A Pupu WHAT?

THE definition of a pupusa according to Wikipedia: A pupusa  (from Pipil pupusawa) is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, hand-made corn tortilla that is usually filled with a blend of the following  cheese, cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency, refried beans or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America). 

Why am I defining this, you ask? Because the other day on my luxurious one-hour lunch break with my new intern friend, I was introduced to this delicious meal. Figuring out what I was going to eat for lunch, I look to the other side of the street and am pleasantly surprised to see two food trucks. Seeing the word “PUPUSAS” spread across one of the trucks, I ask my friend if she’s ever heard of them. To my surprise she tells me that she is actually El Salvadorian and eats them all the time.

As we walk to the other side, she tells me more stories about her culture and though she is from Hollywood, to me, this girl seems like she is from a different place entirely. Getting out of my comfort zone, I decide to mimic her order, which also happened to be in fast Spanish. My wording did not seem as graceful though, as it tangled over my tongue. The guy in the window chuckles quietly at this obviously out of place situation. As we wait for the Pupusas, I notice that this little food truck even has a Twitter page. Impressed and dually noting to check out this new food later, I continue to talk with my new friend Maria.

Once we get our food, it becomes silent for a few minutes. As I slowly try out this mysteriously packaged food tiny piece by a somewhat larger piece each time I realize I really like it. At the next First Friday Food Truck Day in Venice, I will be sure to keep an eye out for the word Pupusa and this time, I’ll be able to be the more experienced food connoisseur that’ll impress all my friends.

--Jessica Fernandez

KOGI BBQ-- Food Truck Nation(s)

THROUGHOUT my 21 years of living I have always wondered how the infamous “taco trucks” tasted. It was this year where I had my first encounter with Kogi BBQ, a Korean BBQ and Mexican fusion of heavenly bliss. Taco Tuesday came around the corner and I had spotted the truck in the corner of my eye as I walked into my apartment complex. I decided not to go in and instead wait in the tremendously long line where I found people scrapping the bottoms of their wallets to purchase the delicatessen spare rib sliders featured on the menu. As I waited patiently in line, I got to thinking about all of trucks I had so frequently seen on streets in Venice; and now, the king of all food trucks was on my own street. As I scoured the menu I noted the different types of foods offered, tacos, sliders, burritos, sriracha lava cake, my mouth began to water. I placed my order 30 minutes later and scurried up to my dwelling to taste the highly acclaimed Kogi BBQ.

Food trucks always remind me of Los Angeles. My first experience with Kogi was most definitely not the last as it was at Collegefest last month. My love for the truck grows each time I spot it on a random street, Abbot Kinney or outside of my apartment on Saran Dr. in Playa Del Rey. Not only is Kogi a signature truck in the area, but also the Buttermilk Truck, KO Tacos, and The Flying Pig. All three trucks are local to Los Angeles and always roaming the hungry streets. Where else can you find a plethora of mobile eateries? As I visited the Kogi website, I noticed they have various different trucks amidst the Los Angeles area and Orange County. As a native to OC, I have never seen a food truck perched on any busy street or in any area. However, as I have become a local in LA, I have noticed many dispersed around the highly populated areas of Venice, Playa Del Rey, Hollywood, and Santa Monica. The concept of food trucks seems to be a growing entity. There are hundreds of genres and thousands of trucks catering to different areas of the region. I am always pleased when I find one conveniently located to wherever I may be because I know I will always be a sucker for those food trucks.

-Chelsea Vogt

-Photo credit: Guardian.co.uk

DEPARTURES -- L.A. STYLE

FOR those of you digging deep into the city proper, trying to get at its elusive heart, local public television station, KCET has been putting together a series of online projects that feature the City of Angels in hyper-local closeup. From the slip of water sliding through a concrete bed we call the L.A. River and the personal stories we find laced along freeway over-passes, pylons and garages via street art to Venice's skateparks and Chinatown's historic treasures, the project, "Departures," attempts to tell the story of L.A.'s diverse and disparate communities -- from the the point of view of the people who live, work, organize, raise-children, plant gardens and plan to "never leave here"; boosters in their own vivid, idiosyncratic way:

Juan Devis, Departures' director of production and program management, recently visited LMU's campus as part of the English Department's LAy of the LAnd conference, sitting in on a panel on new media, blogging and the city as subject. Devis discussed the challenges of covering a city as diverse and constantly-changing as Los Angeles. He also said that the Departure's crew is looking for volunteers to help cross the expanse of the city -- to seek-out, interview, research and gather information about the nooks and crannies of the city that get left out in the larger telling of the city's story. For journalists working in L.A. over many decades, this has been one of more frustrating aspects of mainstream media -- a tunnel-vision style of reportage that doesn't fully educate the reader/viewer about the complexity of Los Angeles , rather confirms the stereotypes that often continue to float by as truths.

Check out their site here to see the range of subjects and communities that the project has already explored. If you'd like to lend a hand as a volunteer you can contact Devis via the site or come speak to me for details.

-- L.G.