Some thoughts on San Fran: probably the most European of all American cities (after New Orleans);
thought the hippie-thing was something from back in the day and that the atmosphere of the city was somehow still reverberating that love-peace-vibe. But in fact it is still a totally hippie-infested city. It doesn't seem to be a phase that teens go through but a lifestyle.
We got some lunch from a bio-chain-market called "Whole foods"...outside: a mum, her tattooed boyfriend and their child eating salad with whole grain totally unamerican totally unidentifiable somethings sprinkled on top and the following conversation: Oh, i don't like it when my kid eats processed food..somehow it makes him way more hyperactive than eating healthy stuff. you know what, kiddie...your teacher was poisoning you when she gave you these sweets. The kid, shocked, almost choking on his pesticide-free salad: what, really, she wanted to kill me?! The mum: no, she didn't wanna kill you, but she eats different things than we do. The boyfriend jumping into the conversation: I hate blablabla. The mum: No, we never 'hate'....they were the kind of people that make their kid become addicted to crystal meth at the age of 12...
Oh: and oysters as an afternoon lunch for 1 Dollar each...so yes, i have totally fallen for San Francisco.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Already in the Bay Area, San Francisco:
We are staying at the house of Daniel's uncle and cousins who are 5 and 7 now.
They say that the older one also referred to as Benjamin Button is like a 70-year-old man trapped in the body of a 7 year-old-boy; incredibly smart and totally analytical boy.
After playing a kind of fantasy baseball game with Dan and winning, he came up with the idea of creating a big news story which he later distributed to all the neighbors' houses.
This is what it looked like:
We are staying at the house of Daniel's uncle and cousins who are 5 and 7 now.
They say that the older one also referred to as Benjamin Button is like a 70-year-old man trapped in the body of a 7 year-old-boy; incredibly smart and totally analytical boy.
After playing a kind of fantasy baseball game with Dan and winning, he came up with the idea of creating a big news story which he later distributed to all the neighbors' houses.
This is what it looked like:
Julian’
s New
News
Julian gets an 8-6 Victory
By Julian R.
Julian R. beats Daniel Hendler in an 8-6 victory.
Julian did better then expected.
Julian came up in the top of the 1st and got no
points, and then Daniel came up, he
Didn’t get any points ether. The game wore on; still nobody
got any points until
The top of the 3rd. Julian was at the plate with
a man on 3rd the pitcher (Daniel)
Threw a balk the man on 3rd scored. Julian went
on to get 2 more runs
Getting a 3-0 lead, and got 2 more
in the 5th making it 5-0, but Daniel came back in the bottom
Of the 5th with 6
runs making it 6-5, but in the bottom of the 9th, it was still 6-5
and Julian was
With a man on 2nd
with 2 outs; and he hit a inside the park home run; and the game 8-6
Wednesday’s games:
15th ave world
series 12:00
A small recap: back in L.A. we went to a restaurant called "Animal", Dan's all-time favorite.
Here is the menu so that you know what we are talking about...a 100 percent meat-based selection (even the desert).
