Twenty Eats & Drinks in Two Days: Behold Baja California I

A few months back, when I had first met Bill Esparza of Street Gourmet L.A--getting lost in a conversation over regional Mexican food and Tequila--I knew me and him were going to be good friends. So far, the only other Latino food blogger I ever met in my life here in L.A.





It was then he had also shared with me his idea of holding a food trip down to Baja California, to dispel the publicized negative reputation that has grown synonymous with the sound of the initials: "T.J". The true Tijuana is not that. Tijuana is a sincere city of deliciousness and diligence, tasted through the curt food vendors as they serve you their humble offerings and seen through the loyal police authority as they patrol around the streets peacefully. It was time to start the assimilated Mexican culture revolution...beyond ill-conceived beliefs of 'pandemic influenzas' and rice-filled Burritos of American descent.






The time was now, thanks to Bill and his austere efforts with Jahdiel Vargas(director of Cotuco), and Rodrigo Caballero of the Crossborder Business Group , a food media trip with about twenty five participants took place this last weekend, from Thursday night to Saturday night, fellow bloggers Mattatouille, Food GPS, Gourmet Pigs, Eating L.A, gast*ron*o*my, LA-OC Foodventures, Pleasure Palate, Man Bites World and seasoned writers such as Barbara Hansen and Nancy Zaslavsky as well as restauranteurs Ramiro Arvizu and Bricia Lopez gorged and drank ceaselessly to better apprehend the concept of Baja California Cuisine.

Scoring an actual Crucero bus to cross us south of the border; it was not long (two and a half hours) before it had begun.






To break us in, our Mexican Sherpa decided to set us straight with probably the top misinterpretation of L.A's Mexican street eats: The Carne Asada Taco.





Usually passed as an over-marinated, tough single flap meat cut, the tacos at El Poblano are comprised of actually 3-4 different cuts of meat, including chuck, loin and round.






I noticed a couple of patrons ordering Tostadas, the toasted, almost burnt Tortillas that remained on the grill for too long... a delicacy to some, including me.






They had their taco-slinging technique down to the bone, as they grilled, chopped, passed, sauced...bam! I've never seen so many bloggers served and satisfied so quickly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgouZmyg1fQ

Two tacos in, I was good, given that it was one hour before midnight and I was in a country where 18 is the legal age to drink, I knew I mustn’t be haste, the night was ever so young and this was only the beginning of the night...let alone the actual trip.





A couple dark brews later consisting of Casta and Modelo Oscura, this event seemed almost unreal. It was actually happening...











Taco's and Beer's in, everyone was definitely ready to crash, they all needed as much precious rest as possible, if they were to survive the next two days. But rest is something the Glutster must sacrifice for the name of good food and fun.

Sneaking out with Noah Galuten and a couple of devious others after everyone was tucked in at Palacio Azteca, we appreciated Tijuana's night life splendors until the early 4:30 AM dawn, just two hours before I was supposed to go pick up a self-driving joinee at the border in the morning.

It was worth it, I led Noah to sample bonus bites of beef Birria tacos and a real burrito, slender and light with a filling of only stewed Chicharron.











Two hours later, I was up and ready for anything, and I meant anything...

Tacos El Poblano
7813 Boulevard Diaz Ordaz
Tijuana
La Mesa

Gastro-Enlightenment at Saam

When I was barely getting into the game of food, the anthropology of food through time via different cultures was the one thing that interested me...and still does diligently to this day. But, at the same time, the subject of Molecular Gastronomy also impressed me, only acting as a booster to my passion for food. I mean, it looked cool as hell...I wanted to eat Liquid Nitrogen! But never having personally experiencing it, I didn't really know too much about it in actual life.

I found out exactly what it meant through the C.I.A textbook-requirements of On Food and Cooking by Harold Mcgee and first heard about the praised execution of it on this L.A Times food write up. This José Andrés fellow out in D.C or something?

Never having Satellite or Cable, I binge-watched Food shows on Saturday afternoons (12-5) shown on Public Television. For 3 years already, I never missed the Spanish accented "Wowwww"'s of the jolly José Andrés, on his show "Made in Spain".

And thanks to the giving, god-like thoughtfulness of Will Chi from Fooddigger. I have just experienced enlightenment in the form of niftily executed sustenance.





