Little Italy Farmer's Market

Or, equally possible; the farmers' market, since there may for all I know have been a veritable plurality of farmers in attendance.

But hold on there, I hear you cry, you haven't told us what you had for breakfast yet! We went here:

In a display of bold originality we requested bagels. I sipped some orange juice and paddled about on the pavement outside. The downtown skyscraper architecture gets broken up in this neighbourhood.

Reasonably interesting as far as blocks of flats go. There's even some colour - if I knew how to steal bikes and were the kind of person that steals another person's bike, then gosh-darn-it, I'd have stolen this bike.

We made a move over to Little Italy, or in my accent Li'l Italy, or in a Californian accent Liddle Iddaly. T sounds get abused. The market was in full swing and what a fine market it was. Maybe you'd like it, I don't know what you're in to. I sat in the shade, people-watched and ate my bagel. A walk down the street revealed this ocean view.

This was all yesterday, and that'll do for tonight.

Resolutions

No! Not the awesome album by Dave Hause. It's January! I've said it before and I'll say it again, new year's resolutions are a great way to achieve depression by mid-month, since mostly they're denials of something you enjoy or rely on.

So generally you'd be better of adding something to your life than taking it away. Mine this year is one word long, and although it's taken me a week to start I should be able to work up some momentum now.

I'm back in California after almost a month at home, and the sun is shining. It looks like this:

We went out for brunch; I had the remarkably healthy (from the top down,) hollandaise sauce, poached eggs, crab fishcakes, english muffins and a plate. The key feature of this particular eatery was the pot of crayola (other brands are available) wax crayons on each table, in tandem with paper tablecloths. This allowed me to tick the box next to my resolution: Draw. Sorry to leave you hanging there. We later stopped off at an art supply shop, so I'll be able to make more drawings.

Food Diaries: Lucha Libre

A couple of weeks ago some friends took me to a Taco shop. I got very excited when we got there as it turned out to be Lucha Libre, as featured on the much admir'd Man vs. Food. As you can see, the decor is understated and minimal, with subtle Mexican wrestling influences. The Champion's table is only available to those who make a reservation.

I went for the California Surfin' Burrito (As Seen on TV!) which contains everything good; carne asada, prawns, french fries, cheese, avocado, salsa... I hope I'm not forgetting anything. I had to dig deep, but I found room in my hollow legs for the whole thing. I'll have to do some serious training if I'm to have any hope of taking on the Broken Yolk Cafe's Iron Man Challenge (a 12 egg omelette with lots of extras).

Kitchen Diaries: Tagliatelle alla Romana

According to Theo Randall's book Pasta, tagliatelle alla romana is "a true classic you'll find in every trattoria in Rome." I hope to one day verify this by visiting a large enough sample of said eateries, but until then I'll take his word for it. He is, after all, an expert pasta chef. The sauce is made with red onion, chicken liver, and canned tomatoes, so it's easy and extremely cheap. My first attempt at the dish looks like this:

There were fewer people here for dinner than expected so there is now a vast bowlful sat on my kitchen worktop, causing me no end of angst as I fret that it will congeal into a vast starchy mush! I'll survive.

If it doesn't turn into a carbohydrate brick, it's breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow...