Operation Meat Drop

September 27, 2011

Dishing it out.

I’m very happy to report that I found a home for a great big portion of the meats. The deal went down a little something like this…

me: i could provide the tupperware
i would buy some grocery store gladware
to give this beef a good home
Ris: hahahaha
me: it’s like i’m trying to get it adopted
Ris: HAHAHA
Well my stomach would like to cut through all the red tape with your agency as quickly as possible and get this adoption rolling

By the time I got back from dropping the beef at her apartment, she’d already emailed me to say– WHAT this is a lot of meat! The pictures aren’t doing this situation justice– you can’t really understand how much meat this is until you see it in person. (When you talk about meat as much as I have been talking about meat today, you kind of forget about double entendres. So… forgive me.)

That left me with a much more manageable portion for myself. (And– as my friend Austen pointed out– I could totally freeze some. This didn’t even OCCUR to me. I’m such a crocking newb.)

As long as I was picking up some new food storage containers, I grabbed some stuff to make a nice little BBQ brisket-style sandwich for dinner. I used beef, coleslaw, and spicy mustard. (I would have used red horseradish for the spice, but I couldn’t find it.)

Hey, you look pretty tasty.

One really crazy note– the coleslaw from the Albertsons deli has pineapple in it. At first I thought it was some sort of pineapple-fell-in-the-coleslaw mistake, but then I realized that there were MANY pieces. Since when has that been a thing?

Hello? What is going on?

Meanwhile, Sam is still working on his beef stew. Here’s a live update from the front. (He has been eating this steadily since Friday night… paging Dr. Gulag.) (Let’s be real, it’s probably much better than anything ever served at a gulag.)

Stew of the Sam.

So yeah… whatever… don’t cry for me, Argentina. I handled my beefs. I got so much beef, I ain’t got time for a beef with you.

xoxo….

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Snack Trek: Philly Cheesesteak (Spataro’s)

January 9, 2011

Yes we can!

On my first full day in Philadelphia, our first stop was the Reading Terminal Market. Mission: Cheesesteak.

There were several cheesesteak options in the market, but I think we chose Spataro’s because it had a steady flow of customers. Good sign.

Oh, speaking of signs:

Can't miss it.

I was really wishy-washy about whether I should order an original cheesesteak or one with mushrooms. I figured I should order an original on my first visit, but Mr. Tea talked me down and told me that if my heart desired mushrooms, I should go for it. So I got the mushroom cheesesteak and he got the original. We both opted in on the onions and got American cheese. (The other choice was provolone, which didn’t seem to melt as well.)

As we waited for our cheesesteaks, we stood in a line that snaked past the cooking station. So we got to watch it all happen!

It's all happening here.

As you can see, the whole process happens on this griddle. The steak is cooked along the back, while the sandwiches are constructed in the front. The guy cuts the meat with a sharp spatula, and dices in whatever else (mostly onions). Then he separates the meat, puts the desired cheese on top, and finally plops the bun on top. I liked the bun-goes-last thing. Unexpected!

A young guy was at the griddle, and an older jovial guy was standing behind him. At first I wasn’t sure what the older guy’s job was, but I think he was the kibbitzer/hander-outer of finished sandwiches. A third very old guy was also there, but I’m not sure what he was up to. He might have been Spataro, for all I know.

I took this picture to capture the bread, and unintentionally got arm-shots of the two older guys. And a view of the hoagie-making area.

It's all in the bread.

I noticed that the other cheesesteak establishments also had Liscio’s boxes. I was informed that there are only a few acceptable bakeries for REAL cheesesteak sandwich rolls, and Liscio’s is one of them.

Our sandwiches in the making:

Not kosher. Sorry.

Haha, when I captioned that photo, I remembered that I have several kosher friends/relatives in/from the Philadelphia area. They can’t eat their city’s most famous food! Oops. Ah well, I’m sure the East Coast has lots of great kosher stuff.

A young cop was standing behind us in line, and commented to the kibbitzy (chatty) guy that the market was super crowded. The kibbitzer did a funny monologue about how people who are sick of cooking and annoyed with their visiting family bring them to the market for a break.