First 'wow' of the evening was his famous Liquid Nitrogen Caipirinha . Based SOLELY on olfactory and sight senses, it was stupefyingly creamy, given that it was quite potent and in theory, unfriezable. There was this guy with a little cart full of Liquid Nitro and went around catering to whoever ordered. made me think that it would be cool if someone sold Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream through a cart in the street, ha, ha.





After hanging out in the bar for a while, we were finally escorted to the room that is actually Saam. A small room within the Bar Centro & Bazaar, his other main restaurant, my version of a Bodhi tree this evening, serene, warm, for the more serious diner who is ready to get out from the cycle of loudness, flashiness and other smokin' cute...but material pleasures.





We were in and the first offering was set upon us.
1st





Salt Air Margarita with Salt-Lime Air.

It was interesting, salt and tequila go way back, it was nice to finally not have to taste, I mean smell, the granulated salt. Still played the same role, took out the ferocious zing of Tequila.

Not long after our first 'snack'--as they called it--landed on our table.
2nd





Sweet Potato Chips with a Greek Yogurt Foam, Tamarind, and Star Anise.

The chips by themselves were ethereally crisp and thin by, not greasy or fried-tasting whatsoever, almost like an Indian Lentil-flour Papadum. The yogurt foam was rich, but airy. And well, star anise is star anise, Tamarind added interesting tart compounds to it.

3rd





Cotton Candy Foie Gras

I've really only had Foie Gras a handful of times in my life, usually extremely diluted with something else. I always related the flavor to an ugly cousin of Bologna or something, But THIS was completely something else. Transcendentally smooth and creamy in the most lipid of ways, and no elementary school lunch-y flavor at all. The cotton candy was interesting, adding the necessary sweet element to cut the richness in the most subtle of ways, almost like the if it wasn't there. It did it's job but also didn't get in the way of what is the marvel that is Foie Gras.

The art of Terrine Cotton Candy making:






4th





Olive Oil Bonbon

This was interesting. Olive Oil encapsulated with Isomaltose, a sort of 'ose' meaning sugar element involved. Don't know exactly how that works but definitely went with the 'fun' Bonbon factor, tasting of full-bodied, fruity olive oil, especially with the dried sour berry powder aka as Sumac and Maldon Sea Salt sprinkled underneath it.

Somewhere between all this, this guy was brought to our table. One of the most 'nicely smelling' Vino's I've had the pleasure so far, of deep caramel and buttery tones, rich wine for rich foods.






5th





Caviar Steamed Bun with Crème Fraîche and Lemon Air

Bao? Served here eyy? Coming straight up from Char Siu Bao hood', I couldn't wait! The Crème reminded me of a tarter version of the Golden Cream Buns that are norm during Dim Sum. This was actually my first time having Caviar so don't know what to compare it to. From a beginners mind, it was nice, not as fishy as I thought it would be, with a unique texture not experienced anywhere else, very sparse, lemon air did the usual magic that lemon does with things from the sea.

6th





Bagel and Lox Cone with Dill and Crème Fraîche

This was held together by this traditional french pastry crust stuff. Crispy, thin and transparent. This roe was a bit nuttier than the earlier stuff, not a very sturdy smoked flavor but innately there. Great textural contrasts.

7th





Olives Ferran Adria (Liquid Olives)

Olives of the finest quality, but, carried out in flawless liquid form. Named after the renown, innovative chef in Spain whose restaurant is only open like 5 months out of the year or something like that. The 'olive juice' was marinated with Rosemary, Garlic and orange peel. It is mixed with Sodium Algenate then dipped in a Calcium bath to create a super thin pliable film, made for an intense explosion of luxurious, all-around mouth filling properties. Mmmm...food chemistry.

8th





Jose's Ham & Cheese with Air Bread, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and La Serena Merino Sheep's Milk Cheese.

A cheese coagulated from the pistils of Artichoke.
The combination of all these worked wonderfully. The air bread tasted like a bread made from solely the crust of a roll. Inside, was the creamy Brie-like consistency of the nutty young cheese. The Jamon is from pigs that naturally have a hankering for chestnuts, so, quite the satiating bite to it.

9th





Sea Urchin Conservas

Every dish aforementioned had the word "rich" in there, but this was something far above that. The Pico de Gallo-like minced salad of Pipirrana (tomatoes, cucumber and onions) and edible flowers helped make a slight dent in it's richness sheen, but just an unstoppable powerhouse of rich and strong flavor. I've only had Uni once in life before, and it's creamy? smooth? No, much more than that, must meet with it more times to get a better understanding of it.

