Archive for August, 2006
Have you ever wanted those six-pack abs? I do.. I do.. but I do not have the dedication to get them. I took a look through all my magazines and a light went off in my head. What if I become a surfer? Battling the waves should be a good cardio workout and in theory should work out my abs. All surfers look amazing.
My little sister, her best friend, and I signed up for a series of surfing classes at Venice beach. For the past two weekends we got up at 6 am; ate a power carb breakfast; and drove the 40 minutes out to the beach. When we arrived at the beach we were greeted by a truck with foam boards and wetsuits unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the rusted out truck with boards. After shimmying into wetsuits (they are very snug), we set off with boards on our head to the ocean. This was my second most disliked part of the lesson, getting out to the ocean with a big board on my head.
When we hit the ocean we were taught how a wave breaks, how to get through the waves, how to pop-up on the board, how to turn, and lots more of how to’s. Then came the implementation part of the lesson came into place when we placed our boards in the ocean.
The hardest part of surfing isn’t standing up on the board. It’s getting out past the breaking waves and dragging your board from your car to the ocean. You have to learn how to paddle and get past the whitewater where the waves are coming towards you and possibly breaking over you to the calm outside. As these waves come toward you they either flip you over or push you back to where you started. As a beginning surfer we were blessed and cursed with little waves the first weekend of surfing. The little waves were great for getting past, but then a curse when trying to ride them. The little waves have less momentum behind them so you can get past them with less risk of being flipped over. However when you’re trying to catch the wave, there is a lot more paddling involved to match the momentum of the wave. You also have to paddle much longer to stay with the wave because it won’t carry you once you catch it as a larger wave would.
The second weekend the waves were much bigger from 1-2 feet to 2-4 feet tall. Imagine trying to get out though 2-4 foot waves instead of 1-2 foot waves. It is much harder. We got flipped much more and spent a lot more time getting through the waves. (we learned later at brunch with a guy from Hawai that you need to find a channel on the side of the waves with less energy to get out inside of trying to go through the waves.
In summary, surfing is exhausting. It’s a great cardio workout and it tones up the arms. However I do not feel I got up enough times on the board to really have any effect on my abs.
August 29th, 2006
Do you like crepes? I do, but they are definitely a splurge item if you get it loaded with cream and cheese. My favorite crepe-arie? is located in old town Pasadena. This little place has a wonderful wine bar and turns out the best savory crepes. I have not had the opportunity to try their desert crepes yet, but I am sure they are as good as the rest of the items on their menu.
Ordered the cheese fondue which has a wonderful consistency of wine, gruyere and emmentel cheeses without the wine overwhelming the cheese. Served with a generous portion of crusty bread which has been dried just enough to soak up the fondue, but not so soft to get lost in the cheese.
Also got their florentine savory crepe which was a great balance of cream and chicken. Loved it and can’t really do it justice in writing.
A few months ago the poor restaurant sufferred a kitchen fire so they were unable to produce their wonderful savory crepes. However they have gotten their new hood and stove in place now and are better than ever. When you have a friend in time that you would like to catch up with try out this place.
It’s a bit hard to find in an alley off of the south side of Colorado Blvd and just west of Fairs Oaks Ave.
Location:
Crepevine
36 W. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
August 28th, 2006
After a week of keeping to a reasonable amount of calories and getting some exercise in everyday except for one thus far , I am ready to tackle the weekend. For those on a diet or trying to start a healthier lifestyle DON’T LOUNGE at home this weekend. Instead get OFF your arse (as my sis and the brits say) and go do something.
Many of you will ask, well what do you want me to do? I live in an expensive city or I really don’t know have any ideas where the events are. Here is my little guide to finding things to do for the weekend. As for myself I will be taking surfing lessons from a little gem called the UCLA Marine Aquatic Center. For you stalker wannabe’s (yes, I’m talking to you), I will be at there for the next two weekends in Venice taking lessons in the morning. Say hi if you’re there.
The Guide:
- Los Angeles freebie events listings blog
- City Guides for a variety of cities around the world by CitizenGuide
- San Francisco Chronicle has a events calendar on their site: SF Gate
- New York has free newspapers such as the Village Voice or checkout ToxicPop and click listings for underground events
Alternatively try search upcoming.org for local events near you. Take a look at my upcoming events on the right.
August 18th, 2006
The most satisfying food is tasteful fruits and vegetables. In college I believed that the fruit I got at the market was not as sweet as the ones I would get back home because the fruit had to travel further and was picked when it was less ripe.
Now that I have been living in California with my own garden and access to Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and local farmer’s markets, the homegrown and farm fresh produce still wins out.
What is the point of this post? It’s about how to find satisfying food. Would you rather eat an aromatic sweet and soft apricot or a mushy scentless apricot? I would prefer the first.
Eating is about engaging the senses. Let’s use wine as an example. We see the wine; we smell the wine; and we taste the wine. We even clink our glasses to hear the wine.
