City of Angel-a-s

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Los Angeles, California

I noticed that I've pretty much only talked about food. Don't get me wrong. I love food and food loves me! We get along great and our relationship is pretty strong. (Recently not so much, but we're only on a break. Nothing to worry about, hopefully!) BUT, I entirely forgot the purpose of this blog. Love Stuffed? Well, it's about everything I love! All the things that fill me to the core with happiness and satisfaction. The tagline of this blog is "To live, love, and eat." I haven't even talked about the 'live' part yet. So, here we go. I'm going to take this time (in which I should be studying for my midterm) to convince you that Los Angeles may just be one of the greatest locations on Earth. Caution: Biased views due to author's subjective love for home sweet home.

If there's anything I hate more than skipping a meal, it would probably be people who don't live in Los Angeles claiming it to be their city. I know. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Right? I sound like some high and mighty, aloof "repper" of a city that I haven't entirely explored. You call me hypocrite. Well, maybe you're right. But this is my blog, so suck it! What really bugs me is when someone tells me they're from Los Angeles, but they actually live two hours away from it. At least live in Los Angeles County! That would be me. I live in the Los Angeles County and I have lived in it all my life. From Hancock Park to SGV to the Foothills, I have been a migrater within this diverse city. But diversity, I don't know much about. I've generally lived with an Asian population for the past 20 years, so I can't talk much about the diversity of Los Angeles. I can reiterate what a brochure tells you but I'm sure you could read that for yourself. What I CAN tell you from my personal experience .. well, you're going to have to keep reading.

So, what is it about LA that makes me love it so much? It's ridiculously hot in the summer and we don't have real winter holidays. People think we're bad drivers; we only care about the materialistic goods in store windows; we have a lot of poor areas; awful, awful traffic. All these things may be true! But there's so much to Los Angeles than the green and grey sky, the illegal immigrants, and ridiculous amount of shopping centers and areas. There's a culture in this little spot of the world, just as there is in any other little spot in the world. It's unique to the area, but what's even more special ... is that the even smaller areas within this spot have their own unique cultures. Hollywood, San Gabriel Valley, Sillicon Valley, the Foothills, Burbank. Where ever, you name it! Largely affected by the population within the area, each neighborhood boasts its own contributions to the City of Angels. So maybe a large portion of the contribution is the different styles of food, but I argue that inhabitants of LA can feel the noticeable difference within the atmosphere. It's hard to describe, but Pasadena feels a lot different from KTown, which is very different from Arcadia.

But I haven't really explained exactly why I love Los Angeles. What makes me drive home twice a month ($150!) from homesickness? Other than the fact that I currently detest my academic situation, my homesickness is due to the fact that my familiars are located there. I guess this is true for anyone who really loves going home then. But my social life at home is a lot more vibrant than the one I have here and I dare say than the ones a lot of other people have at their homes in North-north California. I don't want to give a detailed explanation of each love so I'll just make a comprehensive list of reasons. Less is more, right?

1. Mountains outside my door.
2. Church on Sundays
3. My family.
4. My boyfriend.
5. My friends.
6. KTown & Little Tokyo.
7. Valley Blvd.
8. Adventures with my boyfriends and friends.
9. Eating real food.
10. Making real food in a real kitchen.
11. Nightlife in 6 and on 7.
12. Tea places open past 11 pm.
13. Museums (California Science Center & Natural History Museum)
14. Fashion District
15. Freeways that have multiple connecting points.
    
16. Boyfriend's little brother. Cute as a button and sweet as a sugar cube.
    
17. Fashion21, except it closed down. BOO.
18. My house fridge, big screen T.V., and air condition. Summers are hot? Nah.
    
19. Fresh&Easy, Subway, Wing Stop, Mall within 5 minutes from house.
20. Huntington Drive.
21. Griffith Observatory
22. La Cienega
23. Broadway/Theater
24. Hollywood eats.
    

I'm sure there are more, but these are the things that come to mind first. This is a pretty stupid post, I know. It doesn't even review or say much about the city itself. But that's the thing about reviews anyway. You don't know until you've tried. And with a city? You don't really know until you've lived there (for a period of time)! So no matter how much I try to explain to a person from Nor.Cal how amazing Los Angeles is, they just shrug and say "nah, NorCal is hella coo. Bay Areaaa!" But I digress. If you want to experience the culture of anything, you have to fully submerge yourself into it. Eating Mexican food doesn't make you knowledgable about Mexican culture. Eating Chinese food doesn't make you in touch with the Chinese realm. You have to live it to know it. I have lived Los Angeles for twenty years and you know what? I'm still a newb.

