mmm-yoso!!!

Siem Reap: Morning at the Temples of Angkor

I know many have been waiting for more on the Siem Reap portion of our trip. The biggest problem for me is trying to figure out which photos to use. Over the course of our trip we took over 4500 photos, and discarded many. But we are still left with about 3700! But without further ado, let's move forward.

We had no problem waking at 430 am in anticipation of our 520 pick-up. The combination of our still present jet lag, and our excitement over-rode our internal clocks. Our Driver, Narin was there to pick us up exactly at 520am. Narin seemed to be a very nice, mild-mannered, calm individual, and once the Missus started up with Her incessant questions(everything but "why is the sky blue") , Narin warmed up and started smiling a lot more. He took us to get our passes(with your photo), and asked us what we had in mind, and helped us plot out the day. And soon we were off. On some very good advice, we had decided on hiring only a driver. Drivers are allowed to drop off and pick-up tourists, but not enter the temples. Only official guides (costs $2000, + a test, + some, ummm, "connections") are allowed on Temple grounds. At every site you're supposed to show your pass to the guards. Some are a bit more diligent than others.

The main reason for the early wake-up was for the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We looked for the classic shot of sunrise at Angkor Wat, from the pool on the Northwest side.

What this photo doesn't show is that everyone else is trying for the same shot.

Even though we had been told by several people how annoying all the clicking of the cameras and jockeying for position was, we never did get that feeling. Perhaps deciding to visit during the hottest month of the year wasn't too bad an idea. By this time we decided to extricate ourselves from the crowd, crossed over the causeway and took more photos of the sunrise.

Knowing that we'd be returning later that day, we quickly made our way back out to the car. we quickly arrived at Phnom Bakheng. Phnom Bakheng, situated up a hill(sometimes called, "The Strong Hill") was one of the first major temples built in the Angkor era, at about the 9th Century AD. It is believed that the first capital of the Khmer Empire, Yaśodharapura(City that Bestows Glory) was built around the Phnom Bakheng, by Yasovarman I. Due to the hilltop location, Phnom Bakheng is usually packed with tourists during sunsets. All this traffic has badly damaged the original stairways up the mountain, which are now closed off.

Instead, a trail wound it's way around the mountain, and since it was still fairly early in the morning, the weather was still cool, and we only had the constant electrical buzzing of Cicadas to keep us company for the short walk up the hill.

 

Having the Phnom Bakheng to ourselves only heightened the feeling of awe and wonder.

And while the Missus was climbing about exploring, I just circled. I still had some reservations about walking on the ruins. And though I would get over the feeling that I was somehow a party to destruction, the thought was always hovering about in the background.

Because this site is elevated it is very popular during sunset. In fact, I've heard it's downright sardine city! During the evenings you can catch elephant rides up and down the mountain as well.

The next stop, Angkor Thom. Many persons I know who have heard of Angkor Wat, believe that Angkor Wat is the only ruin in Siem Reap. They've never heard of the "Great City", Angkor Thom. In the 12th Century, the Kingdom of Champa, and the Khmers were at war. In 1166, the Khmer ruler Yasovarman II was assassinated, supposedly by one of his subordinates, Tribhuvanāditya. Sensing the instability in the region, the Cham, in war canoes crossed Tonle Sap Lake and invaded Angkor, destroying Yaśodharapura, and killing Tribhuvanāditya. under the leadership of the person soon to known as King Jayavarman VII the Cham were defeated and driven out. Seems that Jayavarman VII was quite the builder, and one of his greatest achievements was the centralized city of Angkor Thom. I've read accounts that have said that within the 9 square kilometers that comprised Angkor Thom resided anywhere from 100,000(low end) to over a million(high end estimate) people. After reading a bit more about Angkor Thom, I couldn't help but admire the combination of practicality: the city was surrounded by walls 8 meters high, and huge moats, that provided water, as well as protection. Hard to believe from this pastoral scene, but I was told that they used to have the moats filled with crocodiles....for a bit of extra "insurance".

And spirituality: From accounts I've read, Jayavarman VII was a fervent Buddhist, so when he was inaugurated, so was Buddhism, replacing Hinduism. I've also read that when the Khmer fell to the Cham, so did their faith and belief in Hinduism.

