California Adventure

Before I begin, let me say that checking a week's worth of emails (personal and work) is never pretty. Man I need a fish taco...

So I'm finally home... ah feels good, but man do I miss vacation already. This was by far the best vacation I've had in quite some time. Thinking about it, it's my first vacation in over 8 or 9 months. There was that brief NYC trip post Bzz (shudder) but nothing solid. So besides the time off what made this Cali adventure better than normal?

I was born and semi-raised in LA, but never had been to San Diego before. Thanks to good buddy Matt, that all changed. I've said it before and I'll say it again making friends in college = having a place to stay all over the country. CA, Chitown, NYC, Texas, Maine, Taiwan, Mainland you name it. I just wish I stayed in contact with that girl from Hawaii. I wish I could say SD was exactly what I imagined but I was wrong: I couldn't hear the sound of waves crashing as I drifted off to sleep, there were no one around selling me burritos out of a shopping cart and there was nary a buxom blond in sight. Wait scratch that, there buxom blondes aplenty. Especially when I was visiting Matt at UCSD. I could really get to like it there. The digs were cool and the weather was what it should be. Bar none SD has the most perfect weather ever. Alas nothing ever is as I imagine it, viewing the world through my Real World and OC prism has steered me wrong before. And randomest of occurrences, the Jule and her boy happened to be vacationing in the greater SoCal area and who should meet up with in the Gas Lamp District than my good old roommate. Nachos and margaritas all around!

Sadly that was the end of our shared culinary experience as blows almost ensued thereafter. The Jule and the Boyfriend are not fans of In-N-Out. He in fact says, "tastes like Burger King, good fries though." I had to use all my force to restrain Matt from bludgeoning the two on the spot. They are wrong, but they brought me a sticker so I can fall asleep to the sweet dreams of Double Doubles dancing in my head.

As well as In-N-Out my palate was stretched to the limits. Dim sum; a wonderful mixed grille at the T household; enough fish tacos to feed Shamu; LA style sushi (very fresh, very good and expensive, not served on the body of a naked Japanese woman); Beef Bowl; a crazy good breakfast served by a cute waitress who Matt needs to get with, even if she is working for tips; my long lost-love: Marie Calendar's fresh strawberry pie; (I love pie so much that from Birthdays 17-19, 21-23 I opted for the Birthday Pie option (classic me move).

But all this gluttony has a reason, food has inherently been a large part of my upbringing. Not only growing up in a restaurant, but always a part of any family gathering. And that is why I was so happy to learn how to make doongs, essentially a Chinese rice tamale. So what spurred me on to learn this almost lost art of doong making. Partly I love 'em and you can't buy them around, at least the good ones (double meat, egg and no peanuts or dried shrimp). And partly to get in touch with the past so I can have something, albeit small to pass onto the next generation. One of my biggest regrets in life is not having a working knowledge of the Chinese language or know as much about the culture as I should, but perhaps with food just a little bit of that will be passed down. Essentially a cross between Like Water for Chocolate and The Joy Luck Club, only with me.

While I was able to visit Matt in SD and Ant in LA, the other reason for my trip was to visit my grandfather. I don't know exactly how old he is, but he's on the other side of 85 that's for sure. And while it was never explicitly said to me, my dad wanted me to see him once more... you know.

So ultimately this vacation was great for a variety of reasons. Getting a killer tan at Ocean Beach; scoping the local "talent", eating more Mexican than Dirty Pablo Sanchez, the semi-annual Quan Theatre Hopping Extravaganza and quality time with great friends and family. All in all my batteries are recharged and I have more memories as I eventually inch closer to the Pacific in the ensuing years. Holla!

Official Summer Hotdog Tally: 33
That's right only 1 hotdog in the state of California!