Somehow it came up that I was in Philly for the first time, and the cop asked if I ordered an original cheesesteak. I told him that I ordered mine with mushrooms, and he made a very disgusted face. Like, luckily he was on his lunch break or I might be ARRESTED right now.

But honestly, I didn’t really taste the mushrooms. So… crisis averted?

Mission: Accomplished. Thumbs up.

The cheesesteaks were appropriately greasy & juicy. When I took my first bite, I was like… Wow, this is so good it hurts? But it turned out that it was my messed up travel-jaw. I was seriously impaired. But I had to eat! After the miracle that was me even MAKING it to Philly, I wouldn’t let a little pain stop me from sampling its famous foods.

I managed to chew enough to eat more than I should have (probably 2/3 of my sandwich… maybe a hair less). The cheese was melted to the consistency of a sauce, and the steak was hot and tender. And the bread… it was mercifully soft and puffy.

Yes, I was kinda food coma-ish for a while after I ate this (napping occurred). And yes, my weak little stomach burbled muchly. (I’m getting a little PTSD stomach-burble as I type this.) But I did it! I tried a Philly cheesesteak. I can cross that off my list.

I don’t know if I’ll cheesesteak it up again on subsequent visits, but there are so many other sandwiches to try at Reading Market alone. Hoagies, brisket– even muffalettas. (Okay, I know muffalettas are a New Orleans thing. I’ve never been– I KNOW!!!– but my sister is there RIGHT NOW, so hopefully she’ll come back with a full dining report.)

All right, one big Philly post down. At least one more to come (the soft pretzels). Eyes on the prize! Eye of the tiger! (I actually ran up those Rocky steps… but not on the same day I ate the cheesesteak.)

Happy Sunday to all, and to all a good night! (That’s not to say I won’t post again in ten minutes…)

xoxo…

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Do It Yourself: CHICKEN & PEAR PANINI (Crave! At Work Holiday Recipe Challenge)

December 14, 2010

Chicken & pear paninis in progress.

I did it, you guys! I humbly submit my recipe for the Crave! At Work Holiday Recipe Challenge.

As I’ve said before, I’m not much of a cook. So I enlisted the help of the Binge’s celebrity chef, Mr. Tea (he earned the moniker in this instance by needing to buy more tea when we shopped for these ingredients– this guy drinks a LOT of tea).

We talked about tarts and crumbles and curries, but ultimately we decided to make a panini because sandwiches are very much in the style of the Binge. We also knew we could do some riffing with sandwich-making, as it is not as exact a science as, say, baking. Or astrophysics.

Here’s everything you need (minus the olive oil… we got that out later):

Easy peasy.

-Your favorite panini-appropriate bread (we used “farmhouse” white… we had set out for something a bit fancier/crustier, but this worked out fine).

-Chavrie Basil & Roasted Garlic (goat cheese spread).

-Chicken (we used a pre-made rotisserie chicken from Ralph’s; leftover chicken breast from a previous dinner would also be ideal… I love to repurpose leftovers).

-Comice pears, sliced. (Thanks to Crave!)

-Mixed greens.

-A touch of olive oil.

-And of course, you’ll need a George Foreman grill/panini press/pan on a stove… you get it. Heat.

Several hundred blog posts back, I made up a rule, as I am prone to do: “As a rule, any sandwich containing goat cheese is going to be a special sandwich.”

I’m pretty sure this chicken & pear panini proves that rule. We’re like culinary Mythbusters here.

Sam recalled that a panini place he frequented in college– Andiamo of Amherst, Mass– made several sandwiches with garlic chevre, a garlic/goat cheese mixture. So we hunted it down at the local Ralph’s.

I'm enchanted by this pastoral scene.

You guys! It really did spread like SILK. Amazing.

Like BUTTAH.

Spreading the cheese on each slice of bread was literally my only contribution. Butter knifes are my kind of knife! (Though I WILL slice bagels with sharp knives… Jew skills.) After this, I took pictures. But I know I COULD make this. And if it’s easy enough for me to theoretically make, it’s easy enough for you to literally make.

