Keeping it Kosher

WHILE working on my final blog project for class, I took a trip down to the old Jewish district of L.A., a place where I visited a lot during my childhood. My orthodox Jewish grandmother, who moved to L.A. from Jerusalem after the death of my grandfather, rarely left the Jewish district, particularly the intersection of Pico and Robertson, so we were often forced to go to her. This gave me kind of a slightly skewed vision of L.A. and grew up thinking that all Angelenos wore black suits and floor length dresses and only ate at kosher delis.

Traveling back to this area for the first time since my childhood brought back a lot of good memories. I walked around the streets looking at all the small boutiques with their menorahs and Seder plates displayed in the window. Instead of the After-Easter Sales you see at so many other stores, storefronts displayed signs declaring “Passover Sales!” There were Jewish barbershops, a Jewish community center, a large temple, and numerous kosher delis.

But what I found the most interesting on the street, wasn’t all of the family owned businesses with their Hebrew signs, but the Subway Restaurant that sat in between them. Out of curiosity and hunger I went in and ordered a sandwich. Only when I went to ask for cheese on my turkey sandwich, they wouldn’t do it! It was a kosher Subway. I should have known. So I left with my cheese-less sandwich feeling slightly like a bad Jew.

But that’s the beauty of L.A., there’s a little bit of everything here. So for those Angelenos who prefer their meats and cheeses in the same meal, there are plenty of Subways ready to provide just that. But for people who prefer to keep it kosher, as Grandma Cohen would say, they can just head down to Pico.

-- Megan McMurtrey

(kosher symbols image via joyofkosher.com)

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

LA Weekly--Doyer Dog

T.G.I.F. Not only for obvious reasons, but also the day the LA Weekly is delivered to my apartment complex. When I first moved into the Spanish modeled studios, I took the grand tour and noticed right in the middle of my exploration, a newspaper stand full of LA Weekly manuscripts. Excited, I took my first copy up to my room and flipped frantically through the matte pages.

The first issue I read was about “Sex in THIS City” which was a clever title and was definitely an interesting array of stories. I learned many things I did not necessarily want to know about the city’s sex life as you can only imagine. Needless to say I started following LA Weekly on Twitter and have ever since been a fan.

The recent issue (April 8-14) focuses on a few different topics; traffic, the new “Doyer Dog”, and its feature story about Kevin Smith (former filmmaker).

To be honest, I found the article on the Doyer Dog more interesting than the story on Kevin Smith- a young crude filmmaker who somehow made it big in Hollywood. Whatever the case may be, the Doyer Dog now offered at the Dodger Stadium reminded me of the history of its existence and the area in which it was built upon.

As the article states, “The beloved Dodger Dog is getting a Mexi-themed hermano, the Doyer Dog”, I thought to myself, why? Of course the catchy nickname has stuck with the Dodgers for quite some time, but why at this moment is there a need to uplift the stadium’s Spanish roots? Then I finished reading the article and found that the new hot dog would be charged $12 for one pup. Ridiculous! So basically, Frank McCourt (owner and co-chairman of the LA Dodger’s and Dodger Stadium) wants to cash-in on its Spanish audience (yet again). However, this delicatessen does make the mouth water; it's loaded with chili, nacho cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos. Personally, I think this would have been an interesting feature story; I would have liked to hear more about this development on behalf of Dodger Stadium and more about why the sudden interest in creating Spanish affiliated product. Until then, I guess I’ll just give in and try a Doyer Dog.

-Chelsea Vogt

-Photo credit hornpmshow.blogspot.com