The South Gate is probably the most famous entrance to Angkor Thom. The entrance portal was built to accommodate elephants entering the city.

The causeway to the gate is guarded by 54 "Gods" on one side:

And 54 "Demons" on the other:

  It makes for quite a sight. You can read more on The East Gate, and on Angkor in general on Wandering Chopsticks post here.

For me, the one thing that always stood out, and what I consider to be sort of the "trademark" of Jayavarman VII is this:

Each head faces one of the four cardinal directions.

If that weren't enough, our next stop was one of my favorites. The Bayon. From afar, it looks like a pile of ruins, with spires rising out of it.

But each of those "towers", holds 4 faces, each face has that mysterious, sly-knowing smile....the "smile of Angkor". According to literature, there used to be 54(yes, numerology is very strong) towers, but now only 37 exist at this temple.

The Bas-reliefs at the Bayon are also magnificent. They are carved much deeper into the sandstone, really projecting the various scenes. I'll go into these a bit later on. We enjoyed The Bayon so much, we decided to return later on.

The temple consists of 3 enclosing walls and a top terrace, where the forest of towers reside. There are a few stairways, and one good metal staircase. You need to watch your step, some of the stairs are really worn down.

At the top you can get up close and personal with the faces. One thing I noticed, look through any window, and you'll see at least one, or more heads. I'm sure this was by design. But it really gave me a strange and eerie feeling. The only feeling more strange than those provided by those enigmatic faces, was that in the back of what little grey matter still exists, I could hear the faint sound of a song:

"I always feel that somebody's watchin' me
And I have no privacy
I always feel that somebody's watchin' me
Is it just a dream?"

Egad! You gotta be kiddin' me.....I'm standing among one of the great wonders of the world, and the best I can do is a "Bad 80's" song by Rockwell?

Now for the, "yes we're tourists, and sometimes we do cheesy tourist things" portion. The Missus had always wanted to do this...so for $10 a person, we rode an elephant around the Bayon. I was a bit concerned for the elephant's sake, but was told that if this elephant wasn't giving rides, it would be doing logging work. So I guess this is the lesser of 2 evils. So what about the ride? It's bumpy, and really no big deal. We can now cross the elephant ride off our list....no need to do it again. We were also told that the elephants have set hours, with breaks. Must be a pretty good union.... We did see elephants trotting "home" for lunch. They can move pretty fast.

Our next stop was the Baphuon, just North of the Bayon. The Baphuon was built around 1060, and is still undergoing restoration. For us, the most interesting feature of this temple is the raised sandstone causeway leading to the temple.

It's hard to see that the causeway is raised in that photo, so maybe this is a better one:

Here's a view from under the causeway:

Next stop was the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants. The place was fairly crowded when we arrived, but we enjoyed the view, and the various amazing Bas-reliefs.

We took a walk across the road to Prasat Suor Prat, the so called "towers of the tightrope walkers".

The most popular story is that tightrope walkers walked on ropes tied from tower to tower. Another says that the 12 towers were used to resolve disputes. The individuals were placed in different towers, and after a few days the person who was in the wrong would become ill. To his day no one is sure.

Behind Prasat Suor Prat are 2 buildings called the Khleangs.

No one is sure what the purpose of these buildings are.

After walking about, Narin asked us if he could drop us off for lunch. One of his customers needed a ride to the airport. We would have lunch at one stands across from Angkor Wat, and than head on over to Angkor Wat right across the street. This wasn't a problem with us. We just wanted something small to eat...the combination of excitement and heat had repressed our appetites.

The menu at this place was pretty extensive...but the Missus wanted...drum roll please! Yep, Fish Amok($8.00):

We had a large order, which was served in a coconut...all it needed was an little umbrella to complete the picture. Actually, this tasted much better than what we had at Khmer Kitchen. Much richer, and not as sweet.

And after having all of that very low grade rice in Vietnam, we really enjoyed the rice.

Of course, I was a bit distracted....because right across the way some "dancing girls" were calling to me.....

Pho Ca Dao - Mira Mesa

I don't know what it is, but this year, even as we approach the heat of summer, I've still been eating Pho. What's even more interesting, the Missus, never a big fan of Pho, has now developed a taste for it. Recently, we had decided on grabbing a bite at Pho Ca Dao on El Cajon Boulevard. But realizing that we had never eaten at the Mira Mesa location, and since the Missus was having one of Her "I'm so easy going" moments, headed off in that direction instead.