Mr. Tea took care of the fine slicing and dicing.

LOOK OUT! THUMB!

It feels important to note that the pears should be ripe. These pears were perfectly soft and juicy. I think we had to use two pears because I kept stealing slices to eat. (Don’t I just sound like the BEST cooking companion? Tons of help.)

But I wasn’t TOO terrible, because the pears DID make it onto the sandwiches.

Hi, polar bear.

Oh, I also contributed the cute plates. Purchased several years ago at Target. But of course.

Finally, a bit of olive oil before the grill.

All systems go.

The great thing about this sandwich is that it’s gourmet delicious but it’s quick and easy to make. After long days at our respective workplaces, Mr. Tea and I shopped and cooked this with ease, and each element of the sandwich provided a little snacky nibble as we constructed the paninis.

And in a snap, they were ready to eat!

Pair it with a pear... and a polar bear.

I think we were surprised by how legit delicious these paninis turned out. The mix of sweet pears and savory chicken was divine. The bread was crisp, the chicken and pears were juicy, and the goat cheese was… it just added that perfect dairy/salty touch that only goat cheese can add. One sandwich was filling enough to feel like a meal, but not heavy enough to trigger a full-on food coma.

This is a perfect quick dinner to make to impress, but I would recommend serving it right away, because it’s best hot. I fear a mush factor if you pack it away for a picnic.

But for a picnic, these same ingredients could make a great salad. If we’d done a night two with the leftovers, I would have whipped together a simple salad with the mixed greens, pears, chicken, a little scoop of the goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Ah, versatility! (Mr. Tea had custody of the leftovers, as we used his kitchen… I’ll have to ask how he used them.)

It was great to create a meal that felt old-school Binge-worthy, especially given my panini phase. I don’t even know if this challenge will have a winner, but I FEEL like a winner! I think we found a recipe that was perfect for these pears, and it’s easy to make– and to replicate.

So I hope you try it.

But yours may not have a penguin.

Thanks to Crave! for the pears, and for sparking some culinary creativity. And thanks to Sara, for making that happen. And thanks to Mr. Tea, for cooking and putting up with my crazy grocery-store ranting about how my brain can’t recalculate bread and for not causing any knife-related bloodshed.

And please forgive any rambling, because it’s late. (As if I don’t ramble at EVERY hour.)

xoxo…

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Snack Trek: LOUKS TO GO Truck (at LA Renegade Craft Fair)

December 13, 2010

French fries IN THE FALAFEL!

Yesterday I met up with Lauren (& her mom!) and we hit up the LA Renegade Craft Fair. It was located in a sweet, unexpected park near Chinatown. I loved watching the Metro trains glide in and out of Downtown along the west edge of the fields. And apparently people fly kites there? It seemed like a great place for an urban picnic.

And once the sun went down, the lights of the Downtown skyline were beautiful.

There were definitely many Binge-worthy elements at the fair– especially the Koko Candles booth, which offered candles that looked like cupcakes and mac ‘n cheese. (Out of respect and/or laziness, I didn’t take pictures of the wares.)

The only picture I took at the booths was these Remedy Quarterly journals, because they seem right up the Binge’s alley. “Stories of food, recipes for feeling good.”

I'm interested.

I probably should have bought one. I ended up getting what I always buy on Etsy– a bunch of letterpress cards. I can’t show them here, or it will ruin the surprise for the recipients. (Not that everybody reads my blog, but people who get cards from me probably read it. Maybe.)

When Lauren and I saw the Louks To Go truck, we knew we had to try it. I’d previously discovered that they put French fries on their falafels. YES. Unfortunately by the time we got to the truck they were out of salads, chicken, tomatoes and tzatziki. No worries, I got a falafel (hold the feta) and they had honey mustard tzatiziki, which tasted kinda ranch dressing-y to me.

Special? Aw, shucks you guys.

The fries were a little cold, because we got there on the late end of things. Nonetheless, I enjoyed them in my falafel. It was very… hearty. (I’m feeling super lucky because Yalla Truck is coming to our offices today. Double hit of falafel deliciousness!) (And I already blogged Yalla… makes my life easier.)