menu
Sample Menu – July 2012
chicken liver toast 3
spicy beef tendon chip, charred onion pho dip 7
heirloom melon, purslane, lemon cucumber, borage flower 9
fried ricotta salata, roasted peppers, garlic confit, wild arugula 9
marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions 10
mangalitsa leaf lard, smoked trout, tomatillo, pecan, pumpernickel 11
pig tails, “buffalo style,” celery, ranch 11
lettuce, beets, avocado, pita, feta, creamy sumac 11
tomato salad, black olive, garlic crouton, boiled egg, french dressing 12
crispy pig head, little gem, chow chow, grainy mustard 12
pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg 12
melted petit basque, chorizo, grilled bread 12
sea bream crudo, cucumber, jalapeno, page mandarin 13
tandoori octopus, tamarind, blood orange, raita 13
barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw 13
veal brains, vadouvan, apricot puree, carrot 14
rabbit loin spring roll, eggplant, sprouts, green curry 14
hamachi tostada, herbs, fish sauce vinaigrette, peanut 15
yellowtail collar, jerk spices, citrus, kholrabi, palm sugar 16
chicken fried sweetbreads, charred romaine, crawfish xo, creme fraiche 16
beef belly, torpedo onion, shell beans, pickled soubise 17
poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar 18
liquid porcini agnolotti, corn, burro e pepe 19
grilled quail, plum char-siu, peach, cherry, yogurt 19
balsamic pork ribs, corn & cherry tomato panzanella 19
duck breast, charred cabbage, liptauer, mustard 21
poached halibut, coconut broth, raw porcini, morels, asparagus, herbs 26
flat iron, artichoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue 28
crispy rabbit legs, sugar snap peas, chermoula aioli, meyer lemon 29
spicy beef tendon chip, charred onion pho dip 7
heirloom melon, purslane, lemon cucumber, borage flower 9
fried ricotta salata, roasted peppers, garlic confit, wild arugula 9
marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions 10
mangalitsa leaf lard, smoked trout, tomatillo, pecan, pumpernickel 11
pig tails, “buffalo style,” celery, ranch 11
lettuce, beets, avocado, pita, feta, creamy sumac 11
tomato salad, black olive, garlic crouton, boiled egg, french dressing 12
crispy pig head, little gem, chow chow, grainy mustard 12
pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg 12
melted petit basque, chorizo, grilled bread 12
sea bream crudo, cucumber, jalapeno, page mandarin 13
tandoori octopus, tamarind, blood orange, raita 13
barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw 13
veal brains, vadouvan, apricot puree, carrot 14
rabbit loin spring roll, eggplant, sprouts, green curry 14
hamachi tostada, herbs, fish sauce vinaigrette, peanut 15
yellowtail collar, jerk spices, citrus, kholrabi, palm sugar 16
chicken fried sweetbreads, charred romaine, crawfish xo, creme fraiche 16
beef belly, torpedo onion, shell beans, pickled soubise 17
poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar 18
liquid porcini agnolotti, corn, burro e pepe 19
grilled quail, plum char-siu, peach, cherry, yogurt 19
balsamic pork ribs, corn & cherry tomato panzanella 19
duck breast, charred cabbage, liptauer, mustard 21
poached halibut, coconut broth, raw porcini, morels, asparagus, herbs 26
flat iron, artichoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue 28
crispy rabbit legs, sugar snap peas, chermoula aioli, meyer lemon 29
tres leches, berries, opal basil 7
panna cotta, blackberry jam, sable cookie 7
roasted peach, ginger pound cake, pink peppercorn chantilly 7
bacon chocolate crunch bar, s&p ice cream 7
panna cotta, blackberry jam, sable cookie 7
roasted peach, ginger pound cake, pink peppercorn chantilly 7
bacon chocolate crunch bar, s&p ice cream 7
Monday, August 27, 2012
Day 8 Part 2: Going along the Highway One..a really scenic route along the pacific coast. America isn't that bad after all! We arrived at the campground where our boys' scout abilities were tested to the maximum while putting up the tent. My boyfriend might not be a genius as a really stupid internet quiz made him believe, but according to that he is at least gifted...well, he is definitely very dumb for trusting these kind of homepages..but he managed to understand the instructions within minutes (which were, mind you, a bit more complicated than the ones for a Malmoe Ikea cupboard).
We went on a 3 mile hike and freezed our buts off in the evening...who would have thought that after the L.A. sauna experience anything could be considered to be nippy. We met an American with long grey hair who was living the Into-the-wild experience...homeless since a couple of weeks, living in his Van with his dog...brewing tea for himself and us in the evening (probably due to the lack of something he would have really been able to enjoy like Jonny Walker Whiskey)..he basically gave us a summary of his lifestory...dad who left the family when he was in his teens, him being forced to start working at the age of 14...mum calling him once caus his dad wasn't paying the alimonies...within a couple of hours the dad had 2 guys in his apartment and a gun pointing at his face...within split seconds the dad was liquid again...after telling this story, the guy chuckled and proudly announced what was already to be expected: that he had been the one organizing the John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson-characters.