10th





Boneless Chicken Wing

Average looking but a stand out as far fried fare goes, eloquently spiced and topped with an olive puree and tiny Ice Plant leaf, didn't add that much noticeable flavor against all that good 'ol greasiness, and kudos for doing the tedious work of deboning without ruining it's shape.

11th





Shrimp Cocktail (Santa Barbara Spot Prawn actually)

Very few perfections come close to that of perfectly cooked shellfish. Amazingly sweet, whoa, swoon. Probably the funnest things to eat of the night, as you put the shrimp in your mouth...squish, squish! Never thought I would be 'shooting up' cocktail sauce in between my tongue, ha, ha.

12th





Nitro Gazpacho

The classic chilled Tomato soup but treated with Liquid Nitrogen again. Made for a quasi-Slurpee consistency, melting really fast. Tomato tangy-ness left whole, the air bread pieces on top reminded me of emptied out oyster crackers and added nice snap, crackle, pop.

One scoop of tomato slushy coming right up!











13th





Blue Fin Toro with quail egg, compressed watermelon, sushi rice vinegar, soy air, Wasabi and 3-4 grains of puffed rice.

Although staying with it's traditional Sushi flavor roots, this dish had A LOT going on. Naturally, the Toro was total godhead material, along with the deity of quail egg (cooked accurately at 63'C to retain runnyness of yolk), it was almost unreal. The compressed watermelon was like eating the heart--dead square-inch center--of the most juiciest, sweetest melon in the middle of summer. Super nice comparisons. The rest of the ingredients only carried out these two supreme beings.

14th





Norwegian Lobster with Sea Beans, Seaweed Salad and Toasted Bread. Served with Lobster Head Bisque

Just as expected, also cooked perfectly. Buttery, and again with that miraculous sweetness reminiscent of the earlier shrimp, it's a trip how sweet these things were. The salad had the same breed of seaweed of those sweet salad ones they have at Sushi places and the bread--or only top crispy buttered part--of bread doing it's contrast thaang. Broth was seafood lovers dream, briny and tasting of full-on ocean, I'm talking deep, deep sea stuff.

There were already a bunch of cocktails floating around but these babies were the only ones that I did my work on.


From foreground to back:





AGAIN, based solely from olfactory senses...
Passion fruit Martini: Crisp and bright tasting (real passion fruit not syrup?), especially with those Coffee Bean Nibs on top.
Uva-Bella: Jeez, so much for tolerance. But according to Kevin who was all the way on the other side of the table it was an off the menu thing: muddled grape, Hendrick's gin, St. Germain--French elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, orange bitters?
Cucumber Pom Deluxe: Effen vodka, cucumber, mint, lime juice, pomegranate juice (thanks Kevin for keeping track of the alch-y tonight!)

15th





Smoked Salmon with Chickpea pancake, fresh Chickpeas, compressed Cucumber, Dill, and Tzatziki Sphere

Maan, these guys know their perfection of cooked seafood, never has Salmon been so moist! The chickpea pancake was a favorite of mine, playing off Indian fried legume flour sort of things, especially accented with Tzatziki Sphere. Green chickpeas were not starchy like usual cooked Garbanzo's. Compressed fruit was starting to grow on me at this point.

16th





Not Your Everyday Caprese

A lot of things this night sort of had this 'water-balloon' type effect, meaning that as soon as you put it in your mouth...BAM! All these flavors would explode in your mouth. This went especially with this dish, the Cherry tomato and liquefied Mozzarella Sphere in conjunction was like a grenade, and the crunchy black tomato seeds were like the metal pieces shattering all over. Basil olive oil soothed the wounds and Maldon Sea salt finished it off.

17th





Tournedos Rossini 2009 with K5 Wagyu Beef, Trumpet mushrooms, shaved Foie Gras,
Truffle Gelée & Dry Brioche bread.

This was absolutely magnificent in every way gastronomically possible, like beef butta', no other way to describe it. The beef gave away basically with just the weight of the fork itself. Jeez, I mean, just take a gander at the marbling, thin-striked, consistent through out the cut meant for some bodacious, butter-like bovine quality to be had of it.
(bare with me photo quality in this shot).






Somewhere along this course (hopefully) range of the night, these bad boy's/girls were ordered up too.





Brandy Alexander: Exuberantly creamy with heavy cream, Crème de cacao, and nutmeg






Bellini made from fresh peach juice, Japanese peach, and sparkling wine. Hazy recollection, peachy?






Jalé Berry: gin, Cointreau, fresh blackberries, and jalapeño: Amazing...'ly smelling.