Lauren also ordered some of the signature louks for dessert. I believe they were honey cinnamon, and were basically fried dough.

Louks like a donut hole.

Lauren’s mom worried that they were too greasy to be real. But they were good, in a greasy, I-think-I-just-took-a-year-off-my-life kinda way.

I had a blast and I can’t wait to hit up my next craft fair. It was really fun to chat with the vendors… and to spend time with my Lauren. (Insert heartsy heart here.)

Happy Monday the 13th! (Spooooky…)

xoxo…

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(More) Leftovers on Parade: Turkey “Sam”-wich

November 30, 2010

Under construction.

I posted my family’s turkey barley soup leftovers, so it only feels fair to post a picture of the other leftovers I spoke of: Sam’s Thanksgiving sandwich. (You can see why my clever mother dubbed this the “Sam”-wich.)

I’m surprised that he’s managed to make the mashed potatoes and stuffing last for so many days. I’m sort of a vacuum for leftovers. We make turkey barley soup the Saturday after Thanksgiving because everything but the carcass is GONE.

Here’s the finished product…

Grilled.

Meanwhile, I was cooking up a batch of leftovers-to-be, featuring ground turkey. (WHAT? I cook?!) (Okay– turkey meatballs, angel hair pasta, Paul Newman’s Sockarooni sauce and microwave-in-bag cauliflower is not exactly gourmet. But it IS delicious.)

"Something in Italian!"

I can’t wait to go home and eat this again tonight… and for several subsequent nights. I’m so boring, I know. But I like what I like.

(I always add cauliflower because my friend Karen’s mom once made us a dish with ground beef, cauliflower and red sauce… probably from scratch… and the combo of those three flavors was amazing to me. So I paid it the highest compliment, by trying to imitate it.)

You’re probably thinking that it’s pretty soon to be eating turkey again… especially since many of you (Sam included) are still working on Thanksgiving turkey. But I kinda forgot that my meatballs were turkeyballs until I was cooking them… and they don’t taste like Thanksgiving turkey, so it’s all good.

“How did she forget that turkey is turkey?” you logical people ask. Growing up, my mom always used ground turkey for burgers and meatballs and I didn’t find out until I was… twelve? So ground turkey is kinda beef, in my mind. (And explains why restaurant burgers tasted so much different than Mom’s.)

Speaking of home, here’s another peek at Daisy (with her “baby,” as my dad calls it)…

Cute overload.

It’s actually a fake Tiffany’s box… I don’t know if you can see, but it says “Sniffany’s.” Diamonds are a girl dog’s best friend?

I miss her already. Too bad dogs aren’t into Skyping. (We tried to get Daisy to chat with another dog on Thanksgiving– but that didn’t spark her interest at all. Nothing to smell… sniff… Sniffany’s.)

But I digress.

Enjoy your leftovers tonight– whether they’re old, new, or in-the-making.

xoxo…

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The Daily Sandwich: Blah blah blah on DILL RYE

October 13, 2010

Blah blah blah.

The Chilean miners are all rescued. That’s good news, except maybe for the ones who have wives AND mistresses waiting for them. Angrily.

I’m kinda zonky-tired right now, and I have the hiccups.

JEALOUS?

But really… sorry if this is lame. This is all I got.

We have AVOCADOS (!) in the kitchen this week, and someone noticed today that they were super-ripe. You know what that means: sandwich time.

I saw that we had rye bread, and that it was DILL rye. I’m not sure about dill but I’m sure about rye, so I tried it– with some apprehension. There was definitely a strong rye smell emanating from the bread. I was like, oh no! Is this going to ruin my sandwich?

SUSPENSE.

The avocado was perfectly ripe. I spread it like butter on my bread. LIKE BUTTAH.

Other than that, I threw on some sliced chicken deli meat (it is what it is), yellow mustard, Baked Lays for crunch, and a little bit of salsa (also a new thing), because I like tomatoes on my sandwiches.

I might have put cheese, but I don’t know if I like provolone or Havarti, and that’s what we had. (I only know that I like Jack, and don’t like most others, including Swiss, feta or blue/bleu.)

