places bring out three very different parts of me.  projecting a sense of success in what i do and what i want to accomplish, while finding my feet dug into the roots of my past, of my education, of my upbringing, and learning to express that all through the silver lining of the sun that sustains me so.

so don’t get me wrong, in no way am i complaining here that i’m a jetsetter, au contrare, i’m very aware at how privileged i am, and how much i enjoy sharing my bicoastal and bicountry life.  i also, like many (i like to believe) spend time basking in the many types of relationships that i am discovering about myself with myself, and my world — my heart versus my head, what’s natural vs. what’s created, what i reason vs. what i believe, finding a balance between science and culture, and all that falls in between.

I watched four very interesting TED talks on the airplane and beyond last night,

one about biomimicry on searching for and finding the answers in nature,

one about defining success and failure in life and becoming aware of what we give up in order to find success in one thing while most people define themselves with what they do (name 5 things that defines who you are, without relating it to what you do – go!) ,

one on humans loosing a sense of what’s greater than us, in becoming a narcissistic society while embracing technology and connecting ourselves with each other to define a true global village.  do we need to learn to reconnect with nature in order to co-exist with nature in order to create a global institution to work towards the same thing?

and one on how smart crows are (did u know that crows are the new chimps that work with tools, and adapt fast to their surroundings, because we who live in urban areas have been seeing them as pests instead of learning to co-exist with them, and in that darwin wins in adaptation? yeaaa, i fear birds cuz i was probably killed and eaten by one in my past life, and mostly fearing what’s just more powerful that i on the food chain…HA. Ha. ha. how me.)

humans are stupid to believe that we’re suprior in anyway – only because we’re smart to make toys that manipulate power – yes i just came back from watching AVITAR also – simply mind blowing in production, rich and classic hero tragedy story, and just amazing visual science)

so from the moment i landed, and felt the sun shine down on my face, felt the brisk and beautiful weather, i knew this was something i totally needed during this holiday break. a chance to make new memories, a chance to just hang out and be me, like Cali has always given me the space to do, and a chance to eat till my heart’s content, live in other worlds for moments at a time, and just bask, in the beauty of life whilst still in a giant urbanite vortex – knowingly.  It always amazes me to be in the stateside, because my brain is always stimulated to process and be analytical as i so choose. i have points of references to compare my thoughts on, and am very much a culture princess when it comes to analyzing systems in place through the lens of life, of food, of survival.

i know i’ve always felt like i was somewhere stuck between los angeles, toronto, and new york. and somehow, during this holiday, i’m finding clues, and ways to tie it all together, to make sense of my worlds, to stop projecting my future and dragging my past behind me. to be present. to give up a bit of the narcissistic personal life in order to project my role in society onto a bigger meaning and  relative scale.  in a way, becoming more self loving, but in accepting a greater sense of who i am. and boy does it feel so guud to feed my soul.

From Kima Curry, to Soup Plantation, Burritos, Kim Chi fried rice for breakfast, to Phamish (land of gourmet food trucks – sorry NY, it did start here first), fish taco chains (i miss my Rubios mmm), Guacamole anytime anywhere, Wurstkuche sausages and Belgian beer in a loft space that i can only imagine having direct competition with an imaginary concept in Brooklyn (cuz BK can hang like that)

and  it’s only my second day herr. whuuuuttttt.

and that’s what constantly amazes me here. it’s the amazing company i have who constantly inspire me to slow down, and enjoy, to sip, and be inspired.

sunshine in the middle of january, getting my info saturated world through media art – zines, mags, movies, npr radio, music, video games, online vids, youtube, iphone connectedness.  and not a bit of reading have i done since i left nyc. i am finding that i want to paint, i am drawing, and i am taking a lot of pictures again.

it feels so good to be observing my world this way.

going native,

always poses,

quite interesting predicaments and situations.

bring it on O-10.

bring it on. ;)