One thing became very apparent as we entered the restaurant. It was very clean, and the folks working were smiling, and quite friendly. No having to know what to order before your butt hits the Naugahyde here. Looking around, I thought I was eating in, perhaps a Marie Callenders?

We saw Servers getting balloons for kids, chatting up the customers. No, menu's weren't dealt out on the table like Texas Hold'em, no one hovering around in the "universal Pho ordering stance". They really put you at ease.

The Missus, feeling that it was a bit too hot for Pho, went with the Bun Bi Cha Gio($5.70):

The portion size was quite good, but the Bi(shredded pork and pork skin) was dry, the noodles mushy, and the Nuoc Mam Cham(fish sauce dip) tasted watered down. The Cha Gio("egg rolls") were crisp and hot.

Having not visited this location of Pho Ca Dao, I wasn't sure what meat offerings were done well here. So I went with the Pho Dac Biet(special - $5.50):

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but did include Ngo Gai(Saw leaf herb - Culantro) that was starting to brown. On the good side, this place was so accommodating that I could request a bit more basil and Ngo Gai without worrying about ending up with a sharpened pencil in my neck.

The broth had a nice light brown color, and was relatively clear. It also had a nice clove-anise "nose" to it. Unfortunately, this didn't translate to the flavor, which was overwhelmingly salty. The Rare Steak was decent, not too  dry, the very scant amount of tripe was fine, the brisket had nice flavor, but was on the dry side. Just like it's namesake on El Cajon Boulevard, it's the tendon that stands out. It is perhaps not as soft and buttery, but it is close enough.

Like I mentioned earlier, we had very friendly and accommodating service. This alone put us into a nice, relaxed state. Even the the wanna be "Gangsta's" hanging out in the parking lot looked at lot more like over-fed Mama's Boyz who went on a shopping spree at a gold shop, than hardened young men. I'm not sure if I'll be eating here again soon, but I wouldn't feel bad if I had to.

Pho Ca Dao
8373 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Open 7am-9pm Daily

Road Trip: Mama's Lu and Northern Dumpling House - Monterey Park(LA)

With gas prices at new highs, just wanting to take a road trip would probably be grounds to have us committed. But we were getting a bit stale just stewing in our juices at home. So, we went ahead with our little road trip and made the best of it. After doing our morning shopping, instead of heading toward San Gabriel, we decided on what in the good old days(at least for us) was the center of our eating universe. The intersection of Garfield and Garvey in Monterey Park. We were amazed at how light traffic was and even snagged convenient parking on Garvey. I'm guessing gas prices are affecting everyone.

Our first lunch stop was a newer restaurant called Mama's Lu....no not Mama Lu's, or even ahem, Mama's Loo(God help us all). It really is called Mama's Lu:

See what I mean? I asked the Missus what the deal was with the name. Her response? "Hey, you're the food guy, right? You figure it out." Which translated, probably meant, "the heck if I know...." This little shop occupies the area that used to be Heavy Noodling, which I was kind of sad to see go.

The interior of "Da' House of Lu", is very clean. Not a sign of "San Gabriel sticky" to be found here.

The menu is short and concise, mostly dumplings, Shanghainese, with some Sichuan thrown in on the Chinese menu board:

I dunno if we've gotten used to prices in San Diego or what, but we had reverse sticker shock when we checked out the menu.

10 Xiao Long Bao for $4.50? You can barely get a Carne Asada Burrito for that in San Diego! Maybe this drive was worth it.

As we looked over the menu, the Missus and I hatched our plan. 2 Xiao Long Bao, and one dish we'll sample, and load into the ice chest. We started with an old favorite of the Missus, Shanghai style "Smoked Fish"($4.50), a classic dish. The Missus grew up eating the stuff.

The photo is a bit deceptive, this was a pretty large portion. This version was drier(but not dry), than versions I've had. It also didn't have a very pronounced sweet and five spice flavor. I really enjoyed it, because unlike other versions, this was not "fishy" in the least. The Missus(and my MIL) still favor the version at Chin's. But I'll take this any day of the week.

The Pork and Crab Xiao Long Bao($8.50), probably the most expensive item on the menu.