IF I had put cheese in, I would have toasted it. But I didn’t, so I didn’t.

And the dill rye turned out to be okay. WHEW. (I know I left you hanging in suspense for a few sentences.)

And for dessert? ICE CREAM! Once again from Lake Street Creamery. Can you guess which one is mine?

Special delivery.

The special flavor today was a Don Draper: Bourbon, caramel and SMOKE. I didn’t get to try it, because I didn’t go to the truck. But I have a feeling I wouldn’t have liked it, because I don’t really like any of those things alone. (I don’t really like anything smoke-flavored– even turkey.) But I like Don Draper.

I’m having a capitalization issue here. I don’t know which cheese-names to capitalize, whether Bourbon is caps or not. But I’m just going to stick to my probably-wrong guns here. Because I don’t feel like consulting the wiki right now. (Although I found out today that sometimes caps vs. non-caps can make a big difference. Like “unitarianism” vs. “Unitarianism.”) (I wiki’d that.)

Oh, here’s my ice cream. I did what I said I would, and got a single scoop of donut. It was probably still too big, even one scoop. Probably more calories than just eating a normal donut. (And isn’t it ironic? Don’t you THINK?)

It's like rain on your wedding day.

There’s some kind of snow cave thing going on in there. Take shelter from the avalanche.

That’s it. That’s all. Good night, and good eatin’.

xoxo…

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The Daily Sandwich: LEMONGRASS CHICKEN BANH MI (Nom Nom Truck)

September 27, 2010

Nom Nom. (Nom.)

Very exciting day. The Nom Nom Truck was here. People were pumped, because Nom Nom won the Food Network’s truck challenge? I don’t know, I never watched that show. You would think that a person who blogs about food trucks and TV shows would be ALL OVER IT, but sometimes I lose track of things. I guess I should have DVR’d it. Sorry. (Not really.)

Nom Nom is Vietnamese food. They could totally be ‘Nam ‘Nam. Maybe it’s a play on words. Or maybe I’m overthinking it.

I only took one picture, because I had Nom Nom once at my last job and I THOUGHT I blogged it at the time. But I guess I didn’t? Maybe I took a picture and never posted it? You may remember that the blog went through a sort of Dark Ages, when I would post once in a blue moon. (And at one point I wrote a novel… yeah.)

So I got the lemongrass chicken banh mi with light mayo, and I don’t think it had jalapenos because I did not meet a spicy demise.

The chips were overkill. My bad.

The sandwich was very tasty. In fact, I had been judging all of my food truck banh mi experiences against my original Nom Nom experience. (Before they were famous.) I kinda took too long finishing my “Mad Men” recap, and hence my sandwich was a bit cold. Nonetheless, it was still very good. Didn’t disappoint.

Though I’m not sure which is my ultimate favorite, out of the several I’ve eaten over these past few months.

I’m sleepy. (And I didn’t even wait in the sun for my sandwich. Our PA did.) (And then she went home sick.) (I’M SORRY!!!)

It’s 113 in Downtown LA, so I’m sure my apartment is a sauna right now.

Sexy?

Luckily I’m at work. Temperature controlled offices! (I just sneezed a few times. HA!) (Joke’s on me?)

AND luckily the Tropical Shave Ice truck is coming in a few minutes. BLESS this building for procuring that truck for us, because I’m sure EVERYBODY wants them today.

Though since I’m nice and cool indoors, it seems a little crazy to go wait in the sun to get some ice.

But I never said I WASN’T crazy.

xoxo…

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The Daily Sandwich: POPPY SEED BAGEL w/ PUMPKIN SHMEAR (!!!)

September 24, 2010

This is a no-brainer.

Okay, I’m in the room today so this is gonna be a quick one. But there’s not much to say. Co-worker Bryan is the best, because not only did he bring bagels today, but he brought PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE to put on them!

Noah’s officially calls it “shmear,” but I just say “cream cheese.” Saying “shmear” makes me feel like a stereotype. (Kind of confusing, because I embrace many other Jewish stereotypes.) (I guess everybody has their arbitrary limits.)