Phillipe's

Philippe The Original Restaurant

1001 N Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 628-3781

www.philippes.com

A while back (as in summer 08), I had the honor of experiencing a classic piece of Los Angeles. Forget Subway and Quizno's. Forget about Arby's French Dip (although I have to admit this is pretty tasty and affordable). This is the original -- the real deal. Maybe I'm being too dramatic but I've always been the nostalgic type. History? My favorite subject. Chinatown? I love the old run-down parts. Museums? Absolute must for me ... which reminds me: the first weekend of each month holds free admission to museums for all Bank of America customers. Lucky me, lucky me~! Back to the review. =) Well, imagine my bliss when my foodie-partner-in-crime reminded me that I still had yet to try Philippe, a classic sandwich joint in the heart of Los Angeles. I read this little tell-all in the newspaper once and it was in my heart since. And uh, what was there not to like about such a description? Any eatery with a history, that has lasted a century, deserves my absolute applause and admiration as well as my money. The place was built in 1908 for goodness sakes. Business come and go, but this one seems to be like a permanent establishment of the city. So here we were, my boyfriend telling me I had to try it. And try I had to since we were in the neighborhood. Doing what? Going to the California Science Center (free admission all the time) and watching IMAX movies about mummies and prehistoric dinosaurs. In the airconditioned comfort of a cool, dark theater. Yes, summer vacation is always grand .. despite the possibility of melting in the sun.


So we arrive at Philippe's and I recognize the area immediately. It's basically across from the main station of the Amtrak. Two blocks down is a Subway, whose business seems incomparable to the crowd that's packed into Philippe's. I am told that its always this busy and of course I'm impressed. We walked in and the only two things I remember of my 'first impressions' were: (1) big and simple space, almost like a cafeteria (2) it smelled and felt good. What do I mean by "felt good" anyway? There was something about being surrounded by fellow Los Angeles people and stepping into history. I was giddy but I kept my cool as I looked at the menu, the sides behind the cold-frosted glass, and the customers who were already shoving French dipped sandwiches down their throats. I'm pretty sure I was drooling. I felt like a newbie as I stepped up to the high counter and hesitantly asked how to order. Fortunately, the girl was friendly and gave me a description of what was popular, how to order, and how we would have to wait a bit until they called our numbers. I ordered the French Roast Beef Dip (single dip), a side order of potato salad (recommended by the bf), and ... lemonade for 70 cents?! As always, how could I resist such a deal? It was like Old Fashioned old fashioned! It's been awhile since I saw a drink for a legitimate-under-$1 (not like those 99cent "deals"). I was sold and I was shaking with anticipation. Yes, I get pretty excited about food, especially if I had been anticipating the visit for a long time!

After waiting just a little bit (it wasn't too long but specific numbers have fled my mind), we received our plate of food. It was lack luster but it didn't deter me from my excitement. The less fancy, the better. At least, this is my motto when it comes to food. (I am so hungry writing this right now.) And let me tell you, it was better. The 'jus' that the dip sandwich was in .. it was spectacular. It was savory of course, and had an intense taste that complimented yet flavored the sandwich itself. I usually don't like soggy foods (hence, the single dip) but I had to make an exception here. Maybe, just maybe, I'll go for a double dip next time. The size of the sandwich was underwhelming, but I was satisfied. Possibly the heat of a summer day and my constant summer food frenzy kept my hunger at bay. Now that I think about it, it was a pretty good sized serving. It was a proper proportion; I think we're all too used to supersized meals at fast food restraunts. America = make that supersized, for everything. Costco, anyone? After a bite of the sandwich, I went for the potato salad. I don't eat potato salad very often so I don't have much to compare it to, but the cold side tasted pretty good on a hot day. We put some sort of shake-shake on it (cajun, perhaps?). I don't recall the exact taste except 'peppery' (darn my laziness in blogging) but I would order it again, and probably get two servings. Foodie intuition tells me so. Ha. Ha. So after two bites of solid food, I sipped my lemonade. Iced cold lemonade on a summer afternoon -- need I say more? Folks, it was 70cents and worth every penny, nickle, dime, and quarter of it. I think the BF went back for a second glass. Basically, the meal was all around yummy. Reminiscent of picnic food in all its simple glory and satisfyingly satiating, the historical restraunt is not one to be passed on. If you are ever in the neighborhood, don't even hesitate to walk through the doors. Long line? You better wait because it's not going to get any shorter.

Alas, I will not be going home for another week. Blogging about these places really makes me miss Los Angeles. I mean, there are really great places in San Diego that I have yet to review. But, there's just something about good ol' home that tastes and feels better. Ya know? Well, I won't be having Philippe for awhile; it probably won't be until summer vacation again. I bought gift certificates from Restraunt.com for supercheap and I have to try those places first. ...I am so hungry right now!!!