These came with each XLB(8) packed into an individual foil container. What I thought; "wow, they pack them individually, in these little dishes so they don't leak." What the Missus thought; "no wonder they're so expensive, they waste money on those dishes. If they make them right, they won't leak. And they sure better know the difference between the crab and the pork Xiao Long Bao. What a waste."

For us, a good Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao, will be rich and mildly sweet. This was bland and kind of greasy. The meat to soup ratio was not to our liking. Too much meat, not enough soup. The wrappers had a major defect; the fold was hard and chewy, and the bottom was gummy.

The Pork Xiao Long Bao(10 - $4.50):

These Xiao Long Bao suffered from the same problems as the Crab and Pork with regards to the wrapper and meat to soup ratio. Flavor wise, these were better with regards to a mild sweetness, and the meatball was melt in your mouth tender. I still think it was under flavored.

Still, I think it's better than any XLB we have here in San Diego, but when compared to all the other XLB in the area..... On the positive side, we had excellent service, our tea was refilled, and our water twice! The very nice Server, came back to check on us, something that almost never happens in the SGV! There is a booth behind the cash register that displays the XLB makers at work, a la Din Tai Fung. One more thing that I found somewhat humorous. The 'A' Health Rating is posted by the hallway door, away from the street...almost as if they're ashamed that they actually got an 'A'.

Mama's Lu Dumpling House
153 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

So why did the Missus and I exercise such restraint at Mama's Lu? Right across the street from Mama's Lu is this place.

The English sign only says "Restaurant". I had read about this place on Chowhound, called Northern Dumpling House. We saved some "room" for a meal here. We planned on one order of Jiaozi and "something else". Like Mama's Lu the place is very clean, and almost too cold and sterile. The prices here are very reasonable as well.

I really wanted to try he Pork and Opo Squash Dumplings(I thought they'd be interesting), but they did not have any.

So we had the Beef and Chinese Celery Dumplings($5.50):

These Jiaozi were interesting, the wrapper was very soft and pillowy. I enjoy a bit of chew, but the Missus enjoyed these as a change of pace. She went into a lecture about making the dough of Jiaozi, and water temperature, etc, etc, etc.... The filling was undoubtedly beefy, but lacked a decent Chinese celery crunch and the only way we knew there was celery in the filling was a slight aftertaste. I'm not quite sure about these, but the Missus enjoyed them. I want to bring my Mother In Law to see what She thinks.

Looking for something that we could have a few bites of, than take home; I went for the Cumin Lamb. We thought it strange that all the stir fry dishes had prices that had been covered by blank white stickers. So at the risk of being charged some exorbitant amount, we went ahead and ordered it anyway.

If you enjoy a milder cumin taste, you'd like these. What made this dish really good was how the lamb was prepared and cooked. There were slices that were melt in the mouth soft! If not for the mild gamey flavor(not wild enough for us), you'd think that you were eating very well prepared beef. Mildly spicy from the chilies, this was even better the next day. Did you guess how much this cost? It was $5.40......on our check the Server initially wrote $4.95, but crossed it out and wrote in $5.40....I'll take that any day.

Even more than the food, there was something really interesting about this meal. The restaurant was empty except for another couple. Apparently, the Guy is a "Chef" at another restaurant, the Missus said he had a strong Beijing accent, She could barely understand his girlfriend/wife("man, her accent is really hard to make out"). After making our food the cook came out, pulled up a seat, and they started talking about business in the area. And also started dissing other regional Chinese cuisines. They were especially hard on Tianjin Cuisine("no way a Tianjin restaurant will make it, they don't make any good food, only snacks"). Stuff like prices and competition were discussed, too much to write in this post. But if you've ever wanted to be a "fly on the wall."

Northern Dumpling House
138 East Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

Restaurante El Salvadoreno - A Revisit

It sure feels like I've been doing this for a long time. I remember doing a post on El Salvadoreno way back in August of 2005. A few months later, the restaurant moved into its new digs right next door. And though I've driven past the place dozens of times, I never took the time out to grab a meal until recently.

Here's what the "old" El Salvadoreno looked like back in 2005.

If you think that is a big change; check out the dining area.

Wow. Here's the old 7 table El Salvadoreno, which I thought had a nice quaint charm.