Dirty Martini: Olive Brine Air and Olive Spherification. That explains
the almost-pungent olive-y smell!

18th





Dragons Breath Popcorn

I wish I wasn't so self-conscious and would of snapped a cheesy, myspace-style 'angled' picture of myself as I ate this. I finally got to live my childhood DragonBall Z dreams of having fire breath, sorta. This is the most astonishing thing I have experienced--foodwise--in my life. Basically just caramel corn, compressed into a bite-size ball, and dunked into Liquid Nitro. I think because popcorn is so porous, it makes the perfect vehicle for the smoke-machine-like smoke emitted from the stuff. You are supposed to ingest, and immediately breathe out through your nostrils, making you a dragon for a quick millisecond. Murmurs around the table echoed saying that this used to be Jose Andres's trick up his sleeve that he would only pull out to impress the hell outta whoever he felt was worthy. Well, it certainly did the job. "SWOOOOOPH" (dragon noise as he flies smoothly away in a slither formation through the air)

19th





Chocolate Biscuit Coulant Michel Bras

Awwhh...so cute, a Chocolate Molten Cake prettied up with edible Gold leaf cuddling up with candied ginger-spiked Vanilla & Cardamom Foam. This was the chocolate knockout of the day, spices added intense complexities of spicy flavor only natural to Chocolate, just like the first way of eating Cacao in Aztec time (drank spicy, not sweet). And no, it did not taste 'metallic', the gold leafs has an extremely minute amount of actual gold in it, so it is all purely for sweep-feeting impression purposes.

20th





Coconut in a 'Half Shell'

Liquid Nitro chocolate-coconut shell, chocolate cocoa foam along with sauce, Coconut Sorbet, Caramelized banana, passion fruit sauce with seeds.
This was basically an entire sub-tropical island on a teeny dessert. Choco-Coco shell was interesting, reminding me of that chocolate-dip stuff they have at Foster Freeze or that weird 'instantly-solidifying' Ice Cream sauce I grew up on, being solid to crack, but still somehow meltingly creamy. Banana and Passion fruit did it's thing that fruit usually does to chocolate, brightened it up quite a bit to contrast the one-note flavor of it. This creates a more exciting "OMG!" type of flavor combination necessary for foods to keep you coming back for more, more, and more.

Last but definitely not the least amount of satiating least...the Petit Fours





Saffron Bonbons, Passion fruit Gummies, Chocolate Candied Orange and White Chocolate Raspberry.

Wouldn't mind having a couple of bags of these in the theaters, homemade, exotic-fruit/flavor versions of Cabbage Patch Kids Gummies and Bonbons was a solid finish for the night, chewing away as I bit into the White Chocolate lollipops, yes, I like white chocolate, even if the only actual cacao product is the butter, superfluously smooth and those raspberries doing that aforementioned fruit thing.

Believe it or not, after finally finishing and receiving this fierce piece of paper:





We were not "full, full".

Through out the night, there were a lot of ideas shouted around about where to actually 'eat, eat' afterward, with suggestions of Pinks, or Taco's being tossed around without abandon. I had to take the bus home so didn't stick around but I know others sufficed for a satiating Del Taco feast afterward.

Anyways, these were all the food-centric people that was there, along with the brilliant chef's who served us up.





Chefs:
Chef de Cuisine Michael Voltaggio
Sous Chef Marcel Vigneron

Bryan from Fooddigger
Ryan from Tangmeister Blog
Kevin from Kevineats.com
Mike aka the Pepsi Monster

But an esteemed thanks to this selfless homie right here,





Will Chi from Fooddigger

Who materialized this for me (financially), Thanks Compa, you have no idea.

I have learned, through this and everything else in life, that...enlightenment is a continuing process, not just this misconception of sudden poof, and there!

So...onwards food roshi!

Mole Props: Gold Shouts me Out on L.A Weekly

Jonathan Gold has been my unbeknown long time guru of gastronomy. He unknowingly took me in back when I was in the 11th grade, the first time I read the weekly other than to see what local punk shows were coming up--I was mesmerized.

Every single Thursday morning I would eagerly walk to the nearest distributor of the Weekly--this coffee place that was 5 blocks the other direction from campus--and stumble my way back to school, late, reading his newest find and slowly walking. Many times, walking by a lot of those places.

This, in combination with a growing obsession with food and a less than social High School experience...was the birth of Teenage Glutster.