When all our senses are engaged we enjoy the food more and appreciate it more. Hence the age-old adage to not eat in front of the TV or standing up. Sit down and enjoy your food. You will be able to better predict how much you’re eating and you’ll be able to enjoy it more.
Shop at the farmer’s market, your local co-op might have a delivery system called community support agriculture, or grown your own vegetables. These fruits and vegetables are so much tastier even though they might not look as pretty. The taste will satisfy your hunger better and keep you from visiting the snack bar.
August 16th, 2006
There are a few Roscoe’s that I know of. One in Pasadena, CA on Lake and another in Long Beach. Again this is not good for your diet, but something you can use for a weekend splurge if you take a friend. Skip the butter on the waffles and don’t use so much syrup.
My first trip to Roscoe’s was years ago with my boyfriend. Most guys in their mid-20s have amazing metabolisms and don’t put on a single lb. He’s one of those so through our dating years I have had the opportunity to try many varieties of deep fried food.
This year I’ve been to Roscoe’s twice. The first time was at Roscoe’s in Long Beach. I actually do not recommend this location unless you are in the area. We went at 6pm on a Sunday afternoon and their fire alarm went off. This is one of those alarms with blaring horns and blinding lights. We were told this is very normal because the alarm is against a wall that many patrons accidentally lean against. Due to the normalness and frequency of this alarm the wait staff had no sympathy for us while we were getting blared by 60dB + noises with flashing lights.
The quality of food between the Pasadena and Long Beach locations are comparable. I went to the Long Beach location shortly after and hour of kayaking around Naples Island through the canals, so I have worked up an appetite. Food is always better when you’re hungry.
Go to Roscoe’s if you’re looking for fried chicken with very large chunks of chicken. If you like wet fries at The Hat you will most likely like the Herb’s Special with the onion and gravy smothered chicken with a side of waffles.
Website:
Roscoe’s
August 15th, 2006
The trick to staying on track with your diet is to allow occassional things like a burrito, but don’t finish an entire one. Bring a friend who is comfortable sharing food and you can split the meal, or get different options so you get a little of everything. This keeps you from falling off the dieting wagon and your taste buds are happy.
August 7th, 2006
For those of you on a diet, like me, find a friend who doesn’t get fat or needs the calories to take with you.
I was introduced to Taco Treat two years ago by a friend. He decided to try it because it looked like a taco stand near his old high school. Their speciality in my opinion are their burritos which is a deep fried burrito in a tortilla that I feel is slightly thicker than most so you get a moist yet crispy outer shell with three choices of filling: Beef, Green Chile, or Beans and Cheese.
I recommend the beef which is ground beef and cheese if you like a milder creamier taste and the green chile if you like a kick to your burrito which is a mild chile with groud beef. I have not tried the Beans and Cheese because I am not a fan of beans, so you’ll have to brave it on your own.
Eat these while they’re piping hot, but be careful not to burn your tongue.
Location:
Taco Treat
74 E Live Oak Ave
Arcadia, CA
August 7th, 2006
A friend has recommended a new Japanese restaurant for me to try. I’ve found two reviews on the place thus far. One from la.foodblogging and another from igougo. I must say la.foodblogging is becoming my new food review love. It is helping me discover a lot about food in the Los Angeles area. I’ll post hopefully with pictures after my trip to Echigo.
Note to all those restaurant/food critics out there, please give us poor people some guidance on how relatively expensive these place are.
To come Sasabune vs. Echigo. Can the apprentice stand up to the master?
August 7th, 2006
Last night was my first experience with the Sawtelle area on the west side and I loved it. It was a really nice little area with cute and inexpensive food. We had dinner at Asahi Ramen complete with cold noodle ramen and curry ramen as recommended by la.foodblogging. After dinner we walked along Sawtelle street and went into some of the boutiques and the Japanese markets. In one of the stores we saw this bag.
For those of you who know me well, this bag is soo appropriate and ironic in many different ways. Unfortunately it was $25 and I couldn’t justify a splurge for a fabric tote at the time. To see more check out their website.
Overall it was a great time and evening at a very low cost. Street parking is free after 6 pm and the food came out to $22 with tax and tip for 3.
Next time we’re going to try out either Sawtelle Kitchen or Hide Sushi.
August 2nd, 2006
I love to read about food and restaurants. One of the things I loved to do when I lived in the Bay Area is try new restaurants. Since moving to Los Angeles, I’ve missed those comfort food spots.
I’ve found a few blogs out there by locals who have been great in guiding me to new restaurants. However what I’ve found is that a lot of those restaurants are on the west side.
Today I’m going to start adding restaurant reviews to my dieting blog since food and diet go together. I’ll let you know what options I see on the menus that might be better for dieters or if it’s just a a go and enjoy type of restaurant.
August 2nd, 2006