Wood siding, nice tile work, it really looks like a very nice and proper restaurant. A far cry from the greasy spoon decor.

About this time I started wondering if anything else had changed....like maybe the menu? If I had any doubts, one look at the menu told me otherwise. I noticed all of the dishes I'd had before. As with the everything else, the sticky two page laminated menu, had been replaced, "now with 100% more color photos!"

Since I had my first Pupusa at El Salvadoreno, I decided to stick with that. Soon enough the hot sauce arrived.

And instead of the usual "communal tub" of Curtido, the lightly pickled cabbage slaw. A bowl of Curtido was brought to my table.

Today the Curtido was crisp and fresh, with a nice oregano aroma, though not as "pickled" as I recalled.

I had ordered a Pupusa Revuelta Con Todo (a mixed Pupusa - $2.25), a Pupusa de Chicharron($2.00), and a Pupusa de Queso and Calabaza($2.00).

The Pupusas arrived steaming hot, and the fillings were molten. The texture of the exterior of the Pupusa was even better than I remembered, slight crunchy and crusty. As you got past the crust, a slight corn-masa flavor hit you, and the "tortilla" got a bit more chewy. The Revuelta was by far my favorite, a nice contrast of flavors, with the jalapenos adding a nice surprise zip now and then. I received the Chicharron con Queso, instead of de Chicharron. It was fine, nice and gooey, but came up short in the "porkyness" territory. The de Calabaza con Queso was very blah. I wasn't paying attention. I should have ordered the Pupusa de Loroco con Queso. In this case the Calabaza was plain and simple zucchini.

3 Pupusas were perhaps, 1 too many for me. Still, you can't beat the price, a filling breakfast for under $7. I've always received very nice and friendly service at El Salvadoreno. There are those who believe the area is on the "sketchy" side. But I've never had any problems in the neighborhood. All of the old favorites, like the fried chicken and the tamales are still on the menu. I need to make an effort to revisit other places that I haven't been back to in a while.

Restaurante El Salvadoreno
2845 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102

I keep forgetting to keep some room for this:

Right across the street. Maybe next week?

Saturday Silliness-Some meals Cathy has eaten away from home

mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food.  Cathy is writing to show you she is alive, taking photos and blogging.  Just a little.

Hi.  I got some emails asking me if I was OK...I've been busy this month.  I still found time to eat, while meeting friends for lunch, or working and pretty much took photos of everything I ate.  Nothing exciting, just food. So, here you go.  Sort of a week in my life. Condensed.

Souplantation for lunch.. Where there are no rules. So I always grab two salad plates-one for the ready made stuff as well as the salad -salad.   

OK, this time I grabbed three plates.  I had one half bowl of chili also, but didn't take a picture.   

 

 

I usually try one of the three pastas available, with the sort of garlic/sort of foccacia bread.  This day it was Alfredo sauce and pasta.

I always get the squaw bread. With real butter.  

A blue crab, steamed with Old Bay...(excellent fresh flavor) from Crab Hut .   

   

   

 

 

So, my $5 lunch, while working... Fresh Kaiser onion roll, 1/4 lb roast beef, Black tea on sale.

Turns into a wonderful huge sandwich.. I was working on Voting Day and could not leave the area I was assigned. I also got myself a jelly donut for dessert. (Included in the $5 price).

...

A really good ceviche tostada from some taco shop where I met a friend.

The gyros salad from Daphne's . 

A $21 meal from Nijiya Market. Soft shell crab on bottom center.  Curry croquette, fried squid, chicken Katsu Bento box, some sort of seaweed salad...Total price included the can of hot green tea and the liter of cold coffee as well as that imported banana crepe. We ate it on one of the outdoor tables.

That's it.  Nothing overly exciting.  Hope you are having a nice weekend.

The 2008 San Diego County Fair Part Two- A day at the Fair, with food

mmm-yoso!!!.  You are here.  Cathy is blogging. Enjoy.

Hi.  I know you've been waiting for this post.  The Mister and I met up with Ms. T. at the front gate of the Fairgrounds the other day.

Where Don Diego greeted us, along with an Olympic looking sculpture. We had come in on the Double Decker bus from the free parking area on Via de la Valle, saving us $9 in parking fees. Its a nice ride and kind of fun. There are also a few old yellow school buses, which are...um...smaller than I remember them being. The buses run every 15 minutes and take you right to the front gate, where you can walk in and see the Midway.