I've actually met him a few times already and was rather blissful to find out that he knew I was even alive. But when I found out that he recently gave me props on this Weeks review of Moles la Tia, I was euphoric.

"Word got around about La Tia almost the moment it opened, from a WIDELY NOTICED post on the Teenage Glutster Blog..."(28 Gold)

Mundane Mexican No More was one of my most passionate pieces ever, just one of those moments, I remember I couldn't rest until I was done with it.

Thank you Food Shifu, thank you.

Mundane Mexican No More: Moles La Tia in East L.A

There is something wrong with me...well, at least that is what my parents think because of my obsession/passion with food. So much so that my mom actually asked me to attend this Misa de Sanacion ("Healing Mass") at the local parish, in hopes of receiving some sort of normalizing revelation or something. Me being the mamma's boy that I am, I couldn't say no to her, and I'd figured that the odds of going somewhere to eat after were really high after such a "connecting" event like that.

After the unceasing sing-a-longs and people "miraculously" passing out, I wandered outside as soon as it was over, it was their where I found my revelation. In the form of a new restaurant around the corner that was already closed, from a kind lady from Oaxaca named Rocio Camacho.

A native from the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, I asked her about the restaurant, and as she kept on going and going, I noticed something about her: the synonymous passion towards her craft akin to mine, something I do not sense too often.

Ms. Camacho has certainly left her mark in the L.A restaurant scene already--responsible for the J. Gold standard Moles of La Casita Mexicana in Bell as well as the famous La Huasteca in Lynwood. With five generation of Mole Making in her family, she has the intricate art running through her veins.

She assured me, this was not going to be like the rest of the sad "combination platters" and "fajitas" "Mexican" restaurants. She, like I, believed that it was time for a desperate change. And boy, is change good.

After three years of painstakingly planning, preparing, saving...the fruits of her labor have finally come to full spicy, sweet, bitter and salty fruition, literally, as is apparent in her 25 different varieties of Mole.

Passionfruit, Coffee, Pistachio, Tamarindo, Tequila... this is not the list of her aguas frescas, these are only some of her self-concocted Mole recipes on hand daily at the newly revamped Moles La Tia, part of Jesus Huerta's "El Gallo" family, a man also with a vision, to change what food has become in East L.A.

Each one distinctly different in its own elegance, the Pistachio, meaty and spiced, showcasing the Middle Eastern mark on Mexican Cuisine. The Coffee, not what you'd think with only the subtlest hint of fine coffee in the end. The Tequila, smacking you with wave after wave of the 20 different chillies used to make it. Impossible to choose a "favorite", but that Passionfruit one is truly something else, the attractive yellow tint flecked with the petite passion seeds. With the plenitude of proteins--Venison, Duck, Veal, Beef and Pork Tenderloin, Scallops, Halibut---the possibilities are awestruckingly endless, reason enough to at least have me coming here every day of the rest of the year without ever repeating myself.

Of course, no matter how creative Rocio gets, she makes sure to never, ever forget her roots, showing me this unique breed of dried chili that she imports from her hometown--since it only grows in Oaxaca' sub-tropical weather. As she assuages me, I am astounded by it, with a scent so deep with smoke and heat, its phantom scent still haunts my sinuses to this moment. This Chihuasqle chili, is the key ingredient in her house mole, "Mancha Manteles", roughly translating to "tablecloth stainer". It is called that for a reason, probably one of the most intense Moles she has to offer. That, along with the almond pasted Almendrado of the north, the sesame seeded fiery, pitch black Mole negro of the South, the peanut and pumpkin seed intensive Red and Green Pipian's from my parents Zacatecan hometown of Yerba Buena, Zacatecas...she is making sure that Mexico's vast culinary traditions remain vividly alive.

After coming here a couple of times and making complete meals with just the Mole samples by themselves and a generous amount of her soft, tender handmade Tortillas that she boils and grinds herself. I've barely made a dent in the menu--an agua fresca made with pumpkin seeds and prickly pear syrup instead of the usual rice and sugar, raw shrimped Aquachiles, native Nopal Salads, and a whole page of unique breakfasts, such as the weekend-only Banana Leaf wrapped Lamb Barbacoa that I am dying to try.

As I leave, treasuring the last morsel of her Flan de Tuna with sweet Tomatillo Jam, contemplating the multiple day preparations and day-long cooking times that these brews require to come to such ethereal materialization, I am almost in tears..."it is about damn time."