Between this and my Starbucks pumpkin latte last night, I’m very happy with my pumpkin consumption levels right now.

If I were a woman of leisure, I would totally be at Sprinkles right now, purchasing a pumpkin cupcake (and a chai tea cupcake!). Friday is the best day at Sprinkles.

But who wants to be a woman of leisure? I’m IN THE ROOM! (It’s fun.)

And there’s pumpkin cream cheese at work!

Love at first sight.

But maybe you don’t like pumpkin and you’re saying, “Whatever, Elysse! What’s in this post for ME?”

Well, Bryan was thinking of YOU, too. Here’s a picture he sent me yesterday. It made my draggy-drag Thursday afternoon so much more BEAR-able. (Sorry.) And hopefully it makes your whole Friday! (If not: What’s wrong with you?)

YOU'RE WELCOME.

That was taken a while ago (I gather) at Urth Caffe in Downtown.

Okay, time to go listen to SECRETS.

xoxo…

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The Daily Sandwich: FALAFEL PITA (Kabob N Roll)

September 23, 2010

Thar she rolls.

I got into a pattern this week. I was eating big dinners and would be full the next day until dinnertime-ish. So I wasn’t really eating lunch. Just snacks and stuff. (And I wasn’t particularly intrigued by any of the trucks.)

But today at lunchtime I was hungry, and I was hit with a double-whammy of two appealing trucks: Kabob N Roll AND the TAM Truck (formerly the Tao Truck?). When it rains, it pours.

I was out of cash and ended up going with Kabob N Roll because they had “we accept credit card” signs and the ATM in our building is broken. But hopefully we’ll meet again, TAM/Tao Truck. You got really good Yelp reviews! (I almost scrounged up $2 to try their curry rolls, but I didn’t want to be a glutton.) (For once.)

Honorable mention.

It all worked out, because I’ve been craving falafel. And SUPPOSEDLY more banh mi will come our way next week. Supposedly.

I have to mention that the man who took my order at the Kabob N Roll truck had beautiful eyes. Sort of a blue green. Very soulful.

Oh, and I had to document the “twisted potato kabob,” AKA delicious-looking fried potatoes. I really like potato-chip-looking french fries. But that’s something best ordered for a group. Or at a county fair. (All diets are off at a county fair.) (Not that I’m ever on a diet.) (Intuitive Eating!)

Spuds a la slice.

Stick a few of those in a falafel sandwich, and you just might get a free ticket to AMAZINGTOWN.

Just a hunch.

Here’s my falafel. As soon as I cracked open the foil, I knew it was going to be good. The aroma was delightful. My photo-taking skills… not so much.

Good stuff.

The pita was a little more flatbread-y than the others I’ve had in the recent past, and was grilled– nice! But it wasn’t too thick– there were still two layers.

I tried to cut the sandwich in half, but ended up kind of tearing it into pieces and eating in the true no-utensils, raised-in-a-barn Applebaum style. (Well, maybe just me and Dana. We have no excuse, because we were NOT raised in a barn.) (We went to COTILLION.)

You can kinda see my messy habits in this picture of the cross-section of the falafel. (This has become a thing in my falafel posts.)

Close encounters.

I was worried about that photo being blurry, but it’s not– though I can’t actually find the point of focus.

It’s artsy. That’s… one word for it.

The falafel balls were a bit flatter and less dense (fluffier?) than my last few falafel encounters. I liked the twist. They almost reminded me of… something potato-y. Fried, but light.

Um, yeah. So… (credit card) fate made me choose the Kabob N Roll truck, and it was good.

Have you noticed how often I end these posts as if I’m awkwardly saying goodbye after a mediocre first date? (Um… yeah… so…) I never know how to end these things. And I wrote a lot of analytical essays in college. With beginnings and middles and ends. (And short stories, with… beginnings.)

I’m going to harness the power of the conclusion. Let’s see if it works…

In conclusion, the juxtaposition of falafel, pita, several vegetables, and delectable sauces (specifically, hummus and tahini) made for a satisfying lunch experience.