There are all sorts of stimulating entertainment, sights and sounds, even at the opening hour (10 a.m.). 

The concession stands remind me why I came here... and I must remember why I came here. To blog! 

The Mister brought this to the table first. The deep fried White Castle cheeseburger. The innards. It is a White Castle cheeseburger and fries ($~6 for the plate) but we were one of the first orders of the day and I could detect just a slight...um...un-freshness in the taste of the oil used to fry the batter. Not rancid, but not fresh. The fries were excellent though. Oh, and the White Castle (it isn't called a burger) was, without the batter, just as I remembered. But I usually don't get it with cheese. The teensy chopped onions and soft mushy bun were good. If I were to grade it, it would get a "C". Passable. 

Gosh, the ads on the stands are overwhelming... Ms. T chose the healthiest and best tasting meal we had all day-the chicken kabob with pickled turnips and fresh hummus-with the large refillable for $2 (including tax) at any concession stand beverage, the total was $20. The kabob was wonderful-fresh chunks of charbroiled chicken breast, crispy green peppers and sweet onion chunks with a side of fresh, home made(a little chunky/not perfectly smooth) hummus and fresh a bit salty in a good way pickled turnips this was the best overall meal.   Definitely an A+. Oh, you read the signs, did you? Of course I got the deep fried Spam (~$6). This was excellent. the batter was more waffle or cornmeal- The Mister said like corn dog batter (I have *never* had a corn dog in my life...really) and quite pleasant. Four big chunks (half a can, I'd say) and two slices of canned pineapple along with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Excellent. I'd give it a B+/ A- only because of that health thing people talk about...people like my Family Physician...(Hi Dr. B at Kaiser!)

So, we decided to walk off some of the 'breakfast' items we ate and look around the Fairgrounds. The Midway rides look the same.  

Home Arts has the quilts displayed so you can't touch them (apparently there was a problem).

The cake decorating contest entrants were also protected. As were the Crafting winners. The Palomar College student woodworking competition was particularly interesting to me and I liked this small table the best. It is very well made with curved walnut sides and maple.  

This was a creative floral design, using a lemon sliced water filled base. There are weekly floral competitions for various flowers. This one was pretty.

Oh, back to some food. Seriously. The foot long hot dog- extremely good quality. Grade: A. With chili (bottom cup)(Grade:B-; It had beans)(About $5) and a $2 Tuesday special 2 ounce sample of the BBQ beef-excellent (grade: A). OK. You can't tell the size? That's a Samsung mobile phone on the tray.

The ubiquitous Funnel cake- top is the $2 Tuesday sample, bottom is the $3 with strawberries and whipped cream regular size. (I liked the plain one better). It's a sweet and was OK, but I don't crave sweets.  Grade: C

The reason I come to the Fair. The cream puffs. $3 regular size vanilla, chocolate mini $2 Tuesday sample.I love the fresh cream and shell made daily. Can't get it anywhere around here, or I would.

More from The floral design competition.  

Finally, an order of Tasti Chips, always a favorite ($5)... Grade:A) I eat the Trader Joe's Hawaiian chips in the blue bag-regularly. I love good chips.

Then back on the free transportation back to the free parking lot. Another year at the Fair.

You can get discounted tickets at Ralphs with a $10 purchase. ($10 versus $12 standard admission).  Most vendors have $2 specials on Tuesdays.  I did not try the frog legs.  I grew up eating them and just did not want anything else fried.  They taste like fishy chicken...Sorry

www.sdfair.com  Until July 6

Whatever a meme is- Cathy's favorite photos of food

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog about food.  Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today.  Cathy is. 

Hi.  Yes I blog, but I don't know all the terminology of blogging (meme?), much less any fancy terminology to describe what I am eating. If it is good, I tell you.  If it isn't good, I tell you.

I pretty much just consider this thing I do with Kirk and ed (from Yuma) to be sort of therapeutic for me.  Instead of talking to people in person, I can do it here...sort of writing a public diary...about what I ate... but I don't really know if you consider me to be a crazy  an eccentric person or not, since most of you don't comment.  Blogging is a different way of thinking for me and from what my other job(s) are.  I try to write in a creative way about what I ate.