We went on a 3 mile hike and freezed our buts off in the evening...who would have thought that after the L.A. sauna experience anything could be considered to be nippy. We met an American with long grey hair who was living the Into-the-wild experience...homeless since a couple of weeks, living in his Van with his dog...brewing tea for himself and us in the evening (probably due to the lack of something he would have really been able to enjoy like Jonny Walker Whiskey)..he basically gave us a summary of his lifestory...dad who left the family when he was in his teens, him being forced to start working at the age of 14...mum calling him once caus his dad wasn't paying the alimonies...within a couple of hours the dad had 2 guys in his apartment and a gun pointing at his face...within split seconds the dad was liquid again...after telling this story, the guy chuckled and proudly announced what was already to be expected: that he had been the one organizing the John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson-characters.
Day 7 and 8: Getting stuff organized for the roadtrip...so basically driving around town collecting camping gear from different people, getting a Big Sur campsite-book from the library...finding out that our limits were too low on our credit cards while attempting to rent a car after finding out that renting would have been twice the price of the initial online suggestion (due to ludicrously high insurance costs). So an embarrassing moment later we were on the road with Dan's old car again, convincing ourselves that it was a blessing in the sky..since this roadtrip is still in the state of evolution, I won't be able to say if it will survive all the way up north.
Stayed in a seedy but spacious motel in Santa Maria on the way up to the Big Sur national park. The real American experience was complemented with a visit to Danny's, a breakfast chain where the waitresses are usually old and friendly in a granny-like-way and have a tendency of ending all their sentences with "honey" and the portions are as big as german words are long..oatmeal, bacon, overeasy eggs...what a start of the day!
Stayed in a seedy but spacious motel in Santa Maria on the way up to the Big Sur national park. The real American experience was complemented with a visit to Danny's, a breakfast chain where the waitresses are usually old and friendly in a granny-like-way and have a tendency of ending all their sentences with "honey" and the portions are as big as german words are long..oatmeal, bacon, overeasy eggs...what a start of the day!
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Day 5: Naan, Dahl and Chicken Masala for lunch..when it comes to food, L.A. is as extravagant, fancy and individualistic as its inhabitants try to be. (Where else would you find a restaurant called the "Stinking Rose" where all the dishes, even the deserts, consist of garlic? Or who in Europe that isn't a permanent resident of a psychiatric institution would mix pancakes with fried bacon?). In the evening we got some stuff to barbecue with Dan's friends at a butcher that looked as sterile as if all the employees were embracing the idea of a vegan-lifestyle. Where were all the butchers with bloodstained clothes and sweat dripping from their foreheads for mens' testosterone to feast upon that one vaguely recalls from childhood ?! ...Sangria-infused night and a guy present at the party that had been cooking for "El Bulli" in Spain. What a food-revelatory day!
Sidenote: visited the Annenberg Photographic Museum displaying photographs of musicians..yawn, the idea of creating pop icons with the help of photos is as old as my grandmother's grandma.
Sidenote: visited the Annenberg Photographic Museum displaying photographs of musicians..yawn, the idea of creating pop icons with the help of photos is as old as my grandmother's grandma.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Day 4:
Rented a bike and drove to Santa Monica beach..a huge beach and a paved road that split it in half..so biking "along" the beach gets a completely new meaning; had the best sandwich of my life due to an empty stomach and 45 minutes of sports;
cooked for a friend of Dan in the evening..."Cioppino", a tomato fish soup recipe from Italy..not that I, being a European, would have known. Dan's friend represents what L.A. stands for: he is gay, quirky and has actor's ambitions. The talking was interrupted from time to time by his cellphone indicating the vicinity of possible dates (aka quickfucks that shouldn't be located in bumblefuck) on www.grinder.com (could there be a name giving away more?); made some blueberry pie and wanted to watch the "Romantics", the first movie Daniel has ever gotten credits for..didn't make it..my drooling after 5 min indicating it was time to go to bed.