Yeah.

xoxo…

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The Daily Sandwich: ORGANIC CHICKPEA SLIDERS (Vizzi Truck)

September 14, 2010

Veni, Vizzi, Vici

My eyes are rejecting my contact lenses today, so please excuse any weirdness. Hopefully “thedailybinge” is spelled right on all the pictures, etc. Hard to see.

So the Vizzi Truck was here today, and I ordered chickpea sliders because I haven’t been feeling amazing in the stomach (apparently I need some probiotics?), and chickpeas sounded gentler than meats. And I thought the patties would be falafel-esque.

The Vizzi Truck’s menu has a lot of fancy words (it took some googling for me to interpret several items), and their site talks about how hip they are, media-wise:

While we seduce your taste buds, our other goal is to intrigue our guests with the sights and sounds of undiscovered talent. Our VIZZI truck is equipped to showcase independent musicians and exclusive DJ’s. Or if you prefer to watch short film clips from up-and- coming producers & directors, our one-of-a-kind mobile entertainment system has all the necessary elements to lure you into a taste of culture and style.

But for the record, when I was placing my order, one TV was playing “Days of Our Lives,” (that’s what I think it said… the hourglass soap opera). (I have never watched a soap opera. There is some TV that is beyond my scope.) The other was playing TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE LEGEND OF RICKY BOBBY.

So… I wouldn’t exactly say that I was lured into “a taste of [for?] culture and style.” (Although I will admit that TALLADEGA NIGHTS was funnier than I expected.) (I caught a free screening in college… sometimes I miss all the freebies of college life.) (T-shirts!) (And in the scene I caught, Kenneth the Page was on the pit team.)

Anyway, here’s the food.

Or, to be more specific, here’s “a hand-chopped & formed vegetarian ‘cutlet’ served between a grilled Hawaiian bun and flavoured with a crème fraiché-chimichurri sauce and cilantro-scallion. Accompanied by pimento spiced-yakima salt popcorn.”

Party in a box.

The sign on the truck added that there were… black mission figs? Some sort of figs. You can’t see them in the picture though. They’re hiding in the popcorn. Or something. They were small.

I was expecting this to basically be falafel balls on Hawaiian rolls, but they were actually… patties. Between the soft Hawaiian bread (didn’t seem to be grilled) and the soft chickpea patties (which were a bit big for sliders… I set a few pieces of the patty aside), the sandwiches were a bit mushy. I wish there was some sort of crunch going on. (The popcorn was crunchy, but it wasn’t part of the sandwich.)

Also– it has been forever and ever since I’ve had a Hawaiian roll, and I remember them being so sweet and perfect, and these didn’t exactly live up to my expectations. Maybe they weren’t King’s Hawaiian. Or maybe I’ve just spent too long building them up in my head.

Not a bad lunch, but I wasn’t blown away.

Such are… the days of our lives. (I don’t actually know if that’s what they say.) (I seriously have never watched a soap. Very proud.)

Oh, and speaking of things made of chickpeas– here is a random picture of falafel balls (tee hee!) (grow up) from Open Sesame in Long Beach. I was there two weekends ago, and these are an example of the more fried falafel, as opposed to the more healthy-green Yalla ones. But these were the good type of fried. Like, what I kinda expected to see on my sliders.

Pretty colors. (From what I can see.)

My mom went to the bathroom at Open Sesame and reported that it was unisex. This led to a huge discussion (instigated by a series of questions from me) about whether unisex bathrooms with stalls (aka, for more than one) ever have urinals. Like, would a woman ever walk into a bathroom and see a man peeing in a urinal? Consensus: No.

So I went to the one-person unisex bathroom, and the door was NOT EVEN FULLY CLOSED, and of course I pull it open and a man is standing there, facing away from me, peeing into the toilet. And I run away. But not before stealing a candy from a dish on a nearby counter.

I’m starting to believe that my life just might be a sitcom. (That’s what one of my friends tells me whenever I recount these types of situations.)

It’s definitely not a soap opera. No evil twins. (YET.)

xoxo…

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Posted by yapplebee

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