Moles "La Tia"
4619 E. Cesar Chavez Ave.
Los Angeles, CA
90022
(323) 263-7tia(842)

Listening to the Smoooth Gastronomic Sounds of the Glutster: My First Radio Spot on Sports Bites

Thanks to the kind Scalia sisters over at Melting Pot Tours, L.A's FIRST tasting tours, I got to sample some of the foods in L.A, in all its diverse splendor--authentic American dough-risen Doughnuts with some Ethiopian Crganic coffee, traditional French chewy Macarons, some standard Japanese Soba--and this is barely their first tour (Farmers Market and 3rd Street), this is exactly what L.A needed.

Anyways, with such apparent parallel passions, Diane Scalia had invited me to be part of her weekly sports/food show, Sports Bites on Voice America. I was going to be on national radio with about 10,000 listeners. Stoked, and the same time scared to death, I graciously agreed.

I was going to be talking about native New Mexican Cuisine, from Pueblo to Navajo even Isleta.

...and now it's time for the smoooth gastronomic sounds of the g-l-u-t+ster, take it away....

(click on the "7/31/08 - World Contributions from Australia and Native America", i'm on the second half of the show)

check it out

The Perfection of Wisdom and Food: Green Gulch Farm Zen Center (Green Dragon Temple; "Soryu-ji")

Where does time go? What is time anyways? ...Sorry, things haven’t been the way I’ve always thought them to be lately. After being out for so long, I forgot all about the infamous American college crunch, and how it tends to cripple you. Between that, and still trying to “discover myself” by me hitchhiking to San Francisco all by myself for a Zen retreat, my posts to my blog have sadly and unknowingly, become fewer and fewer in between. Well that, and not really having any financial fuel to keep my passion burning as smoothly as it used to (just like everything else).

I finally made it to one of Edward Brown’s teachings. He is the author of The Tassajara Bread Book and star of the movie “How to Cook your Life”. A Zen priest in the “get real” school of Zen, ordained by Suzuki Roshi and who happens to have a passion for food; the whole experience was probably one of the best in my life so far.

Not just because of the three daily meals made from the farms organic gatherings (although, it did play a huge part), their were things like freshly made Coffee Cake (both a regular and vegan one), still-warm Granola and other cereals, stewed fruit and fresh yogurt for breakfast every morning, For lunch it would most likely lean towards some of their famous GGF (Green Gulch Farm) organic fresh baked bread filled with their own potatoes, spreads of all kinds (tomato whip, hummus) , soups according to the season (potato leek soup, super hardy minestrone both one with and without noodles), gorgeous salads for, and more varieties of cooked greens than you even knew were edible for dinner (golden beet greens, this sort of kale –like meaty one). Not to mention, the plethora of organic teas that were offered 24/7, ooh…and that tantalizing smell of Fair Trade Organic Coffee every morning as we got up for Chi Gung and Meditation at 5:00AM (and I don’t even drink coffee).

He said it was going to be hard coming back to “real life” but I had no idea…


Green Dragon Temple (Soryu-ji)
1601 Shoreline Hwy
Muir Beach, CA 94965
Main Office: (415) 383-3134

Surviving the Buenos Aires Beef-Fest

After grazing around endlessly, anxiously for the last 2 months, feeling like I was just 'wasting my youth', I decided to finally "take advantage of 'still being young' and 'seeing the rest of the world'" (like so many have urged me to do before)

And since my brother has been residing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, (not to mention the whole 'backpacking Europe' thing being so stale), I decided to seize the opportunity.

Boy, am i so glad I did...

My fragile, little mind was becoming brainwashed by everything I had been fearfully reading lately: Omnivore's Dilemma, Fast Food Nation and countless different kinds of RAW food propaganda. And I had been agonizingly giving in--"eating food, mostly plants, not too much"(Pollan), trying to eat completely RAW (don't know why or how I did that) & cut white sugar and flour from my diet--I was becoming into my worst nightmare, some sort of health-food fascist.

Then I came to Buenos Aires and ate...


beef:

type>


sugar:

type>


carbs:

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and everything else in between:

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this was every single day, twice a day

...everything that has been madly preached to avoid (at least in the states) to not to ingest.

And I feel just fine...

It's absolutely mind-boggling to see just how different stuff is compared is to the "jjan-kie" united states. (yankies is what they call americans overthere)

I'm still trying to adjust to not starting to party until 3AM 'till sunrise, EVERYDAY!

(if anyone wants the specifics on any of the pictures, please let me know)