Rented a bike and drove to Santa Monica beach..a huge beach and a paved road that split it in half..so biking "along" the beach gets a completely new meaning; had the best sandwich of my life due to an empty stomach and 45 minutes of sports;
cooked for a friend of Dan in the evening..."Cioppino", a tomato fish soup recipe from Italy..not that I, being a European, would have known. Dan's friend represents what L.A. stands for: he is gay, quirky and has actor's ambitions. The talking was interrupted from time to time by his cellphone indicating the vicinity of possible dates (aka quickfucks that shouldn't be located in bumblefuck) on www.grinder.com (could there be a name giving away more?); made some blueberry pie and wanted to watch the "Romantics", the first movie Daniel has ever gotten credits for..didn't make it..my drooling after 5 min indicating it was time to go to bed.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Day 3: Hermosa beach...a signpost saying "Keep the beach clean", factories along the shore..American flags reminding visitors with short memories every 5 meters which nation you are in; a woman tripping on the sidewalk and her boyfriend, wanting to express his loyalty towards her (=hoping to receive a reward in the form of vaginal entry later on), verbally and physically attacking this piece of infrastructure. Well, of course it had definitely nothing to do with the woman's clumsiness.
At nighttime: finally being really disappointed: no big boobs spotted so far...a college bar where men usually only want two things: getting laid, or, if this is not possible, getting in a fight while taking off their shirts and flexing their muscles. the hours spent at the gym with clenched teeth and drenched sweaty towels must be good for something...
At nighttime: finally being really disappointed: no big boobs spotted so far...a college bar where men usually only want two things: getting laid, or, if this is not possible, getting in a fight while taking off their shirts and flexing their muscles. the hours spent at the gym with clenched teeth and drenched sweaty towels must be good for something...
Monday, August 20, 2012
Day 2: the getty museum: being situated on a hill overlooking the vast lands of l.a. aka neighbourhoods in search of a city. again a clear smogless sky. and a great tourist-guide by my side..my own personal lonely planet called daniel with whom one is never lonely. the museum itself houses art and photography. in danger of getting over-klimted (it shows a lot of art deco of klimt), we decided to concentrate on the photography section presenting the work of herb ritts, being famous for the athleticism in his portraits.
since reaching this level of body perfection will never be within the realms of the possible for us, we decided to fuck it and concentrate on enjoying life fully (especially calory-wise) by going to a fancy restaurant called "bazaar" which concentrates on molecular gastronomy and was, according to dan, designed by a drunk arab. as pieces of art emperors were being on display that slowly transformed into monkeys. favourite dish of the night: fois gras hidden underneath some cotton candy (since the selling of fois gras itself has been banned, one has to get creative to still get it sold).
since reaching this level of body perfection will never be within the realms of the possible for us, we decided to fuck it and concentrate on enjoying life fully (especially calory-wise) by going to a fancy restaurant called "bazaar" which concentrates on molecular gastronomy and was, according to dan, designed by a drunk arab. as pieces of art emperors were being on display that slowly transformed into monkeys. favourite dish of the night: fois gras hidden underneath some cotton candy (since the selling of fois gras itself has been banned, one has to get creative to still get it sold).
Day 1: breakfast at "the griddle": american-sized portions of pancakes bigger than the ufo in independence day. getting rid of some calories by hiking up the ranyon canyon to get a good view of the smog hanging over the city. to my disappointment, the sky was clear and on the way up there were no fake griddle-pancake-sized boobs to be seen. so my first impressions fulfilled the cliche image europeans being u.s.a-virgins have only halfway.
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