Then there is photographing what I eat....and publishing those photos.

Anyhow, I am considering myself tagged via Kirk's post and am glad ed (from Yuma)'s post went up before mine.  Both of them put up photographs and descriptions.

Since I am known among friends as "Literal Girl", I am following the rules literally- 1. I am posting my favorite food photos.  2. If you are reading this and feel like I've tagged you, in some sort of virtual manner, then go ahead and post your ten favorite food photos.   

Rules didn't say I had to describe.  I am Literal Girl, remember?

But, there is one special description.   

If Kirk had not asked me to blog with him, I would not have been carrying my camera two months later, when this dish was placed in front of me and absolutely *never* could have been able to describe it in words to adequately express what you see here. 

Thanks, Kirk, for everything I've been able to do here.  I am so glad we are friends.

You are seeing a sort of Chex Mix which also included miniature marshmallows and some seasoned croutons as well as limes on top of a bowl of  beef bulgogi with sliced radishes, shredded carrots and cabbage on rice.  The bulgogi was very good.

Yes, there are only nine photos.  There could have easily been 100 photos which evoked great memories for me which were also beautiful and creative.  I put them all up and then started deleting and got to these.  Maybe I will do another post...

El Rodeo Mexican Food

I know someone who swears by the Super Sergio's on Convoy, and El Rodeo Mexican Food, located on El Cajon Boulevard, near the intersection of 69th street. Bad thing is, he has a "convenient bad memory" which I'll explain a bit later on. What he did tell me was, you get around 69th street, you can't miss the place. And you know what, he was right. Screaming oranges and yellows, it really does stand out.

I was in the neighborhood, and it was past lunch time on a weekend afternoon a few months back. So why not? I parked the car, check out the murals, and walked to the front counter.....and stopped dead.

At first I thought that perhaps this gal was unconscious, or passed out. At which time she let out a huge snore......at least I knew she was alive. I quietly crept to the counter to order, but could find no one. I could hear music blasting from the rear of the place, but there was no one in sight. I whispered, "hello? hello?" "ola?" And the gal let out a "snort-snort-snort". A bit of sleep apnea perhaps? Not wanting to wake her, I decided to revisit El Rodeo at a later time, and tip-toed back to my car.

About a week later, I was back in the area, so I decided to give it another go. Not knowing what awaited me in the dining area, I peered around the corner, and noticed no sleeping, snoring women.

My eyes were assaulted by the reflection of orange...everywhere. But I managed to order what I came for: a Carne Asada Torta. As I waited, I noticed how busy the phone booth right in front of the restaurant was.

It even rang twice while I was waiting. And 2 different young women walked up to answer the phone. I believe this is probably one of the last remaining pay phones left in the area, but it was strangely busy....and the only persons using the phone were young ladies. Hmmmm.....

When my Torta was ready($4.25), I grabbed it quickly and headed home. The bread on the sandwich was nothing to write home about, there was just too much shredded lettuce, and the Guacamole is pasty and tasteless. But I really enjoyed the Carne Asada, it was nicely caramelized and had a nice overall flavor.

Yes, the bread was heading to the land of soggy pretty quickly, but that could be explained away by the ride home. Soon after, I ran into "MrC" and told him that the Carne Asada Torta was pretty good. He stared at me blankly and said, "Carne Asada? I didn't tell you carne asada, did I? You have to have the Milanesa."

So back I was for the Milanesa Torta($4.25). This time here was no activity at the pay phone, and there were a few other customers eating in the patio area. I decided to grab my sandwich, and consume it in the car. As I was walking to the car, I was stopped by 2 young women, "we need a ride, can you give us a ride?" My reply? "Ummm no." Which is about as close to a "hell, no, not a chance" as I could muster up. Next request, "can we use your cell phone?" I gave them 2 quarters....I'm pretty sure they knew where the pay phone was. As they walked to the pay phone, I entered my car, sat, took a deep breath and removed the foil from my sandwich.

This was not a very good Torta. First, the bread was stale and crumbly. Second, the Milanesa, which was totally overwhelmed by lettuce, had no taste. I suppose it would have been nice texturally, if there was a bite less lettuce. But the meat, which looked to be breaded pork, was tasteless. It was so bland I could