(Southern) California Dreaming

I think I can safely say that Southern California feels very little like the north. Both parts of the state experience mild weather year round, but the crisp mornings in SF feel nothing like the warm ones in the south. The light breeze off the ocean in SoCal is somewhat more pleasant than the cool winds of San Francisco. The green landscapes of the north give way at some point in between to the desert scenery of the south. To the extent that San Francisco looked and felt like Vancouver in many ways, SoCal is much more reminiscent of the Okanagan Valley that I call home. Okay, so we don’t have the stunning coastal views, but if I turned my back towards the ocean and looked out over the scrub brush hills, I could easily pretend that I was home. Home plus palm trees and bougainvillea as far as the eye can see, that is.

I went to Southern California to spend some quality time with my other half before heading off to do summer research. Joe grew up in Orange County, and has a very large and close-knit family there. While I’ve yet to meet any of his 300 cousins, I was happy to spend some more time with his immediate family – and to indulge in more of his mom’s amazing cooking! Our first morning there, we went with his parents to the Asian market, where his mom showed me the right cut of pork to make my favorite Vietnamese dishes. While we were there they bought the biggest jackfruit I’ve ever seen. (Okay, so I admit that I haven't seen many jackfruits, but everyone in the store remarked on its size on our way out.) Part of the reason for the epic jackfruit was so that I could try it for the first time, so when both Joe’s sister and her husband claimed they wouldn’t go near the stuff, I was worried. Fortunately for me, Joe’s dad is a master at selecting fruit and he picked a particularly delicious specimen. Contrary to what I had been led to believe, the jackfruit was pretty good.

Our second day in SoCal, Joe and I took a mini-road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway. We drove up to Malibu, which really wasn’t anything more than some nice houses and a (presumably) beautiful stretch of coastline that was mainly blocked by buildings. We drove up into the hills to look at some of the houses, only to find that rich californieros are masters of privacy. We were thwarted at almost every step by large fences and well-trimmed hedges. Oh well. Down the highway we went, towards Santa Monica, where we did a quick walk down the pier before heading to Café Pinxto for some delicious tapas and sangria. Oh, and hazelnut-crusted chocolate pate with rum-vanilla ice cream. From there, we headed back to Orange County for another round of mom’s cooking – this time my favorite Vietnamese dish: Banh Xeo, or Vietnamese crepes.

On our third and final day, we got back in the car – this time with Joe’s sister and brother-in-law, and headed south towards San Diego. We stopped off at a little park to take a scenic walk overlooking the coastline, which was absolutely perfect. From there we went into San Diego for ramen at a place called Underbelly’s. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend it. The ramen was fantastic, but the fatty pork belly and brisket buns that we started out with were to die for. After walking off our late lunch/early dinner for a bit, we wandered over to a placed called Extraordinary Desserts, where I was promptly overwhelmed with the options in front of me – literally in front of me, in a giant display case. Blood Orange Ricotta torte, mini-raspberry mousse cakes, and this amazing praline-encrusted chocolate cake layered with ganache and blackberry sauce…the list goes on. After much consternation, I settled on a rather decadent looking fruit tart, a deep-fried croissant filled with custard, and a tiramisu torte. Luckily for me, my hosts saw my excitement and let me choose for everyone. Have I mentioned that Joe’s sister and brother-in-law are quickly becoming two of my favorite people? Ready to lapse into a sugar coma, we headed back to the car and made our way home, after another successful day of touring and eating.

The next morning, Joe and I both made our way to LAX for our departing flights, he back to PA and me to Guatemala. After a (thankfully) uneventful journey, here I sit at my guesthouse in Guatemala City, settling in and getting ready for my first trip to the archives tomorrow. But first, I’ll head out for a family dinner with my dear friend and classmate Sergio, who just happens to be here visiting family this week. The travel gods have smiled upon me.

The view from Torrey Pines state park